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The '''Kashmir Shaivism''' ortradition, also called '''Trika Shaivism''', is a [[nondualistNondualism|non-dualist]] [[Hindu]] traditionbranch of [[Shaivism|Shaiva-]]-[[Shaktism|Shakta]] [[Tantra]] which[[Hinduism]] that originated in [[Kashmir Valley|Kashmir]] sometime after 850 CE.<ref name="IEP">[http://www.iep.utm.edu/kashmiri/ David Peter Lawrence, ''Kashmiri Shaiva Philosophy'', Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]</ref><ref name=":1" /> SinceIn thisits traditionplace originatedof origin in Kashmir, itthis tradition is commonly oftenreferred calledto as "'''''Kashmiri Shaivism"'''''." It later wentspread onbeyond toKashmir, becomewith aits pan-Indiangreat movementscholar termed[[Abhinavagupta]] calling it "Trika" (lit.meaning The"the Trinity"). byIt itsparticularly greatflourished exegete,in [[Abhinavagupta]],the andstates particularly flourished inof [[Odisha]] and [[Maharashtra]].<ref name=":1">Wallis, Christopher; Tantra Illuminated, chapter II,
The History of Śaiva Tantra</ref><ref>Carl Olson, [https://books.google.com/books?id=RVWKClYq4TUC&dq=Pratyabhij%C3%B1a+%2B+trika&pg=PA237 The Many Colors of Hinduism], Rutgers University Press, 2007, page 237</ref> Defining features of the Trika tradition are its [[Idealism|idealistic]] and [[Monism|monistic]] ''[[Pratyabhijna]]'' ("Recognition") philosophical system, propounded by [[Utpaladeva]] (c. 925–975 CE) and Abhinavagupta (c. 975–1025 CE), and the centrality of the three goddesses [[Parashakti|Parā]], Parāparā, and Aparā.<ref name="IEP" /><ref name=":1" />
 
While Trika draws from numerous [[Tantras (Hinduism)#Classes of Hindu Tantra|Shaiva]] texts, such as the [[Agama (Hinduism)#Shaiva Agamas|Shaiva Agamas]] and the [[Tantras (Hinduism)#Classes of Hindu Tantra|Shaiva and Shakta Tantras]], its major scriptural authorities are the [[Trika|''Mālinīvijayottara Tantra'']], the ''Siddhayogeśvarīmata'' and the ''Anāmaka-tantra.''<ref name=":0" /> Its main exegetical works are those of [[Abhinavagupta]], such as the ''[[Tantraloka]]'', ''Mālinīślokavārttika'', and ''Tantrasāra'' which are formally an exegesis of the ''Mālinīvijayottara Tantra'', although they also drew heavily on the [[Kali]]-based Krama subcategory of the [[Kaula (Hinduism)|Kulamārga]].<ref name="The Śaiva Literature.">Sanderson, Alexis. [http://www.alexissanderson.com/uploads/6/2/7/6/6276908/sanderson_2014_the_saiva_literature_jist_kyoto_(1).pdf "The Śaiva Literature."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104838/http://www.alexissanderson.com/uploads/6/2/7/6/6276908/sanderson_2014_the_saiva_literature_jist_kyoto_(1).pdf |date=4 March 2016 }} Journal of Indological Studies (Kyoto), Nos. 24 & 25 (2012–2013), 2014, pp. 52-53.</ref> Another important text of this tradition is the ''[[Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra|Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra]],'' which focuses on outlining numerous yogic practices.<ref>Muller-Ortega, Paul E. (1989). ''The Triadic Heart of Siva: Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non-dual Shaivism of Kashmir,'' pp. 42-43. SUNY Press</ref>
 
Kashmir Shaivism shares many parallel points of agreement with the lesser known monistic school of [[Shaiva Siddhanta]] as expressed in the [[Tirumantiram]] of [[Tirumular]].<ref name="Ganapathy, T.N 2004. P.464">[[T.N. Ganapathy|Ganapathy, T.N.]]. 2004. ''The Yoga of Tirumular: essays on the Tirumandiram''. P.464</ref> While also sharing this branch's disagreements with the dualistic [[Shaiva Siddhanta]] school of [[Meykandar]], which scholars consider to be normative tantric Shaivism.<ref>[[Gavin Flood|Flood, Gavin]]. 2006. ''The Tantric Body''. P.61</ref> The doctrines of Kashmir Shaivism were very influential on the [[Shri Vidya]] tradition of Shaktism.<ref>Flood, Gavin (1996), ''An Introduction to Hinduism'', p. 188. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-43878-0</ref>
 
==History==
[[File:Kashmir, stele con shiva e parvati, x-xi secolo.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Shiva and [[Parvati]] (which is associated with [[Shakti]]), Kashmir, 10 or 11th century.]]
 
