A Basic Guide on Shaivism

A Basic Guide on Shaivism Explaining Shaivism to a lot of people can be difficult, especially given that there are numerous schools of thought and ideas behind Shaivism. Shaivism is a philosophy, and its representations and images are personification of reality. The symbolisms, and imagery, are brought to life in a representative image which many traditional religions might find disturbing. The philosophy focuses one an initial concept – before we judge and conclude, we should first understand. 1. Lord Shiva, and Shaivism, is all about enlightenment. The very core concept of Shaivism is self discovery as well as discovery of the society around us. We are here to evolve, discover, and grow, and share our insights. The truth that we know is dynamic, and we are still on a search towards that. 2. Shaivism is not about imposition of morals and stand points. Your actions have its own corresponding consequence. Not all actions will have the intended consequence we might have wanted. Some actions might seem moral, but the consequence shows negative effects; therefore, when someone has an intent to act, that person should also be focused on the consequence of said action. 3. Lord Shiva is a Lord of Destruction, covered in cremation ashes, lives in a cremation ground, is worshipped by both gods and demons and ghosts, and is in an ever meditating state. In this depiction, Lord Shiva is shown as a god who does not judge or have any bias against anyone, thus favored by everyone. He carries the leadership attitude of being just and fair regardless of being a god or demon. Being covered in cremation ashes is a significant trait that represents his transcendence over death. This largely controversial act to a conventional person is seen as a liberating act that helps people overcome their fear of death and become truly alive. 4. The Shaivite philosophy also presents Lord Shiva as half male, and half female, in some images. The Philosophy shows Shiva – Shakti as well (Shiva being the male aspect, Shakti being the female aspect). This aspect shows that both complement each other, and when separated, they are not complete. The Shaivite philosophy, for the longest time, is presented to promote gender equality by showing that both genders complement each other. There is no superior or inferior gender. There are even images of Lord Shiva and his wife, Parvati, being on equal seating blessing equally. 5. Self realization is god realization – Shaivism is focused on the idea that we are the god that we seek. Our ultimate perfection is realized when we see ourselves one with the universe, and therefore connect and share compassion. We evolve together with this universe. In light to this point, Shaivism focuses on enlightenment and creating and leaving a legacy through this understanding. As previously stated, there are many schools of thought in Shaivism, and there are also schools of thought that may not agree with some of the concepts above. The essence above is a general thought presented, and yet there are many, many more ideals and ideas being presented through stories and images. In the end, it all falls on one strong topic – the greatest thing we can do in this path of life is to go out and discover. Your gurus will guide you, but it is your life to explore.