Shaivism

For Shaivism or Shaivism ( Sanskrit शैव Śaiva [ ʃaiʋʌ ] " to Shiva belonging " ) include those directions of Hinduism, in which Shiva has the primary role as supreme deity and Supreme Being, who towers above all other gods, and this way the entire universe of can emerge. The Shaivism is a form of religion is thought immanent and transcendent at the same time as God.

In religious practice and the philosophical teachings of Shaivism is no single form of religion. Differences are the epic- puranische Shivaimus, which is aligned Vedic - Brahmanic and folk religious, and esoteric sectarian Shaivism that requires dedication and are the Brahmins in the minority.

So the mythical Shiva Puranas plays no role in sects of esoteric Shaivism, but Shiva appears here as transcendent and as with the Kashmiri Shaivas as monistic, with the objective of this religion is liberation ( salvation ), and sometimes the acquisition of siddhis. In contrast, seen for example in the Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta Shiva as a personal deity, and Moksha as identification with the personal God.

In addition to the cultic Shaivism there is also a devotional and poetic Shaivism, which developed as the successor to certain mystics, such as the movement of the Lingayats or Vira Shaivas.

Also the Dashanami Sampradaya (see Hindu religious ), which was founded in the 8th century AD by Sankara, is counted by many to be the Shaivas, and some subgroups are unique to the Shaivas. The philosophical orientation of these groups is similar to the Kashmiri Shaivism primarily monistic. So the main work of the Juna Akhada that Avadhut Gita, a radically monistic work.

While Vishnuism mainly focused on the loving bond between man and God (see bhakti ), some directions of Shaivism place great emphasis on the ability of people to become one with God. Some directions see the salvation in reaching a Shiva -like state and a continuous contact with this. Most Shivaite groupings take a philosophical- theological system as valid, which has three eternal principles: Pati, the Lord ( Shiva), Pashu, the cattle ( the individual soul ) and Pasha, the fetter (matter and karma ). To get in touch with Shiva, Atman itself ( cf. soul) must free themselves from the shackles of karma and the matter and the state of Shiva are similar, that is, to his power and knowledge come close and escaped the possibility of suffering be.

There are many different shivaitische groups, and many of them practicing teachings of yoga and tantra. Even strict asceticism antinomian is common, for example, under the Kalamukhas and Kapalikas. The movement of the ascetic Natha Yogis, whose origin is unclear, seems to contain elements of Buddhism. The aim of the Natha Yogis it is to reach the state of Sahaja Samadhi in which the yogi is at complete rest one with the universe and all the aliens caught at the same time Shiva, Shakti, teachers, students, meditation, meditation object and meditator is.

Shivaism includes both differentiated ritual acts and complex philosophical - theological systems (see Samkhya ), which can be represented in a simplified here. It developed a shivaitische literature, which includes twenty-eight Agamas Orthodox and about two hundred additional texts. A major source of text are the Puranas. The esoteric Shaivism refers to the Agamas and Tantras.

Shivaism in India has millions of followers and thousands of temples and monasteries. He is next to Shaktism and Vaishnavism one of the three main directions of Hinduism, besides give it even the Indian folk religion. He is especially popular today in South India as well as in Kashmir.

History

The early Saivism leaned against the theology of the Vaishnavites. His early forms arose among the priests of the Yajur Veda. From the 4th century, it only became an independent direction. The heyday of Saivism began in the 9th century and the 10th century existing temples in South India and Central India were still created. The main schools of Shaivism are from the 10th century, the Kashmiri Shaivism, Shaiva Siddhanta, the Natha Yogis and Virashaivas. The heyday of Shaivism was not until the 13th century.