===Non-dual Shaiva influences===
Dating from around 850–900 CE, the ''[[Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta]]'' and ''Spandakārikā'' were a Śākta Śaiva attempt to present a non-dualistic metaphysics and gnostic [[soteriology]] in opposition to the dualistic exegesis of the Meykandar school of [[Shaiva Siddhanta]],<ref>Sanderson, Alexis. [http://www.alexissanderson.com/uploads/6/2/7/6/6276908/hinduismofkashmirarticle.pdf "The Hinduism of Kashmir."] 9 June 2009. pg.31-32.</ref> while remaining in agreement with the monistic view expressed in the older and arguably more authoritative [[Tirumantiram]] of [[Tirumular]].<ref>[[T.N. Ganapathy|name="Ganapathy, T.N.]]. 2004. ''The Yoga of Tirumular: essays on the Tirumandiram''. P.464<"/ref> The ''Shiva Sutras'' appeared to [[Vasugupta]] in a dream, according to tradition. The ''Spandakārikā'' was either composed by Vasugupta or his student [[Bhatta Kallata]].<ref name="Parmeshwaranand2004">{{cite book|author=Swami Parmeshwaranand|title=Encyclopaedia of the Śaivism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N4xIBNmhpXcC&pg=PA32|year=2004|publisher=Sarup & Sons|isbn=978-81-7625-427-4|pages=32–}}</ref>{{sfn|Dyczkowski|1987|p=21}}
 
===Main theologians of the Trika===
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[[Somananda|Somānanda]] was the first theologian of the recognition school and his main work is the ''Śivadr̥ṣṭi''.<ref name=":2">Torella 2021, pp. 1-3.</ref> However, it was [[Utpaladeva]] (c. 900–950 CE) and [[Abhinavagupta]] (c. 950–1016, a student of one of Utpaladeva's disciples) who developed the system into its mature form.<ref name=":2">Torella 2021, pp. 1-3.</ref> Utpaladeva's ''Īśvarapratyabhijñā-kārikā (Verses on the Recognition of the Lord)'' is one of the main works of this tradition, however, it was overshadowed by the work of Abhinavagupta. Thus, according to Torella, "Abhinavagupta's ''Īśvarapratyabhijñā-Vimarśinī'' and the ''Īśvarapratyabhijñā-Vivr̥ti-Vimarśinī'' (a commentary on Utpaladeva’s Vivr̥ti on his own ''Īśvarapratyabhijñā-Kārikā'' and Vr̥tti) are generally considered the standard works of the Pratyabhijñā."<ref name=":2">Torella 2021, pp. 1-3.</ref> Torella notes however, that "most of Abhinavagupta’s ideas are just the development of what Utpaladeva had already expounded."<ref>Torella 2021, p. 4.</ref>
 
Abhinavagupta's tantric synthesis was the most influential form of the tantric "Kashmir Shaivism". It brought together elements from the following [[Sampradaya|sampradayassampradaya]]s (lineages): the Trika, Pratyabhijñā, the Kaula Krama, and Shaiva Siddhantha.<ref name=":4">Wallis, Christopher (2013). ''Tantra Illuminated'', pp. 292-306.</ref>
 
Abhinavagupta wrote numerous other works on Shaiva tantra. His ''[[Tantrāloka]]'', ''Mālinīślokavārttika'', and ''[[Tantrasāra]]'' are mainly based on the [[Trika|''Mālinīvijayottara Tantra'']], although they also drew heavily on the [[Kali]]-based Krama tradition of the [[Kaula (Hinduism)|Kulamārga]].<ref name="The Śaiva Literature." /> Abhinavagupta's ''Tantrāloka'' is probably his most important work. According to Christopher Wallis, "the ''Tantrāloka'' is a monumental explication of Tantrik practice and philosophy in over 5,800 verses. It is encyclopedic in its scope though not organized like an encyclopedia, for instead of just enumerating theories and practices, it brings them all into a coherent framework in which everything has its place and everything makes sense in relation to the whole."<ref name=":4" />
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[[Jayaratha]] (1150–1200 CE) wrote a commentary on the ''[[Tantrāloka]]''.<ref>Sanderson, Alexis. [http://www.alexissanderson.com/uploads/6/2/7/6/6276908/sanderson_2014_the_saiva_literature_jist_kyoto_(1).pdf "The Śaiva Literature."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104838/http://www.alexissanderson.com/uploads/6/2/7/6/6276908/sanderson_2014_the_saiva_literature_jist_kyoto_(1).pdf |date=4 March 2016 }} Journal of Indological Studies (Kyoto), Nos. 24 & 25 (2012–2013), 2014, pp. 53, 59, 61, 68.</ref>
 
