[Reader-list] Mystical Thought of Kashmir: Prof. M.H.Zaffar

[rashneek kher]

Dear Inder,

Thanks a lot for this piece.

Good wishes

Rashneek

On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 8:36 PM, Inder Salim <indersalim at gmail.com> wrote:

> Mystical thought of Kashmir
>
> Prof. M.H. Zaffar
>
> Introduction:
>
>      Kashmir has been a highly advanced seat of learning since
> ancient times. It has been at the cross currents of many cultures and
> religions. The spiritual and intellectual landscape of the Valley has
> always been a nodal point for different parts of the world like Iran,
> Central Asia, China and Arabia for exchange of scholarly ideas on
> religion, philosophy, art and literature. But for the distinctive
> identity and the survival of any cultural tradition, it is essential
> that it should have its roots in the soil of a world view which should
> be so broad, deep and rich, that it could nurture and sustain that
> culture for a considerable period of time and also assist it in
> maintaining and extending its space. Kashmir’s unique identity and
> essence can be delineated by identifying and foregrounding its
> metaphysico-mystical traditions. Rishism, Śaivism and Sufism are ideal
> frameworks to give it a locally rooted global identity.
>
>         Kashmiri culture has been founded and nurtured by those
> saints, called Rishis and Sufis in whose name Kashmir is still known
> as Rishwari (abode of Rishis). The foundational layers of Kashmiri
> cultural tradition are informed by the world-view which comprises
> mainly the intense intellectual and spiritual labour of these Rishis.
>
>      The majority of European historians call the medieval period of
> the World history as the ‘Dark Ages’ ignoring the fact that this
> period happens to be the most bright and enlightened period for many
> regions of Asia, which became the harbingers of light for  other parts
> of the World. Islam was born or rather re-born during this period and
> the World was enriched and enlightened by its message. Islamic culture
> gave a boost to the evolution of knowledge. The Greek Science had a
> rebirth in the Muslim World. In Kashmir also, the growth and evolution
> of knowledge was remarkable during this period. When Baghdad,
> Damascus, Kashmir and many other parts of the sub-continent were great
> centres of knowledge and enlightenment, most parts of the Europe were
> engulfed in the darkness of superstition and ignorance.
>
>             From the 6th century A.D to the 11th century A.D, Kashmir
> was considered to be the seat of learning and knowledge, in this part
> of the world. Throughout the Indian sub-continent it was known as
> S’ardapith i.e. the abode of Sarasvati, the Goddess of knowledge. The
> 4th Buddhist Council was held here during the 3rd Century A.D. Holding
> of this council in the Valley is a proof of the fact that Kashmir held
> the position of centrality from the point of view of the development
> of knowledge and learning, although geographically it happens to be on
> the margins of the sub-continent. The objective of this council was to
> reach a consensus regarding the basic tenets of Buddhism. It is said
> that the famous scholar Ashwaghosh played a very significant role in
> the conduct of this Council.
>
> Buddhism and Śaivism:
>
>           In Buddhist thought Nirvana is possible only by removing
> the wrong knowledge about self and realizing the principle of non-self
> or Shunya Buddhism highlighted the negative aspect of the Divine. To
> be Divine is to realize the state of Non-being or shunya. The way to
> the realization of this absolute state is via negation which implies
> denial of all specific qualities and atributes in order to reach the
> ultimate nothingness of the absolute, as Max Muller has rightly
> pointed out:
>
>        Nirvana … Is a name and thought but nothing
>                    can be predicated of it. It is what no eye hath
>                              seen, and what hath not entered into the
> mind of man.
>
>      Since nothing can be predicated of it; it is quality-less Being
> and a   quality-less Being is Non-being. To elucidate the point
> further let me quote from A.B. Keith’s Buddhist Philosophy:
>
>        It follows from the fact that we are not concerned with
> relative knowledge that any definition of suchness is utterly
> impossible; to apply to it empirical determination is wholly
> misleading; to say that it is void is to ascribe to it the character
> which belong to the phenomena of this world; to say that it exists is
> to suggest something individual like ourselves which, however, leads
> to an eternal existence.  It is necessary, then, to content ourselves
> with silence or to choose the simple term suchness or suchness of
> being, an idea which in its simple form is known to the Hinayana.
> Suchness is above existence or non-existence or both or neither. It
> can, therefore, be most easily expressed by negations like the ‘Not
