The eightfold gymnastics of mind: a preliminary report on the idea and tradition of astāvadhāna

The present paper stems from a field study initiated in 2006-2008 in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It aims at drawing a preliminary image of the hitherto unstudied art of avadhāna (Skt.: ‘attentivness, concentration’) of which aṣṭāvadhāna (literally: eightfold concentration) seems to be a better known variety. The paper presents a selection of epigraphic and literary evidence thereof and sketches a historical and social background of avadhāna to go with a report on the present position of its tradition of performance as well as prevailing set of rules