[[File:Painting of a priest and worshippers at a Shiva temple in Srinagar, Kashmir, circa 1850–1860.jpg|thumb|upright|Painting of a priest and worshippers at a Shiva temple in [[Srinagar]], Kashmir, circa 1850–1860]]
 
=== Decline and influence ===
The institutional basis and support for the Trika Shaiva tradition mostly disappeared with [[Kashmir|Islamic conquests of the region]] leading to the slow decline and contraction of the tradition (thoughtthough it continued to be passed down and practiced well into the 18th century).<ref name=":5">Wallis, Christopher (2013). ''Tantra Illuminated'', pp. 308-319</ref>
 
However, the Trika Shaiva tradition was widely influential on other Indian religious traditions, particularly the [[Hatha yoga|Haṭha-yoga]] traditions, such as the [[Nath|Nāth]] school of [[Gorakhnath|Gorakṣa]] and the [[Dashanami Sampradaya|Dasanāmī]] Sannyāsins, which draw much of their yogic practice and ideas of the subtle body from Trika scriptures.<ref name=":5" />
 
Trika Shaivism also strongly influenced the [[Shaktism|Shakta]] tradition oftraditions. [[Shri Vidya|Śrīvidyā]], which waslikely itselforiginated ain Kashmir, relied heavily on Trika philosophy in its seminal explanatory texts like the Yoginīhṛdaya and received commentaries by Trika masters like Jayaratha, and became veryan influential tradition on mainstream Hinduism, especiallyflourishing with institutional support in [[South India]].<ref>{{Cite namebook |last="Brooks |first=Douglas Renfrew |title=Auspicious wisdom:5" the texts and traditions of Srīvidyā Sākta Tantrism in South India |date=1992 |publisher=State Univ. of New York Press |isbn=978-0-7914-1146-9 |series=SUNY series in tantric studies |location=Albany, NY |pages=38-43}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The heart of the yoginī: the Yoginīhṛdaya, a Sanskrit tantric treatise |date=2013 |publisher=Oxford Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-19-998233-2 |editor-last=Padoux |editor-first=André |location=New York |pages=4-10 |editor-last2=Jeanty |editor-first2=Roger-Orphé}}</ref> Another tantric tradition influenced by Trika was the post-classical Kalikula (family of ''Kali'') form of Shaktism which is influential in northeastern Indian regions, such as in Bengal, Orissa, and Nepāl.<ref name=":5" />
 
=== 20th-century revival ===
 
ThereThe werenumber noof major writers orand publications declined after approximately the 14th century, although writers such as Rājānaka Ānanda Kavi, Anantaśaktipāda, Śivopādhyāya, Bhāskarakaṇṭha, Rājānaka Lakṣmīrāma, and Harabhaṭṭa Śāstri continued to produce important commentaries on core Kashmiri Shaiva texts into the early 20th century.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Kashmir Śaiva philosophy |date=2019 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |isbn=978-81-208-4220-5 |editor-last=Potter |editor-first=Karl H. |edition= |series=Encyclopedia of Indian philosophies / general editor: Karl H. Potter |location=Delhi}}</ref> In the 20th century [[Swami Lakshman Joo]], a [[Kashmiri Hindu]], helped revive both the scholarly and yogic streams of Kashmir Shaivism.<ref>Kashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme, Revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo</ref> His contribution is enormous. He inspired a generation of scholars who made Kashmir Shaivism a legitimate field of inquiry within the academy.<ref>"Foreword", Lance E. Nelson in Self Realization in Kashmir Shaivism, John Hughes, pp.xxii-iv</ref><ref>Consciousness is Everything, The Yoga of Kashmir Shaivism, Swami Shankarananda pp. 47-8</ref>
 
[[Acharya Rameshwar Jha]], a disciple of Lakshman Joo, is often credited with establishing the roots of Kashmir Shaivism in the learned community of [[Varanasi]]. Rameshwar Jha with his creativity, familiarity with the ancient texts and personal experiences provided access to concepts of non-dualistic Kashmir Shaivism. His writings of Sanskrit verses have been published as the books ''Purnta Pratyabhijna''<ref name="ReferenceB">Pratyabhijna Press Varanasi, Publishers Arun Krishna Joshi, Vijay Krishna Joshi, Nichi bag Varanasi</ref> and ''Samit Swatantram''.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>
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==Practice==
=== Prerequisites ===
[[File:Bodhinatha-samaya-diksha.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Tantric initiation (''dīkṣa'') is necessary for undertaking the tantric practices of Trika Saivism.]]
Since it is a [[Tantra|Tantric]] tradition, a necessary prerequisite for Trika yogic practice is tantric initiation or [[Diksha|dīkṣa]]. The ''Mālinīvijayottara Tantra,'' a major source for the tradition, states: "Without initiation there is no qualification for Saiva yoga."<ref>Vasudeva, Somadeva, ''The Yoga of the Mālinīvijayottara Tantra, Critical edition, translation & notes'' p. 244.</ref>
 