> so, not so’ of the Upanishads, and hence it is natural to treat it as
> the void. But we must not make the error of thinking this a real
> definition; the void is as void as anything positive.
>
>      As a matter of fact this way of approaching and realizing the
> Divine can be discerned even in the modern mystic tradition of
> Kashmir. A 19th century Sufi poet G.Q Kehnah Sings:
>
> Chu  aura   kehnai   te  yaura    kehnai
>
> Bau   kehnai     kas    wanai     kehnai
>
> On either side there is Non - Being, nothingness is all pervading
>                                                 I am mere
> Nothingness. How to communicate with Non-Being.
>
>      From this we can validity infer that the Buddhist approach of
> realizing the Divine has significantly informed the spiritual
> consciousness of Kashmiri people. Buddhism was divided into two sects:
> Hinayana and Mahayana. Hinayanees are of the view that an individual
> should concern himself with his own Nirvana and that is possible if he
> follows the righteous eight-fold path as shown by Buddha. But
> Mahayanees (Kashmiri’s were Mahayanees) are of the view that
> individual Nirvana is of little significance unless and until the
> realized one aims at and attempts for the Nirvana of all his fellow
> beings. They advocate that although Gautama had attained
> enlightenment, he came back to his fellow men as Buddha to assist them
> in attaining enlightenment. The Śaivistic approach to liberation is
> informed by the principles of Mahayana Buddhism. The enlightened one
> has to come back to the society for the enlightenment of one’s fellow
> beings and this is corroborated not only by the life and message of
> Lal Ded and Nund Rishi, but also by a long line of Sufi Saint Poets
> who succeeded them.
>
>  Kashmiri Buddhist scholars achieved great excellence in logic which
> informs the philosophy of the monistic Śaivism also. With the erosion
> of Buddhism in Kashmir, Śaivism re-surfaced in the Valley during the
> 9th Century and gradually became popular among the masses. Prior to
> Buddhism, Śaivism was prevalent in Kashmir, but it was not a monistic
> creed. The Śavism that became popular after the decline of Buddhism
> and which is also known as Trikamat, is based upon various Agmic
> tantras. The etymological meaning of the word ‘Shiva’ is `good`.
> According to Śaivism the ultimate and the eternal reality is ‘Absolute
> Good’. The Universe is the manifestation of the Absolute Good or
> Shiva. This Absolute Good is an infinite, eternal and conscious light,
> which is also manifested through space and time and all that is
> contained within space and time. So, the Universe is a manifestation
> of the absolute reality and this reality is absolute conscious light.
> Man is also a ray of the same light. The goal and purpose of human
> life is to recognize this absolute and eternal reality. One of the
> basic texts of the school is Vasu Gupta’s Śiva-sutras and it
> articulates a strictly a monistic doctrine, in which there is no scope
> for any kind of duality.
>
>      Śiva-sutras comprise 77 sutras. These sutras are more like
> riddles and coded statements and need interpretation and
> de-codification. The first two sutras are quoted here to illustrate
> the point. The first sutra reads:
>
>                                 Chaitanyamatma
>
> Which means:
>
>                 Consciousness is the nature of reality
>
>                                           Or
>
>                  Consciousness is the self or soul
>
>                                            Or
>
>                  Consciousness is the essence of reality which is the
> self or soul
>
> The 2nd Sutra is:
>
>                            Jñambandha
>
> Which means:
>
>                   Knowledge is bondage
>
>                                              Or
>
>  Empirical & discursive knowledge leads to the bondage of the agent.
>
>      Of all the commentaries written on the Śiva-sutras. Khemraj’s
> commentary is considered to be the most authentic. Khemraj was a
> disciple of Abhinava Gupta so the commentary must have been written
> some time during the 11th Century.
>
>         The literature of monistic Śaivism consists of three parts
>
> (1)   Agam Shastra
>
> (2) Spanda Shastra and
>
> (3) Pratyabhijna Shastra.
>
> 1.  Agam Shastra:- It comprises revealed books, these books are not
> the product of human intelligence or experience, their origin is
> believed to be spiritual in nature. Among them Śiva-sutra is
> considered to be the most significant; and it is also called
> Śaiva-upanishad.
>
> 2. Spand Shastra:- These are the treatises wherein the Agam Shastras
> are interpreted and commented upon; the two important books belonging
> to this segment are Spand Karika and Spand Sandoha.
>
> 3. Pratyabhijna Shastra:- Literally it means the discipline of
> self-recognition. This part consists of works, wherein Śaivism is
