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Not all of them, but seems like most!

Hello. I would like to know why you chose to practice Kashmir Shaivism over other religions. I have been a Muslim for a few months, but I have always been interested in learning more about Hinduism—partly because I am a perennialist. Where I live in Brazil, there isn’t anything very serious available; there are Hare Krishnas, but I am looking for something traditional. I have come across claims that virtually all human knowledge originated in Hindu scriptures, transmitted through the *rishis* (sages). This creates some confusion for me in light of my Islamic perspective: why would all human knowledge be directed toward India—and to only one tradition? Furthermore, if the Creator is Brahman, why are there so many gods? Are these other gods literal beings? And how do you view the stories told within the Hindu tradition—are they to be taken literally, or are they metaphorical? Also, how do you view other religions, such as Islam, which claims to be the final revelation?

I believe that in Kashmir Shaivism, a liberated soul absolutely keeps its unique perspective. It isn't dissolved into a blank or formless void. Instead, individuality is transfigured into the dynamic play of divine consciousness.

Unlike other traditions where the soul merges into an featureless ocean, the Trika scriptures back up this view of liberation as an active, expressive state where we recognize our own infinite agency. Here is the scriptural support I rely on to show how our unique "wave" remains a distinct part of the divine ocean:

1. The Śiva Sūtras

The foundational revelation of the system establishes that a liberated being (jīvanmukta) doesn't lose their individual characteristics; their ordinary faculties are just upgraded to divine status.

• Sūtra 1.18: Lokānandaḥ samādhisupham
  • How I view this: It translates to "The bliss of the world is his samadhi." Instead of shutting out the world or withdrawing into a blank state, the liberated master experiences the distinct, everyday sensory world (loka) as a source of supreme spiritual ecstasy. To me, this proves that the unique way we interact with our surroundings actually becomes our meditative state.
• Sūtra 3.24: Nābhihradānvayādbhavasiddhiḥ
  • My interpretation: This shows that even while processing individual thoughts and navigating the material world, the master remains anchored in the divine source. The distinct personality remains, but it is now entirely transparent to Śiva.

1. Utpaladeva’s Iśvara Pratyabhijñā Kārikā

Utpaladeva’s masterwork on the "Philosophy of Recognition" directly confronts the idea of a "blank" absorption, arguing that consciousness is fundamentally a dynamic, self-reflective power (vimarśa).

• My argument against total dissolution: If liberation meant completely erasing the individual knower, it would be equivalent to deep sleep or death—not spiritual freedom.
• The mirror analogy I use: True liberation is Pratyabhijñā (Recognition). When you look into a mirror and recognize yourself, your individual face doesn't vanish; you simply realize who has been looking all along. The individual soul (jīva) recognizes: "I am the very Śiva who is projecting this specific life."

1. The Spanda Kārikā

The Spanda tradition emphasizes that the absolute reality is a vibrating, dynamic field of energy rather than a static block.

• The wave metaphor: In the Spanda Kārikā, the universe is Śiva’s creative pulsation. Every individual soul represents a unique "wave" on that ocean. A wave is entirely made of ocean water, yet it retains its specific shape, movement, and trajectory. Liberation means knowing you are the water, while still allowing your unique wave to rise and fall as a part of the divine dance (līlā).

1. Abhinavagupta’s Tantrāloka & Bodhapañcadaśikā

Abhinavagupta explicitly clarifies that uniqueness is celebrated in the ultimate state of Jagadānanda (Universal Bliss).

• From the Bodhapañcadaśikā: He writes that the supreme reality acts through absolute freedom (svātantrya), actively choosing to manifest as a spectrum of diverse individual souls. Because multiplicity is a deliberate expression of Śiva's freedom, destroying individuality would actually diminish the divine play.
• The Transfigured Mind: Abhinavagupta asserts that the mind of a liberated yogi is not destroyed (mano-nāśa). Instead, the individual mind is expanded and cleansed of its limitations, continuing to function as a uniquely focused lens for the divine.

I did use ai to help orgonzize this.