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=== Six ''laksyas'' ===
[[File:Clevelandart 1989.369.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Schist statue of Shiva Mahadeva, Northern India, [[Kashmir]], 8th century. [[Cleveland Museum of Art]].]]
Numerous texts, such asincluding the ''Mālinīvijayottara Tantra'' also, outline six "varieties of the goal" or "targets" (''laksyas'') of yogic practices, mainly:.<ref>Vasudeva, Somadeva, ''The Yoga of the Mālinīvijayottara Tantra, Critical edition, translation & notes,'' pp. 256-261.</ref>
 
* Contemplation of void (''vyoman''), which bestows all Perfections and liberation.
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=== Yogas ===
Since Trika Saivism is a synthesis of various traditions, its texts, likesuch as the ''Mālinīvijayottara Tantra,'' distinguishesdistinguish four different types of Saiva yoga. According to Somadev Vasudeva:<blockquote>Two of these have been assimilated from the Tantras of the [[Shaiva Siddhanta|Siddhanta]] which has two schools, one monist and the other dualist<ref>[[T.N. Ganapathy|Ganapathy, T.N.]]. 2004. ''The Yoga of Tirumular: essays on the Tirumandiram''. P.463</ref><ref>[[T.N. Ganapathy|Ganapathy, T.N.]]. 2013. ''The Tirumandiram / by Siddhar Tirumular; English translation and commentary''. P.3457</ref> [1.] the conquest of the reality-levels (''tattvajaya''), which has been transformed into a radically new type of yoga based on the fifteen levels of the apperceptive process, and, [2.] the yoga of six ancillaries (''ṣaḍaṅgayoga''), which is taken over with only minor variations. The third is [3.] Kaula yoga with its system of four immersions (pindastha, padastha, rupastha and rupatita) and as a fourth may be counted [4.] the three types of possession (avesa) taught in the Trika (anava, sakta and sambhava) which are innovatively presented as three meta-categories under which all yogic exercises can be subsumed.<ref>Vasudeva, Somadeva, ''The Yoga of the Mālinīvijayottara Tantra, Critical edition, translation & notes,'' pp. 368-69.</ref></blockquote><br />
 
==== The conquest of the tattvas ====
In Trika texts as well as those of other Saiva schools, it is common to formulate the process of yogic conquest of the realities (tattvas) as a series of Dhāraṇās. Dhāraṇās ("introspections") are "complex sequences of meditative practices" which focus on a series of contemplations on a "hierarchy of apperceptive states designed to bring him ever closer to the level of the highest perceiver, Shiva". This hierarchy of meditations and visualizations is based on the Shaiva schema of the [[Tattva (Shaivism)|36 tattvas]].<ref>Vasudeva, Somadeva, ''The Yoga of the Mālinīvijayottara Tantra, Critical edition, translation & notes,'' pp. 293-94.</ref> According to Somadev Vasudeva, the procedure can be described thus:<blockquote>The Yogin starts by disengaging the mind from external stimuli and then fixes it upon a tattva [such as earth, water, etc] with ever deepening absorption. He attains an internalised vision of the reality, and compares it with his authoritative, scriptural knowledge of the highest level. By means of tarka [reasoning], an ontological value judgement, he discerns that it is different from Siva and thus transcends it. The Yogin’s ascension inevitably brings him to the reality which is Siva at the zenith of all paths.<ref>Vasudeva, Somadeva, ''The Yoga of the Mālinīvijayottara Tantra, Critical edition, translation & notes,'' p. 298.</ref></blockquote>One example of the meditation on the tattva of [[buddhi]] (intellect) from the ''Mālinīvijayottara Tantra'' is as follows:<blockquote>Contemplating in the heart a lotus with colour of the rising sun, with eight petals containing the [eight bhavas] of dharma etc., and a pericarp, [the Yogin’s] intellect becomes steady within a month. Within six he becomes a knower of the Sruti (scripture). Within three years he himself becomes an author of scriptures. Contemplating his own [physical] form there (in the heart), he perceives the principle of intellect.<ref>Vasudeva, Somadeva, ''The Yoga of the Mālinīvijayottara Tantra, Critical edition, translation & notes,'' p. 353.</ref></blockquote>
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==== Yogic suicide ====
The practice of ''utkrantiutkrānti'', also called "yogic suicide", is also taught in nondual Saiva Tantras like the ''Mālinīvijayottara Tantra,'' which uses the vital energy rising through the central channel to end one's life and proceed to union with Siva.<ref>Vasudeva, Somadeva, ''The Yoga of the Mālinīvijayottara Tantra, Critical edition, translation & notes,'' p. 437.</ref> The text says that this abandonment of the body can be done at the end of one's life, after one has mastered all that one has set out to achieve.<ref>Vasudeva, Somadeva, ''The Yoga of the Mālinīvijayottara Tantra, Critical edition, translation & notes,'' p. 442.</ref>
 
