Kaśmir Śaivism

Among the various Hindu philosophies, Kaśmir Śaivism is a school of Śaivism identical with trika shaivism categorized by various scholars as monisticKashmir Shaivism: The Secret Supreme, Swami Lakshman Jee, pp. 103 idealism (absolute idealism, theistic monismThe Trika Śaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, realistic idealismThe Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism, Mark S. G. Dyczkowski, pp. 51, transcendental physicalism or concrete monism). These descriptors denote a standpoint that Cit - consciousness - is the one reality. Matter is not separated from consciousness, but rather identical to it. There is no gap between God and the world. The world is not an illusion (as in Advaita Vedanta), rather the perception of duality is the illusion.
Kashmir Shaivism arose during the eighthKashmir Shaivism: The Secret Supreme, By Lakshman Jee or ninth century CE.For Kashmir Shaivism arising in the ninth century see: Basham, p. 110.The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism, By Mark S. G. Dyczkowski, pp. 4 in Kashmir and made significant strides, both philosophical and theological, until the end of the twelfth century CEThe Trika Śaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pp. 1. 
==Mythical origin of Kaśmir Śaivism==
As the philosophy of Kaśmir Śaivism is deeply rooted in the Tantras, the lineage of Kaśmir Śaivism begins with Śiva himself. According to tradition, as the knowledge of the Tantras were lost by the time of Kali Yuga, Śiva took the form of Śrikanthanath at Mt. Kailaśa, where he fully initiated Durvasa Ṛṣi, into all forms of the Tantrika knowledge, including abheda (without differentiation), bhedābheda (with and without differentiation), and bheda (differentiated), as described in the Bhairava Tantras, Rudra Tantras, and Śiva Tantras, respectively. intensely meditated in the hope of finding an adequate pupil to initiate, but failed to do so. Instead, he created three "mind-born" sons, and initiated the first son, Tryambaka fully into the monistic abheda philosophy of the Bhairava Tantras; this is known as Kaśmir Śaivism. Lakshmanjoo, pp. 87-93.
==Concepts in Kashmir Shaivism==
===Anuttara, the Supreme===
Anuttara is the ultimate principle in Kashmir Shaivism, and as such, it is the fundamental reality underneath the whole Universe. Among the multiple interpretations of anuttara are: "supreme", "above all" and "unsurpassed reality".Para-trisika Vivarana, Jaideva Singh, pages 20-27 In the Sanskrit alphabet anuttara is associated to the first letter - "A" (in devanagari "अ"). As the ultimate principle, anuttara is identified with Śiva, Śakti (as Śakti is identical to Śiva), the supreme consciousness (cit), uncreated light (prakāśa), supreme subject (aham) and atemporal vibration (spanda). The practitioner who realized anuttara is considered to be above the need for gradual practice, in possession of an instantaneous realization and perfect freedom (svātantrya). Anuttara is different from the notion of transcendence in that, even though it is above all, it does not imply a state of separation from the universe.The Triadic Heart of Shiva, Paul Muller-Ortega, pag. 88
===Aham, the Heart of Śiva===
Aham is the concept of supreme reality as heart. It is considered to be a non-dual interior space of Śiva, support for the entire manifestation,, Jaideva Singh, page 194 supreme mantra, Jaideva Singh, page 180 and identical to Śakti., Jaideva Singh, page 127
===Kula, the spiritual group===
Kula is a complex notion primarily translated as family or group. On various levels there exist such structures formed of many parts, interconnected and complementary. They are called families on account of having a common unifying bond, which is ultimately the Supreme Lord, Śiva.The Triadic Heart of Shiva, Paul Muller-Ortega, page 102 The practices related to Kaula are very obscure and mystical and the focus is away from much philosophical tinkering and more into immediate experimentation. In essence, Kaula is a form of body alchemy where the lower aspects of one's being are dissolved into the higher ones, as they all are considered to form a unified group (a kula) which relies on Śiva as ultimate support.The Triadic Heart of Shiva, Paul Muller-Ortega, page 60Abhinavagupta: The Kula Ritual, as Elaborated in Chapter 29 of the Tantrāloka, Page 87
===Svatantrya, self-created free will===
The concept of free will plays a central role in Kashmir Shaivism. Known under the technical name of svātantrya it is the cause of the creation of the universe - a primordial force that stirs up the absolute and manifests the world inside the supreme consciousness of Śiva. 