The mythological Shiva of Puranas

In the Shivaite cults Shiva is the Supreme Being, which towers above all other gods in power and created them also. The beings and the world are subject to change, only Shiva alone is immortal, eternal, and the fullness of the Absolute. He is the ground of existence. He carries various names that testify to its size as Mahadeva ( Great God ), Ishvara (the Lord ), Maheswara (the Great Lord ), Prameshvara ( the Supreme Lord ). Despite its function as an absolute existence and Allgott the myths, however, always show him as a terrible God, the great ascetic who gives himself terrible austerities and nature is connected. He is the Spirit ( Purusha ), the essence of the entire manifested world ( Prakriti ) and the driving force of the world. Him alone it is reserved, created the world and to let pass. After periodically brought about by him doomsday nothing remains except Shiva himself, and periodically he creates new universes through his Yoga Maya, from which the lotus is formed, from which Brahma emerges. The entire universe is as arising from the dance of Shiva Nataraja and thought going off in it. His dance sustains the world and redeemed the souls. He leads his dance of gods surrounded the Himalayas on, as zehnarmiges of demons and Devi surrounded beings on body sites and in the golden halls of the Nataraja temple of Chidambaram, the center of the universe. His dance symbolizes his five-fold qualities of evolution: getting, the contraction, the veiling ( the souls in samsara ), the gracious acceptance of the faithful and the giving of peace and salvation. It contains as an absolute, the paradoxes of untamed, wild and cruel nature and the highest wisdom and the deepest peace. In many representations of God is revered as half female, half male as Ardhanarishvara, who is one with his Shakti, his female side.

Kashmiri Shaivism

In Kashmiri Shaivism is believed the doctrine of the Agamas is a manifestation of Shiva, the highest deity in the form of transcendental words, and the universe is the essence of these words, which are the thoughts of the Allgottes. The highest reality is assumed here as a pure -recognizing consciousness that is the universe as self and inner being is based. It is Shiva and Atman, indescribable, eternal, infinite, transcendent and immanent, neither personally nor neuter. Any existence is one aspect of this immanent and kinetic Shiva in the being manifests itself as the primal force, Shakti. The vibration of the separation of the knower and the known is produced. In this system, the soul is one with the Allgott, but does not recognize, as long as she is impure by the influence of Maya, so that the goal is to lift the veil of ignorance to the unit with the highest Atman can be seen. For this purpose, an insight into the true nature of things is necessary in order to achieve a comprehensive, object -less state of pure self.

Shaiva Siddhanta

In South India, the Shaiva Siddhanta ( Siddhanta सिद्धान्त ) developed in the 8th to 13th centuries. Siddhanta means, inter alia, final intention to final destination. The sacred literature of this device consists of eleven collections of poems, the redacted in the 10th or 11th century Tirumurai that acts of Shiva Bhakti and the Periyapuranam, where life shivaitischer saint is described. The texts will be taught to the children and home, sung in the temples and during processions. The Shaiva Siddhanta rejects the monism and goes from an eternal existence of the soul ( Purusha ) and the world ( Prakriti ) besides God made ​​. This is mainly based on the ideas of dualistic Samkhya philosophy.

In contrast to Shankara's Advaita Vedanta are here Shiva and the world are not identical, but also do not exist independently of each other. The cause of the world is Maya, the power of substance through which the world and all unspiritual caused and this existence is called Mayeya which Shiva gave rise from the Maya and in which he works through his Shakti. The souls were the Shaiva Siddhanta into set according to the world, to enable them to take the them adhering impurities. This is different to other schools who accept that the universe is Shiva Natarajas dance, so his pleasure. The five functions are Shiva evolution, maintenance, regression ( involution ), erbarmungsvolles sentencing for Samsara and purification and assimilation of souls. That the souls experience themselves as limited, caused by Anavamala, delusion and spiritual darkness that determine the karma binds the soul to the existence.