=== Four ''upayas'' ===
To attain ''moksha'', ''sādhana'' or spiritual practice is necessary. Trika texts describes four major methods (''upāya''-s) to reach total immersion (samāveśa) into the divine:<ref name="KM339-350">Kamalakar Mishra'', Kashmir Shaivism, The Central Philosophy of Tantrism'', p. 339-350</ref><ref name=":6">Wallis, Christopher (2013). ''Tantra Illuminated'', pp. 346-350.</ref>
 
# ''āṇavopāya'', the embodied method or individual method, which emphasizes various techniques which make use of the body, breath, centers of the subtle body ([[Chakra|chakraschakra]]s) and the imagination and focuses on the power of action (kriyā-śakti). This method includes most of the usual methods of classical yoga: meditation ([[Dhyāna in Hinduism|dhyāna]]), [[Pranayama|prāṇāyāma]], visualization, mantras, meditation with seed syllables (varṇa-uccāra), activation of the subtle centers, yogic postures (karaṇa), and meditative ritual performance (pūjā).<ref name=":10">Wallis, Christopher (2013). ''Tantra Illuminated'', pp. 383-409</ref> In the Tantrasāra, Abhinavagupta defines this method as "that which is applied in the spheres of imagination, prāṇa, the body, and external things. There is absolutely no difference among these methods in that the practice of any of them may yield the supreme fruit."<ref name=":10" />
# ''śāktopāya'', the empowered method, or the method of the power of consciousness. Wallis writes that this method "focuses on shedding mental constructs that are not in alignment with reality (aśuddha-vikalpas) and the cultivation of wisdom, that is, modes of understanding that are in alignment with reality (śuddha-vikalpas)."<ref name=":7">Wallis, Christopher (2013). ''Tantra Illuminated'', pp. 357-83</ref> This method mainly works with the power of knowing (jñāna-śakti) and emphasizes the use of the power of cognition to purify and refine our mental constructs (vikalpas) and the energy of our thoughts and emotions so as to bring them into full alignment with the truth.<ref name=":7" />
# ''śāmbhavopāya'', the method of consciousness. This method is a way of grace which works with the pure will (icchā-śakti) of consciousness. It is a non-conceptual (nirvikalpa) method, which may work with everyday experiences, bija mantras or certain simple techniques to access the divine, such as gazing at the sky, becoming absorbed in a powerful emotion or the practice of "catching hold of the first moment of perception."<ref name=":8">Wallis, Christopher (2013). ''Tantra Illuminated'', pp. 350-57</ref> Wallis defines it as an "immediate intuitive apprehension of the total flow of reality as it is, free of thought-constructs, dawning within awareness already whole and complete (pūrṇa), even if momentary."<ref name=":8" />
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==Philosophy==
[[file:Maker unknown, India - Bhadrakali within the Rising Sun - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|250px|A painting of goddess [[Kali]] from [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], c. 1660-70, from a [[Tantra|Tantric]] [[Devi]] series attributed to [[Kripal of Nurpur]] (active c. 1660 - c. 1690). [[Philadelphia Museum of Art]]]]
[[File:Madhubani Mahavidyas.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Sri Yantra]] diagram with the Ten [[Mahavidyas]]. The triangles represent [[Shiva]] and [[Shakti]], the snake represents [[#Anuttara.2C the Supreme|Spanda]] and [[Kundalini]].]]
 
===Influences and major exponents===
The philosophy of Trika Shaivism is called [[Pratyabhijna|''Pratyabhijñā'']] (Recognition) and it is mainly a [[NondualismNonduality (spirituality)|nondual]] [[Idealism|idealistic]] and [[Monism|monistic]] [[theism]].<ref name="IEP" /><ref>Dyczkowski, Mark S. G. ''The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism,'' Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1989, p. 17.</ref> It is influenced by the works of the Saiva monist [[Vasugupta]] (c. 800–850 CE) and numerous [[Shaivism|Śaiva]] scriptures such as the [[Agama (Hinduism)|Agamas]], the [[Shaivism|Śaiva]]-[[Shaktism|Śakta]] [[Tantras (Hinduism)|Tantras]] and [[Kaula (Hinduism)|Kaula]] scriptures. The Trika philosophical system of ''Pratyabhijñā'' is presented in the works of [[Somananda|Somānanda]] (c. 900–950 CE), [[Utpaladeva]] (c. 925–975 CE), [[Abhinavagupta]] (c. 975–1025 CE) and his disciple [[Kṣemarāja]] (c. 1000–1050).<ref name="IEP" />
 
