[Buddha-l] Internet activist Aaron Swartz commits suicideRe Library.nu

[Dan Lusthaus]

To put some historical, cultural and legal context on this:

(1) While many believe that the hatha yoga routines and asanas they use are 
"age old" traditional practices, it turns out that most of the routines are 
20th c inventions, drawing more on British military calisthenics than on 
anything from traditional yoga systems.

Cf. the speed at which BKS Iyengar -- one of the innovators -- performs the 
routines in 1938 he has largely devised (notice that several of these are 
played in slow motion).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mftKmszHyAA&feature=fvw
Iyengar until 7:26 in, then Krishnamacharya.

note how abrubt, and even violent Tibetan yoga movements are, contrary to 
your local yoga class:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BESrdlf-cPg&NR=1

Now again, another Krishnamacharya video, at regular speed. Look like your 
local yoga studio?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XF4sCV6aUY

here's his wife's practice (back to slo-mo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5B5xSMJmCE

Modern yoga developed / evolved from these folks.

(2) In terms of evidence from Indian literature, little evidence of anything 
aside from a handful of the most basic asanas is found prior to the 17th c, 
and it is some consolidation of traditional systems (including fakir 
athletic exercises for public performance) in the 19th c that combine with 
western calisthetics in the 20th that become (hatha) yoga today.
http://www.safarmer.com/Indo-Eurasian/Sjoman.1999.pdf

For an overview of the last 200 years of yoga history, see
http://tinyurl.com/yz62qsx

(3) Iyengar, et al. are VERY proprietary about their practice routines, 
asanas, etc. This is not something introduced by the US or Madison Ave.

(4) Erik writes: "perhaps even the word Buddha wil become a protected 
trademark."

Already is. A restaurant here in Brookline, Massachusetts was about to open 
with the name Buddha-chan. Turned out, there was already a restaurant called 
Buddha-chan somewhere else, in another state. They sued, and the Brookline 
restaurant opened with the name Budda C Asain Bistro. Dropping the "h" in 
buddha and dropping the chan was sufficient to avoid copyright violation.
http://www.buddac.com/

Dan