Shiva is Sat, Cit, Ananda, absolute existence, boundless and ubiquitous knowledge, or cosmic intelligence and perfect bliss or absolute harmony. Shiva is in the world through his feminine power, Shakti. The purification of the soul, which is necessary to overcome the karma and eliminate the Anavamala to get into the clean Shuddha state consists of three stages:

This means here that Shiva sends his Shakti as Arul Shakti ( " enlightenment conferring Shakti " ) and the Adept Shiva recognizes as transcendent and immanent and he indulges in a way that is dispensed at its own individuality and activity and so the karma resolved will. It is emphasized, however, that this guru is needed, a fully enlightened teacher.

Apart from meditation, yoga and tantra practice of Shivaite yogis there is a general Shaivism described in the Puranas of devotion, prayer, mantra recitation, holding of ceremonies and rituals in temples and inhabited by Shiva mountains like Mount Kailash and the offering of gifts like flowers, incense, robes, umbrellas and the like.

Natha Yogis

Natha Yoga (from Sanskrit नाथ Natha " master, lord, deity ' ) is an Indian yoga teaching, which goes back to Gorakhnath. Natha Yogis are ascetic Shivaites and the objective of this yoga discipline is to achieve the highest reality, the identity with Shiva. The movement of the Natha Yogis came from Bengal and spread later to the south and west. Natha Yogis practicing hatha yoga and try the body through yoga and training of willpower to clean and ultimately to become immortal. Also Alchemy was common among the Natha Yogis. In this school, Siddhas and important teachers are regarded as deities.

Natha Yoga is intended to cleanse the body and thereby achieve Jivanmukti ( liberation in life). The impurities are regarded as the cause of death and exercises of Kaya Sadhana ( physical education ) will help to conquer death.

Natha Yoga regards the body below the navel and above the navel as Shakti as Shiva. The body is considered as as a image of the cosmos and the goal is to clear all the Shakti energy to concentrate at the end of the spine to guide you through the sushumna and the chakras and unite the top Chakra Shakti with Shiva.

Natha Yoga is also by means of sacred syllables ( bija mantra) that exist for each chakra executed, is what lead to the yogi divine vibrations ( Shabda ) is tuned in, and then the mantra returns to its unmanifest source and by the whole being vibrates.

Natha Yoga has a wealth of literature, and many texts of hatha yoga and late yoga Upanishads are related to this.

Virashaivas

The Virashaivas that have arisen from the 12th century, form a sense of Shaivism which has come off the Brahmanical ritualism and also rejects any form of box. Similarly, there are equal rights for men and women. Among the rulers of Mysore Virashaivismus the 1350-1610 state religion. The Virashaivas carry with them a capsule containing a Shiva linga, which is why they are also called Lingayats.

In this religion Shankara and the monistic doctrine of the Upanishads are formative, but this is on Shiva as the supreme being related ( Shiva as Brahman itself). Monism means that Shiva is the only being, in relation to the creation and the souls. Shiva Brahman is endowed with the attributes Sat, Chid Ananda, Being, Consciousness, Bliss.

Shakti is regarded as Shiva's power, and by the movement of this force creates a dualism in Shiva, between Shiva and creation, which consists of the world and the souls. These two are called Lingasthala ( Shiva) and Angasthala ( the creation). Shiva here consists of three levels, the pure, non-dual being, a manifestation that can be perceived only by the spirit and is subtle, and the physical Linga, which is worn on the body. As in most tantric schools, there is the existence of 36 tattvas (categories, elements ), and liberation ( Jivanmukti ) means the realization of identity with Shiva, which leads to blissful union with this.

The Virashaivas practicing Shiva Bhakti and Yoga, and gurus are particularly important, as Ahimsa, vegetarianism and forms of abstinence. It is believed that fair and devout way of life means that one is united in death with Shiva. Of particular importance is the mantra ' Om Namah Shivai '.

As the founder of the school Basava was adopted, who lived in the 12th century, but recent research assume that the Virashaiva school could have existed as early as the 10th century, as in the writings of Rajasekhara a shivaitische yoga school is mentioned, which is very similar to today's Virashivaismus and wear these yogis also a Linga. Basava could thus have been a reformer and not founder of the school.