This lecture will be held in a hybrid format. Join via Zoom
This lecture explores the emergence of early haṭhayogic practices within the Vajrayāna Buddhist milieu of medieval India and Tibet, focusing in particular on the Amṛtasiddhi and its related corpus. It examines how subtle-body physiology, the control and sublimation of bindu, and alchemical models of inner transformation provided the conceptual framework for the development of dynamic yogic techniques later associated with haṭhayoga. Special attention will be given to the Tibetan transmission of these practices through texts such as the Amṛtasaṃkaṭanibarhaṇa, where physical exercises (’phrul ’khor) are presented as methods for manipulating breath and vital energies within the subtle body. By tracing the connections between Vajrayāna inner alchemy, Kālacakra-related traditions, and early physical yoga, the lecture argues that Tibet played a crucial role in preserving and developing some of the earliest known forms of dynamic haṭhayogic practice.
Giacomella Orofino is Professor of Tibetan Studies at the University of Naples “L’Orientale”. Her research focuses on Vajrayāna Buddhism, the Kālacakra tradition, Indo-Tibetan tantric literature, and the early history of haṭhayoga. She has published extensively on Buddhist tantric texts and the transmission of Buddhism between India and Tibet. Her recent work has focused particularly on the Tibetan corpus related to the Amṛtasiddhi and its role in the development of early haṭhayogic traditions.