The 8 Limbs & The 8 Fold Path
What is the Connection Between the Eight Limbs (Ashtanga Yoga) of Patañjali and the Noble EightFold Path (The Middle Way) of the Buddha?
Last night was the first session of our Online Patañjali Yoga Sūtra Study Circle this Summer, and one of the participants from the USA raised this resonant question. The more you study Indian philosophy, the more you realize that its traditions are rarely isolated conversations. Rather than developing independently, they emerged within the same rich contemplative landscape — sometimes agreeing, sometimes disagreeing, often refining one another, and continually asking the same fundamental questions:
Why do we suffer? Can suffering end? How do we become truly free?
Patañjali's Eight Limbs of Yoga, also known as Ashtanga Yoga and Raja (Royal) Yoga, and the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path, also known as The Middle Way, offer complementary maps through the same mountainous landscape.
Both aim at the same goal: Liberation. Freedom from suffering.
Yet they emphasize different points.
The 8 Limbs of the Patañjali Yoga Sūtras
In Ashtanga Yoga, Patañjali emphasizes disciplined practice so that discerning wisdom gradually reveals itself. Perhaps we could say it starts by tuning the instrument.
1. Yama — Ethical restraints
2. Niyama — Personal observances
3. Āsana — Steady and comfortable posture
4. Prāṇāyāma — Expansion of vital energy / breath regulation
5. Pratyāhāra — Withdrawal of the senses
6. Dhāraṇā — Concentration
7. Dhyāna — Contemplation / Meditation
8. Samādhi — Meditation / Integration
The Noble 8 Fold Path of the Buddha
In The Middle Way, Buddha emphasizes wisdom first. Cultivating the right view provides the foundation from which ethical conduct, meditation, and the entire path unfold. Perhaps we could say it starts with aligning with understanding.
1. Right View — Understand reality correctly
2. Right Intention — Think with kindness and non-attachment
3. Right Speech — Speak truthfully and kindly
4. Right Action — Act ethically, do no harm
5. Right Livelihood — Earn a living without causing harm
6. Right Effort — Cultivate wholesome states, let go of unwholesome ones
7. Right Mindfulness — Stay aware of body, feelings, mind and reality
8. Right Concentration — Develop deep, steady focus
Historical Context
Vedic Foundation (c. 1500–500 BCE)
The Vedas, India's oldest sacred texts, form the foundation of the six classical darśanas (ways of seeing), also known as the āstika ("orthodox") schools, of Indian philosophy that accept Vedic authority:
Nyāya — Logic and Reasoning
Vaiśeṣika — Atomic Metaphysics
Sāṅkhya — Dualism of Puruṣa and Prakṛti
Yoga — Practical Spirituality
Mīmāṃsā — Ritual and Dharma
Vedānta — Brahman and Ātman
Sāṅkhya Philosophy (c. 900–700 BCE | c. 320–540 CE )
Traditionally attributed to Sage Kapila (c. 900–700 BCE), Sāṅkhya distinguishes permanent pure awareness (puruṣa) from impermanent phenomenal existence (prakṛti). It was later codified by Īśvarakṛṣṇa in the Sāṅkhya Kārikā (320–540 CE).
Patañjali Yoga Sūtra (c. 400 BCE–400 CE)
Patañjali synthesizes Sāṅkhya philosophy and Vedic wisdom with practical discipline in the exposition of Ashtanga Yoga (Aṣṭāṅga):
Aṣṭa = eight
Aṅga = limb
Yoga = union, yoking, discipline
Also known as Raja Yoga or Royal Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga offers a path to liberation by gradually discerning the “Seer” (puruṣa) from the “Seen” (prakṛti) to abide in one’s true nature, free from suffering.
Buddhism (c. 600–500 BCE)
The Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama (c. 600–500 BCE), taught the Noble Eightfold Path, also known as The Middle Way. The middle way centers itself between the extremes of indulgence and asceticism, and between Eternalism and Nihilism, as the way to liberation.
Buddhism is one of the three principal nāstika ("non-orthodox" or "non-Vedic") schools of classical Indian philosophy that do not accept the authority of the Vedas:
Buddhism — Liberation through insight into the nature of reality and the cessation of suffering.
Jainism — Liberation through non-violence (ahiṃsā), ascetic discipline, and purification of karma.
Cārvāka (Lokāyata) — Materialist philosophy emphasizing direct perception and rejecting karma and rebirth.
There have been centuries of cross-pollination between the different schools of Indian philosophy, especially the threads of wisdom in the Patañjali Yoga Sūtras and those in the Buddha Dharma.
Honoring both traditions allows us to appreciate not only their similarities and differences but also the debates and mutual influence that have enriched Indian contemplative thought for over two millennia.
In my personal seeking to be free from suffering, I have studied and practiced in both Buddhist and Yoga traditions. While I consider myself more of an Ashtanga and Advaita (Non-Dual) Vedanta practitioner today, a Shiva-Shakti devotee, I continue to find support, guidance, and enrichment in Buddhist thought and practice.
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