> presented as a school of thought, as well as a world-view. The
> fundamental principles of the system are analyzed and an effort is
> made to prove their validity through rational and logical arguments;
> and arguments based on the experience of the agent himself. The most
> significant works belonging to this segment are:
>
>   1. Ishwar Pratyabhijna __ Utpalacharya
>   2. Ishwar Pratyabhijna Vimarshini ___ Abhinava Gupta
>   3. Ishwar Pratyabhijna Vivarti Vimarshini____ Abhinava Gupta.
>
>     Even after Abhinava Gupta right upto the age of Lal-ded, the
> debate regarding the principles of Śaivism continued among the
> scholars and many works were also produced.  On the other hand those
> interested in the spiritual well-being continued practicing the
> discipline for their spiritual growth and evolution. But the fact
> remains that no scholar or practitioner could match the achievements
> of Abhinava Gupta. And even today Abhinava Gupta is considered to be
> the chief exponent of Kashmir Śaivism.
>
>      The ultimate reality according to this system is non-relational
> consciousness. It is the cause of all change but does not itself
> undergo any change. In it there is no distinction of subject and
> object. Ultimate Reality is not only universal consciousness but also
> supreme spiritual energy or power, that is why it is called
> prakashvimarśamay. It is both transcendental (Viśvottīrna) and
> immanent or (Viśvamaya). In its transcendental aspect it is called
> Anuttara and in its immanent creative aspect it is called Śiva tattva.
> It is Svabhāva or nature of ultimate reality to manifest itself. This
> manifestation takes place through a process of decent. The first five
> stages of decent are called the perfect or pure order, up to this
> stage all experience is ideal and the real nature of the Divine is not
> yet veiled these stages are :
>
>   1. Śiva (2) Śakti (3) Sadāśiva (4) Īśvara (5) Sadvidyā or Śuddhavidyā
>
>         The following 31 stages are called imperfect or impure order
> because the ideal nature of the Divine is veiled. This order consists
> of thirty one tattvas which are as under:
>
>   1. I Māyā and its five Kañcukas ---  Kalā,  Vidyā, Ragā,- Kalā, Niyati
>   2. Purusa and Prakrati
>   3. Buddhi, Ahamkāra, and Manas.
>   4.   The Tattvas of sensible experience, five Jñānendriyas, five
> Karmendriyas, Five Tamātras
>   5.   The Tattvas of Materiality (a) Ākāśa  (b) Vāyu (c) Teja (Agni)
> (d) Āpas              (e) Pŗthivī.
>
>  Self-recognition is the ultimate intrinsic value for Śaivism. Since
> all creation has only one origin and source, there is no question of
> inequality among humans on the spiritual plane. But to realize this
> value man has to strive very hard. Śaivism as propounded and
> propagated during the medieval times in Kashmir is not only an
> academic and intellectual pursuit but essentially a spiritual course
> of action for seekers of the truth and self knowledge. This is amply
> proved by the very person of the saint poet Lal-Ded who transformed
> her earthly existence into Heavenly Being by treading the path of the
> spiritual discipline. Her poetry forms the foundation not only of
> contemporary Kashmiri literature but also that of culture as a whole.
> As stated earlier Kashmir produced great thinkers and Spiritual
> practitioners from the 6th century A.D to the 12th century A.D but all
> their works are in Sanskrit language. After the advent of Islam in
> Kashmir around this time Kashmiri people gradually lost their hold on
> the language due to various political, social, religious and
> linguistic reasons; and whatever intellectual heritage their
> predecessors had bequeathed to them, became inaccessible to them. With
> the passage of time a gulf emerged between the pre- Islamic Kashmir
> and the Islamic Kashmir; but Lal-Ded is the most significant
> historical bridge that connects the two shores of this gulf very
> effectively. She was the product of the creed preached by Vasugupta in
> the 9th century and the philosophy propounded by Abhinavahgupta in the
> 10th and the 11th centuries. Her poetry was not written down during
> her life time. It was because of her power to move that people heard
> her and formed her words into chants and mantras which continue to be
> sung even today. She revolted against all the oppressive structures
> which` stifle and kill the human spirit and critically interrogated
> practices of inequality and injustice that were current during the
> times. Lala’s poetry is not only a continuation of the tradition, it
> is also simultaneously a break or rebellion against the tradition.
> Lala rejected wholly the ritualistic aspect of the śaivitic spiritual
> discipline. This rejection is articulated and expressed with great
> force in her poetry. On the one hand Lala gave a new lease of life to
> Kashmiri Śaivistic spiritual tradition, but on the other hand she
> demystified Śaivism by articulating its tenets in the language of the
