Submissions

Thank you for your interest in contributing to the Embodied Philosophy platform. We accept submissions that would be considered for our quarterly print journal, TARKA, and/or to be published digitally. We are especially interested in innovative, interdisciplinary work that straddles realms of scholarship and practice. Our primary areas of content are Yoga Philosophy, MindBody Studies, Dharma and Contemplative studies. In addition to more accessible yet scholarly work, we also are seeking journalistic pieces addressing current events through a contemplative lens.

Length of Submissions

For articles published in our Journal, we are generally looking for shorter articles (900-1500 words) on introductory topics and longer articles (2500-5000 words) on more specialized topics or research. For articles published digitally only, we prefer shorter contributions of not more than 2500 words. Although we will consider longer articles.

Compensation

We compensate $100 for short original articles and $250 for longer articles. If you have a previously published longer article that you would like to draft into a shorter article to be published on our website, we compensate a flat $50 per article.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit according to the following guidelines:

• Provide a short summary or abstract (100-200 words) outlining the basic idea of your original article.
• Provide a link to a writing sample, so that we can get a sense of whether your style fits our platform.
• If your article is accepted for publication, please follow our style guide carefully (link below) to ensure a smooth editing process.

Current Call for Papers:

Issue #9 | “On Sūtras”

As the introductory student of Indian philosophy can attest, sūtra means “thread” and refers to a short aphorism (sometimes of only a few words) that contains the seed essence of a teaching or idea. It is also the name given to a genre of literature composed of such aphorisms, which flourished in India during the early centuries of the common era. These sūtra works are often interpreted by contemporary thinkers as the canonical texts of their respective traditions (of say, vedānta, nyāya, mīmāṁsā, or yoga), however this may only be true insofar as these are simply those texts which are still extant – themselves perhaps compilations or reformed iterations of now-lost texts that preceded them. 

Sūtras are often referred to as “pithy,” a descriptive term that Merriam-Webster defines as “appealing forcibly to the mind.” However, sūtras by themselves often do not appeal immediately or forcibly to the mind and cannot do so without their accompanying commentary, or what is sometimes called bhāṣya. The bhāṣya is what permits us to make sense of the sūtra; it glosses the sūtra within a context of meaning and therefore breathes life into what might otherwise be a meaningless phrase. Resultantly, some have speculated that the sūtras themselves (which, without the commentary, would amount to sometimes little more than a couple of pages) have never lived a life independent of some form of commentary – the sūtra/bhāṣya relationship being therefore, in some sense, a perennial one.

 Many sūtra texts are considered members of the category of Indian literature known as smṛti, or “what is remembered.” The terse nature of sūtric aphorisms reflects this translation, for as such they can serve as devices through which memory is stimulated and by means of which larger arguments can be constructed and reconstructed. The sūtra is thus not only a fruitful anchor for exploring the various schools of Indian philosophy, but it is also a key metaphor for unpacking themes of memory, tradition, and how knowledge “threads” itself through traditions of oral and written cultures. Relatedly, the image of a sūtra’s aphoristic seed blossoming into fruition through the nourishment of historical commentary and the lived experience of various communities might provide a powerful antidote to an image of knowledge seemingly guided by the assumption that “more is more.” 

In this issue of Tarka, we are seeking to provide a historical, philosophical and thematic overview of the sūtra. We welcome articles both on the so-called “orthodox” and “heterodox” schools of Indian philosophy that make use of the sūtra genre, as well as more contemporary interpretations regarding what sūtras might teach us about the themes mentioned above. Text, tradition or practice-based articles are especially welcome, in addition to cross-cultural or comparative studies.  

Articles that meet the following criteria are especially welcome:

-Longer articles (3,000-4,000 words)

-Short articles that address key topics/terms by responding to the question, “What is…..?” (900-1500 words)

-Articles that detail a practice or a key element of practice  (500-2,000 words +/-)

-Book reviews

-Submissions of artwork and/or poetry are also welcome 

Abstract or intention to write due by May 15.  Papers due August 22, 2022.

Please respond by writing to  [email protected]