According to Christopher Wallis, the philosophy of Trika Shaivism also adopted much of the ontological apparatus of [[Samkhya|Sāṅkhya]] school, such as its system of 25 ''tattvas,'' expanding and reinterpreting it for its own system of 36 tattvas.<ref>Wallis, Christopher D. ''The Philosophy of the Śaiva Religion in Context,'' Field Statement for Dr. Robert Goldman</ref> Another important source for Trika is the monistic theism of [[Tirumular]]'s [[Shaiva Siddhanta]]. The Saivas also were influenced by the work of Buddhist [[Yogachara|Vijñānavāda]] and [[Buddhist logico-epistemology|Pramanavada]] philosophers, especially [[Dharmakirti]], who was also taken as a primary non-Saiva opponent and whose doctrines were sometimes absorbed into the ''Pratyabhijñā'' system.<ref>Torella, Raffaele. 1992. "The Pratyabhijñā and the Logical-Epistemological School of Buddhism" in ''Ritual and Speculation in Early Tantrism: Studies in Honor of Andre Padoux.'' Albany: SUNY Press.</ref>
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The philosophy of Recognition, as outlined by thinkers like Utpaladeva, teaches that though the identity of all souls is one with [[God]] ([[Ishvara|Isvara]]) or Shiva (which is the single reality, Being and absolute consciousness), they have forgotten this due to [[Maya (religion)|Maya]] or ignorance. However, through knowledge one can recognize one's authentic divine nature and become a liberated being.<ref>Dyczkowski, Mark S. G. ''The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism,'' Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1989, p. 17-18.</ref> Another important element of Trika theology is the active and dynamic nature of consciousness, which is described as the spontaneous vibration or pulsation (''spanda'') of universal consciousness, which is an expression of its freedom (''svātāntrya'') and power (''[[Shakti|Śakti]]'').<ref>Dyczkowski, Mark S. G. ''The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism,'' Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1989, p. 24.</ref> Because of this, though this philosophy is [[Idealism|idealist]], it affirms the reality of the world and everyday life, as a real transformation (''parinama''), manifestation or appearance (''ābhāsa'') of the absolute consciousness.<ref>Dyczkowski, Mark S. G. ''The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism,'' Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1989, p. 25.</ref> The Absolute is also explained through the metaphor of light (''prakasha'') and reflective awareness (''vimarsha'').<ref>Dyczkowski, Mark S. G. ''The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism,'' Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1989, p. 26.</ref>
 
The basic theology of the Trika's Recognition school, is summedas upsummarised by Utpaladeva in the ''Īśvarapratyabhijñā-Kārikā'' (''Verses on the Recognition of the Lord''), is as follows:<blockquote>There is only one Great Divinity, and it is the very inner Self of all creatures. It embodies itself as all things, full of unbroken awareness of three kinds: “I”, “this”, and “I am this.”<ref name=":3">Wallis, Christopher (2013). ''Tantra Illuminated'', pp. 283-292.</ref></blockquote>The school's theology is expressed by [[Kshemaraja]] in his ''Pratyabhijñā-hṛdayam'' (''The Heart of Recognition'') as follows:<blockquote>Awareness, free and independent, is the cause of the performance of everything. She unfolds the universe through Her own will and on Her own canvas. It becomes diverse by its division into mutually adapting subjects and objects. The individual conscious being, as a condensation of universal Awareness, embodies the entire universe in a microcosmic form.<ref name=":3" /></blockquote>The modern scholar-practitioner of Shaiva Tantra, Christopher Wallis outlines the metaphysics and theology of non-dual Shaiva Tantra thus:
 