Svātantrya is the sole property of God, all the rest of conscious subjects being co-participant in various degrees to the divine sovereignty. Humans have a limited degree of free will based on their level of consciousness. Ultimately, Kashmir Shaivism as a monistic idealist philosophical system views all subjects to be identical - "all are one" - and that one is Śiva, the supreme consciousness. Thus, all subjects have free will but they can be ignorant of this power. Ignorance too is a force projected by svātantrya itself upon the creation and can only be removed by svātantrya.
A function of svātantrya is that of granting divine grace - śaktipāt. In this philosophical system spiritual liberation is not accessible by mere effort, but dependent only on the will of God. Thus, the disciple can only surrender himself and wait for the divine grace to come down and eliminate the limitations that imprison his consciousness.
Causality in Kashmir Shaivism is considered to be created by Svātantrya along with the universe. Thus there can be no contradiction, limitation or rule to force Śiva to act one way or the other. Svātantrya always exists beyond the limiting shield of cosmic illusion, māyā.
==The Siva Sutras==
The first great initiate recorded in history of this spiritual path was Vasugupta (c. 875-925).For dating of Vasugupta as 875-925 see: Flood, p. 167. Vasugupta formulated for the first time in writing the principles and main doctrines of this system.
A fundamental work of Shaivism, traditionally attributed to Vasugupta, is the Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta.For the Shiva Sutras as a foundational work and classification as agama, see: Tattwananda, p. 54. Traditionally these sutras are considered to have been revealed to Vasugupta by Shiva.For belief that these are revealed scriptures, see: Tattwananda, p. 54. According to myth, Vasugupta had a dream in which Shiva told him to go to the mountain in Kashmir. On this mountain he is said to have found verses inscribed on a rock, the Shiva Sutras, which outline the teachings of Shaiva monism. This text is one of the key sources for Kashmir Shaivism.For summary of the dream leading to the discovery of the Shiva Sutras, and their importance as a key source, see: Flood (1996), p. 167. The work is a collection of aphorisms. The sutras expound a purely non-dual (advaita) metaphysics.For characterization of the content as purely advaita metaphysics, see: Tattwananda, p. 54. These sutras, which are classifed as a type of Hindu scripture known as agamas, are also known as the Shiva Upanishad Samgraha (Sanskrit: ) or Shivarahasyagama Samgraha.For alternate names and and classification as agama, see: Tattwananda, p. 54.
==Classification of the written tradition==
The first Kashmiri Shaiva texts were written in the early ninth century CE.Dyczkowski, p. 4.
As a monistic tantric system, Trika Shaivism, as it is also known, draws teachings from shrutis, such as the monistic Bhairava Tantras, Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta, and also a unique version of the Bhagavad Gita which has a commentary by Abhinavagupta, known as the Gitartha Samgraha. Teachings are also drawn from the Tantraloka of Abhinavagupta, prominent among a vast body of smritis employed by Kashmir Shaivism.
In general, the whole written tradition of Shaivism can be divided in three fundamental parts: Āgama Śāstra, Spanda Śāstra and Pratyabhijñā Śāstra.The Trika Saivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. IX
1. Āgama Śāstra are those writings that are considered as being a direct revelation from Siva. These writings were first communicated orally, from the master to the worthy disciple. They include essential works such as Mālinīvijaya Tantra, Svacchanda Tantra, Vijñānabhairava Tantra, Netra Tantra, , Rudrayāmala Tantra, Śivasūtra and others. There are also numerous commentaries to these works, Śivasūtra having most of them.The Trika Saivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. X
2. Spanda Śāstra, the main work of which is Spanda Kārikā of Vasugupta, with its many commentaries. Out of them, two are of major importance: Spanda Sandoha (this commentary talks only about the first verses of Spanda Kārikā), and (which is a commentary of the complete text).
