Kashmir Shaivism

Kashmir Shaivism is the philosophical school of consciousness that arose in Kashmir about 1200 years ago.The notion of Kashmir Shaivism orginated in 1913 with the publication of J.C. Chatterji's text of the same name. Before that point the same thoughts would have been labeled Shaiva Monism, or the generic form Trika. Kashmir Shaivism is a tantric system with emphasis in areas which Navjivan Rastogi describes in his foreward for Dynamic Stillness by Swami Chetanananda, "The logical structure of Kashmir Shaivism may be said to be rooted in recognition (pratyabhijna); its ontic structure, in autonomy (svatantrya); its metaphysical structure, in the synthesis of Being and self-referential consciousness (prakasha-vimarsha); its process of spiritual practice (sadhana), in the refinement of the mental constructs (vikalpa-samskara); its yogic framework, in the awakening of the spiral energy (kundalini); and its empirical and epistemic transactions, in synthetic activity.

"Kashmir Shaivism, reached its culmination in the philosophy of Abhinavagupta and Kshemaraja (tenth to eleventh century CE). Abhinavagupta's work on Kashmir Shaivism is unparalled and can be seen in his classic texts Tantraalokaand Tantrasaara. Vijnaanabhairava Tantra is another important text which covers the 112 ways of understanding true God-consciousness it is written in the literary style of a conversation between Shiva and his consort Parvati. The majority of Abhinavagupta's works have not yet been translated into English, though substantial Italian and French translations exist. One of the leading North American scholars in this area is Paul E. Muller-Ortega in his text The Triadic Heart of Siva: Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non-Dual Shaivism of Kashmir. Abhinavagupta writes from an esoteric internalized form of Tantra which places its emphasis on the role of insight into the true nature of reality and meditative mysticism. Kashmir Shaivism is a trika (three-fold) school. It argues for three categories, personified as goddesses: transcendental (paraa), immanent (aparaa), and intermediate (paraaparaa). These are saktis or powers of Siva, divine consciousness. This school of Yoga philosophy argues for a connection and unity between everything in the universe. The attraction and connection between Siva and Sakti embodies the male and female attraction which creates the universe.

One of the greatest modern gurus of Kashmir Shaivism was Swami Lakshmanjoo who passed on the tradition in his texts The Secret Supreme,Lectures on Practice and Discipline in Kashmir Shaivism and the collection of his oral teachings edited by John Hughes, Self Realization in Kashmir Shaivism.

The most accomplished historical scholar of Kashmir Shaivism is Alexis Sanderson of All Souls College, Oxford, whose article Shaivism and the Tantric Traditions (1986) is probably the best place to start for those interested in an academic introduction to the topic.

Weblinks

• Kashmir Shaivism Fellowship
• Overview and links to texts
• Tantrik Home Page