<blockquote>All that exists, throughout all time and beyond, is one infinite divine Consciousness, free and blissful, which projects within the field of its awareness a vast multiplicity of apparently differentiated subjects and objects: each object an actualization of a timeless potentiality inherent in the Light of Consciousness, and each subject the same plus a contracted locus of self-awareness. This creation, a divine play, is the result of the natural impulse within Consciousness to express the totality of its self-knowledge in action, an impulse arising from love. The unbounded Light of Consciousness contracts into finite embodied loci of awareness out of its own free will. When those finite subjects then identify with the limited and circumscribed cognitions and circumstances that make up this phase of their existence, instead of identifying with the transindividual overarching pulsation of pure Awareness that is their true nature, they experience what they call “suffering.” To rectify this, some feel an inner urge to take up the path of spiritual gnosis and yogic practice, the purpose of which is to undermine their misidentification and directly reveal within the immediacy of awareness the fact that the divine powers of Consciousness, Bliss, Willing, Knowing, and Acting comprise the totality of individual experience as well—thereby triggering a recognition that one’s real identity is that of the highest Divinity, the Whole in every part. This experiential gnosis is repeated and reinforced through various means until it becomes the nonconceptual ground of every moment of experience, and one’s contracted sense of self and separation from the Whole is finally annihilated in the incandescent radiance of the complete expansion into perfect wholeness. Then one’s perception fully encompasses the reality of a universe dancing ecstatically in the animation of its completely perfect divinity.<ref>Wallis, Christopher (2013). ''Tantra Illuminated'', chapter I, 1. The Philosophy of Nondual Śaiva Tantra.</ref></blockquote>This single supreme reality is also sometimes referred to as ''[[Aham (Kashmir Shaivism)|Aham]]'' (the heart). It is considered to be a non-dual interior space of Śiva, support for the entire manifestation,<ref>{{IAST|Parā-trīśikā Vivaraṇa}}, [[Jaideva Singh]], page 194</ref> supreme mantra<ref>''{{IAST|Parā-trīśikā Vivaraṇa}}'', Jaideva Singh, page 180</ref> and identical to Śakti.<ref>{{IAST|Parā-trīśikā Vivaraṇa}}, Jaideva Singh, page 127</ref> In Kashmir Shivaism the highest form of [[Kali]] is [[Mahakali|Kalasankarshini]] who is nirguna, formless and is often show as a flame above the head of ''Guhya Kali'' the highest gross form of Kali. In Nepali Newar arts, both form and formless attributes of Kali is often envisioned in a single art form showing the hierarchy of goddesses in their tradition. In it Guhyakali image culminates in flame, with Kalasankarshini, the highest deity in the sequence, who consumes time within herself and is envisioned solely as a flame representing [[Para Brahman]].<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/sthAneshvara-papers/Time_and_Space_in_Tantric_Art_djvu.txt Time and Space In Tantric arts, Sthaneshwar Timalsina]</ref>
 
====Theology of the Triad or Trika====
[[File:Kali, ca. 9th century, from Andhra Pradesh, Government Museum, Chennai.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Kali]], ca. 9th century, from [[Andhra Pradesh]]. The Trika synthesis of Abhinavagupta also adopted the doctrines of the Krama school of Shakta Tantra, whose main goddess was Kali.<ref name=":1" /> ]]
An important element of Trika Shaivism's theology is the use of several triads (symbolized by the trident) in its theological explanation of the Absolute reality. There are several triads described in Trika theology of thinkers like Abhinavagupta, including:,
 
* Three realities: Śiva (The Supreme Transcendent), Śakti (immanent in creation, the link between the macrocosm and the microcosm) and {{IAST|Aṇu}} (the limited atom or individual, a complete image of the ultimate, the microcosm of the macrocosm).<ref name="ReferenceA 13">The Trika Śaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. 13</ref>
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* Three-fold spiritual path: ''Śāmbhavopāya'', ''Śāktopāya'' and ''{{IAST|Āṇavopāya}}''
* The transcendental triad: ''prakāśa'' (luminosity), ''vimarśa'' (dynamics),''sāmarasya'' (homogeneous bliss)
* The three impurities: āṇavamala, māyā, karma.[[Vimarśa]]
 
===Comparison with Advaita Vedanta===
Kashmir Shaivism and [[Advaita Vedanta]] are both non-dual philosophies that give primacy to Universal Consciousness (''Chit'' or ''Brahman'').<ref>Jaideva Singh (2008), ''Pratyãbhijñahṛdayam: The Secret of Self-Recognition'', Moltilal Banarsidass, 2008 p.24-26</ref> In Kashmir Shaivism, all things are a manifestation of this Consciousness,{{sfn|Dyczkowski|1987|p=44}} but the phenomenal world (''Śakti'') is real, existing and having its being in Consciousness (''Chit'').<ref>Ksemaraja, trans. by Jaidev Singh, Spanda Karikas: The Divine Creative Pulsation, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.119</ref> Jaideva Singh lists seven key differences between Advaita and Kashmir Shaivism, where in Kashmir Shaivism, (1) the absolute is active, rather than passive, (2) the world is a real appearance, rather than false (mithyā), (3) grace (anugraha) has a soteriological role, (4) the ātman is present in the human body in dynamic form (spaṇda), rather than as a pure witness (sākṣī), (5) the methods include all four upāyas, rather than solely emphasize Śāmbhavopāya, (6) ignorance (avidyā) is uprooted at both intellectual (bauddha) and personal (paurusha) levels, rather than just the intellectual level, and (7) liberation (muktī) is not an isolation from the world (kaivalya) but an integration into world which appears as Shiva.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Jaideva |title=Vedanta and Advaita Shaivagama Of Kashmir: A Comparative Study |date=1985 |publisher=[[Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture]] |isbn=9788187332930 |pages=44-51}}</ref>
 