3. Pratyabhijñā Śāstra are those writings which have mainly a metaphysical content. Due to their extremely high spiritual and intellectual level, this part of the written tradition of Shaivism is the least accessible for the uninitiated. Nevertheless, this corpus of writings refer to the simplest and most direct modality of spiritual realization. Pratyabhijñā means "recognition" and refers to the spontaneous recognition of the divine nature hidden in each human being (atman). The most important works in this category are: Īśvara Pratyabhijñā, the fundamental work of Utpaladeva, and Pratyabhijñā Vimarśinī, a commentary to Īśvara Pratyabhijñā. Īśvara Pratyabhijñā means in fact the direct recognition of the Lord (Īśvara) as identical to one's Heart. Before Utpaladeva, his master Somānanda wrote (The Vision of Siva), a devotional poem written on multiple levels of meaning.The Trika Saivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. XI
==Prominent sages of Kashmir Shaivism==
===Abhinavagupta===
All the four branches of the Kashmiri Shaivism tradition were put together by the great philosopher Abhinavagupta (approx. 950-1020 ADTriadic Mysticism, Paul E. Murphy, page 12). Among his important works, the most important is the Tantraloka ("The Divine Light of Tantra"), a work in verses which is a majestic synthesis of the whole tradition of monistic Shaivism. Abhinavagupta succeeded in smoothing out all the apparent differences and disparities that existed among the different branches and schools of Kashmir Shaivism of before him. Thus he offers a unitary, coherent and complete vision of this system. Due to the exceptional length (5859 versesTantric Studies in Memory of Hélène Burnner, Alexis Sanderson, page 371) of Tantraloka, Abhinavagupta himself provided a shorter version in prose, called Tantrasara ("The Essence of Tantra").
===Jayaratha===
Another important Kashmiri Shaivite, Jayaratha (1150-1200 AD,Introduction to the Tantrāloka, Navijan Rastogi, page 92), added his commentary to Tantraloka, a task of great difficulty which was his life long pursuitIntroduction to the Tantrāloka, Navijan Rastogi, page 102. He provided more context, numerous quotes and clarifications without which some passages from Tantraloka would be impossible to elucidate today.
==The four schools of Kashmir Shaivism==
===Krama===
The term 'krama' means 'progression','gradation' or 'succession' respectively meaning 'spiritual progression'The Krama Tantricism of Kashmir, Navijan Rastogi, page 6 or 'gradual refinement of the mental processes'(vikalpa)The Krama Tantricism of Kashmir, Navijan Rastogi, page 7, or 'successive unfoldment taking place at the ultimate level', in the Supreme Consciousness (cit)The Krama Tantricism of Kashmir, Navijan Rastogi, page 12.
Even if the Krama school is an integral part of Kashmir Shaivism, it is also an independent system both philosophically and historically.The Krama Tantricism of Kashmir, Navijan Rastogi, page 2,3 Krama is significant as a synthesis of Tantra and Śākta traditions based on the monistic ŚaivismThe Krama Tantricism of Kashmir, Navijan Rastogi, page x. As a Tantric and Śakti-oriented systemThe Krama Tantricism of Kashmir, Navijan Rastogi, page 3 of a mystical flavorThe Krama Tantricism of Kashmir, Navijan Rastogi, page 5, Krama is similar in some regards to Spanda as both center on the activity of Śakti, and also similar with Kula in their Tantric approach. Inside the family of Kashmir Shaivism, the Pratyabhijñā school is most different form Krama.The Krama Tantricism of Kashmir, Navijan Rastogi, page 4,5
The most distinctive feature of Krama is its monistic-dualistic (bhedābhedopāya) discipline in the stages precursory to spiritual realization. Even if Kashmir Shaivism is an idealistic monism, there is still a place for dualistic aspects as precursory stages on the spiritual path. So it is said that in practice Krama employs the dualistic-cum-nondualistic methods, yet in the underlying philosophy it remains nondualistic. Krama has a positive epistemic bias, aimed at forming a synthesis of enjoyment(bhoga) and illumination(mokṣa).