==Texts==
According to [[Mark S. G. Dyczkowski]], Kashmiri Trika Shaivism looks to three scriptures "as its primary authorities", the [[Trika|''Mālinīvijayottara Tantra'']], the ''Siddhayogeśvarīmata and the Anāmaka-tantra.''<ref name=":0">Dyczkowski, Mark S. G. ''The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism,'' Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1989, p. 12.</ref>
 
As a monistic [[TantrasTantra|tantric]] system, [[Trika]] Shaivism, as it is also known, draws teachings from [[shrutis]], such as the monistic ''[[Vijnana Bhairava Tantra|Bhairava Tantras]]'', [[Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta]], and also a unique version of the ''[[Bhagavad Gita|{{IAST|Bhagavad Gītā}}]]'' which has a commentary by [[Abhinavagupta]], known as the ''[[Gitartha Samgraha]]''. Teachings are also drawn from the ''[[Tantraloka|Tantrāloka]]'' 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''.<ref>The Trika Shaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. IX</ref>
 
1. ''[[Āgama (Hinduism)|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 ''{{IAST|Mālinīvijaya Tantra}}'', ''{{IAST|Svacchanda Tantra}}'', ''{{IAST|[[Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra]]}}'', ''{{IAST|[[Netra Tantra]]}}'', ''{{IAST|Mṛgendra Tantra}}'', ''{{IAST|Rudrayāmala Tantra}}'', ''[[Shiva Sutras (Kashmir Shaivism)|{{IAST|Śivasūtra}}]]'' and others. There are also numerous commentaries to these works, ''{{IAST|Śivasūtra}}'' having most of them.<ref name="ReferenceA">The Trika Shaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. X</ref>
 
2. ''{{IAST|Spanda Śāstra}}'', the main work of which is ''{{IAST|Spanda Kārikā}}'' of [[Bhatta Kallata]], a disciple of [[Vasugupta]], with its many commentaries. Out of them, two are of major importance: ''{{IAST|Spanda Sandoha}}'' (this commentary talks only about the first verses of ''{{IAST|Spanda Kārikā}}''), and ''{{IAST|Spanda Nirṇaya}}'' (which is a commentary of the complete text).<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
 
3. ''[[Pratyabhijna|Pratyabhijñā]] Śāstra'' are those writings which have mainly a [[metaphysics|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 referrefers 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 (Hinduism)|atman]]). The most important works in this category are: ''{{IAST|Īśvara Pratyabhijñā}}'', the fundamental work of [[Utpaladeva]], and ''{{IAST|Pratyabhijñā Vimarśinī}}'', a commentary to ''{{IAST|Īśvara Pratyabhijñā}}''. ''{{IAST|Īśvara Pratyabhijñā}}'' means in fact the direct recognition of the Lord (''Īśvara'') as identical to one's Heart. Before ''Utpaladeva'', his master ''[[Somānanda'']] wrote ''{{IAST|Śiva Dṛṣṭi}}'' (''The Vision of Siva''), a [[:wikt:devotional|devotional]] [[poem]] written on multiple levels of meaning.<ref>The Trika Shaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. XI</ref>
 
==See also==
* [[Shri Vidya]]
* [[Lalleshwari]]
* [[Swami Lakshman Joo]]
* [[Bhagwan Gopinath]]
* [[Igor Kufayev]]
{{Reflist|group=note|2}}
 
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* {{cite book |last=Mishra |first=Kamalakar |title=Kashmir Saivism, The Central Philosophy of Tantrism |year=1999 |publisher=Sri Satguru Publications|isbn=81-7030-632-9 }}
* {{cite book |last=Shankarananda |first=Swami |title=Consciousness is Everything, The Yoga of Kashmir Shaivism |year=2003 |publisher=Shaktipat Press|isbn=0-9750995-0-7 }}
* {{cite book |last=Hughes |first=John|title=Self Realization in Kashmir Shaivism |year=1994|publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=0-7914-2179-1 }}
* {{cite book |last=Toshkani |first=(Proceedings Edited by) SS|title=Lal Ded: The great Kashmiri Saint-poetess, Proceedings of the National Seminar Conducted by Kashmir Education, Culture and Science Society, November 12, 2000 |year=2002 |publisher=APH Publishing Corporation |location=B-36 [[Pamposh Enclave]], New Delhi-110048 |isbn=81-7648-381-8 }}
* {{cite book |last=Muktananda |first=Swami |title=Play of Consciousness – A Spiritual Autobiography |year=2000 |publisher=SYDA Foundation |isbn=0-911307-81-8 }}
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[[Category:Theistic Indian philosophy]]
[[Category:Advaita Shaivism]]
[[Category:NondualismNonduality]]
[[Category:Yoga styles]]
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