===Kula===
Another very important school of Kashmir Shaivism, Kula in Sanskrit, means 'family' or 'totality'. This is a tantric (left hand) school par excellence, and here Śakti plays a paramount role. The Kula teachings make the skeleton of Tantrāloka and Tantrasāra.
===Spanda===
The Spanda system, introduced by Vasugupta (c. 800 AD), is usually described as "vibration/movement of consciousness". Abhinavagupta uses the expression "some sort of movement" to imply the distinction from physical movement; it is rather a vibration or sound inside the Divine, a throbSpanda-Kārikās, The Divine Creative Pulsation, Jaideva Singh, page XVI. The essence of this vibration is the ecstatic self-recurrent consciousnessSpanda-Kārikās, The Divine Creative Pulsation, Jaideva Singh, page XVIII.
The central tenet of this system is "everything is Spanda", both the objective exterior reality and the subjective worldSpanda-Kārikās, The Divine Creative Pulsation, Jaideva Singh, page XVIIThe Triadic Heart of Shiva, Paul Muller-Ortega, page 118. Nothing exists without movementKashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme, Swami Lakshman Joo, page 136, yet the ultimate movement takes place not in space or time, but inside the Supreme Consciousness(cit). So, it is a cycle of internalization and externalization of consciousness itselfThe Triadic Heart of Shiva, Paul Muller-Ortega, page 120, relating to the most elevated plane in creation (Śiva-Śakti Tattva).
In order to describe the connotations of the Spanda concept, a series of equivalent concepts are enumerated, such as: self recurrent consciousness - vimarśaThe Triadic Heart of Shiva, Paul Muller-Ortega, page 119, unimpeded will of the Supreme Consciousness (cit) - svātantrya, supreme creative energy - visarga, heart of the divine - hṛdaya and ocean of light-consciousnessThe Triadic Heart of Shiva, Paul Muller-Ortega, page 146 - cidānanda.
The most important texts of the system are Śiva Sutras, Spanda Karika and Vijñāna Bhairava TantraKashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme, Swami Lakshman Joo, page 137.
===Pratyabhijña===
The Pratyabhijña school, which in Sanskrit, literally means "spontaneous recognition" is a unique school, as it does not have any upāyas (means), that is, there is nothing to practice; the only thing to do is recognize who you are. This "means" can actually be called anupāya, Sanskrit for "without means".
Though this school thrived until the beginning of the Kali Yuga, it was eventually lost due to a lack of understanding of the school, until, in the 8th Century CE, the Kashmir Shaivite master, Somananda revived the system.Lakshmanjoo, pp. 130-131.
==Between Trika and Kashmir Shaivism==
Swami Lakshman Joo says "Kashmir Shaivism is called the Trika philosophy, the three-fold science."
John Hughes says "The ancient tradition of Kashmir Shaivism is a non-dual (advaita) school of philosophy which takes as its source the ninety-two Tantras of Lord Shiva. This includes the sixty-four monastic Bhairava Tantras, the eighteen mono-dualistic Rudra Tantras, and the ten dualistic Shiva Tantras. This philosophical tradition is also known by its adherents as Trika."
Regarding trika and kashmir Shaivism,however the present secret seat holder of Trika Saasan (Śāsana) Sri Akshunnanath Mahaprabhu (Lord Sri Akshunna) says "Tantra in Trika Saasan is divided into three types of tantrasaastra called i)Shiva Saastra ii)Rudra Saastra and iii) Bhairav Saastra. In other words they deal with Bhed(dwait), Bhedaabhed(dwaitaadwait) and Abhed(adwait).So when scholars of kashmir saivism tell that Trika Saasan is the abhed or adwait branch of Saivism and is synonym with kasmir saivism we have objection and we feel sad that they who proclaim to be trika saasan scholars do no actually know true about it.".www.rahasya-ashram.webs.com
==Notes==
==See also==
* Trika
* Lord Sri Akshunna
==References==
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==External links==
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