> common people and deconstructed its ideology of being a Rahasya by
> making all the Upayas (means of realization) available to all those
> interested in the realization of their true identity. Abhinava Gupta
> in his Tantralok admits the possibility of attainting self-realization
> and self-recognition without following the ritualistic path prescribed
> by the tradition. But he devotes almost half of the Trantralok (2637
> sholaks out of a total of 5859) to a minute and detailed description
> of the various rituals prescribed by the scriptures; this clearly
> shows that these rituals were considered as basic and significant
> constituents of the śaivistic religious creed. According to major
> śaiva scriptures there can be no valid Śaivism without ritual. One of
> the postulates of these scriptures is to the effect that the impurity
> (malah) that prevents the soul’s liberation is a substance (dravyav)
> and to remove it; action (kriya) is needed and not (Gnosis) jñañam.
> This effect can be produced only by the ritual of initiation performed
> by śaiva himself through the person of officiating Guru. But Abhinava
> Gupta does not totally agree with this view. For him malah or impurity
> is the consequence or result of ignorance of one’s true nature or
> identity and what is required for its removal is knowledge (Gnosis)
> not action. But at many places Abhinava Gupta is so thick and
> condescend that even his thirteen century commentator jayratha seems
> to have faltered in comprehending his texts properly as has been most
> ably demonstrated by Prof. Alexi-Sanderson in his article: “Sawmi
> Lakshman Joo and His Place In the Kashmiririan Śaiva Tradition”. At
> many places Abhinava Gupta has not explained things, do the
> satisfaction of his readers due to the fact that he considers the
> matter under consideration to be too secretive to be deliberated upon
> beyond a certain limit. But when we come to Lal Ded. All this
> secretiveness and thickness disappears and there is complete semantic
> transparency. There are no hidden corners in Lal-Ded. She adopted
> ritual free Trika as propounded by Abhinava Gupta as the norm. She
> redeemed the doctrine of any sectarian, local & regional colour and
> made it a Universal message for mankind in general. Lal-Ded is Śaivism
> made-easy for man in the street irrespective of his/her cast, creed
> colour, religion or sex. This is the reason for total acceptance of
> Lal-Ded by almost all Kashmiris. With the passage of time there was a
> schism in, the Trikamat of Kashmir Śaivism. On the one hand we have
> the branch that maintains the rituals, although not much of the
> traditional rituals detailed by Abhinava Gupta have survived the
> ravages of the time, and now these rituals are restricted to samart
> observances only, as the elaborate and complex trika rituals had died
> down by the 14th century itself. On the other hand we have ritual free
> Trikamat of Lal-Ded which merges with the Sufi mystic tradition of
> Islam and becomes a forceful movement in the hands of the so called
> Sufi poets of Kashmir.
>
>      The unitary human mystical experience has been interpreted and
> articulated by different cultures and religious in their own
> particular way. But there are striking similarities among these
> interpretations. Shaykh-ul-Islam Zakariyah Ansari defines Sufism in
> these words:
>
>        Sufism teaches how to purify one’s self, improve one’s morals
> and build up one’s inner and outer life in order to attain perpetual
> bliss. Its subject matter is the purification of the soul and its end
> or aim is the attainment of eternal felicity and blessedness.1
>
>      This doctrine of spiritual evolution which emanates from the
> Holy Quran has informed the spiritual quest of the seekers of truth
> all over the world. This is a well known historical fact that Kashmir
> was converted to Islam not through the brute power of the sword but
> through the word of love, the sages and saints right from the great
> Bulbul Shah and spiritually evolved Syeds to indigenous Kashmiri
> Rishis all were messengers of peace, love and harmony. Since Kashmir
> had strong spiritual and mystic traditions the seekers of truth found
> the atmosphere quite conducive to their quest. The indigenous mystic
> traditions were refined and recast in the new moulds and a new
> spiritual lexicon with a mixed terminology was developed. This can be
> evidenced by the writings of various Kashmiri Sufi poets, right from
> Nund Rishi (14th century) to Ahad Zargar (20th century). Let me
> illustrated the point by citing just one quotation from each of these
> poets. Just consider this Shalook of Nund Rishi:
>
>      Poz yod bo:zakh pa:ntsh namu:rakh
>
>      Nata ma:z namu:rakh soy chhem nema:z
>
>      Shivas ta Shunyahas yod myul karakh
>
>      Seduy soy chhay vahantar nema:z.
>
>      If you listen to truth, curb the five;
>
>      Otherwise, you bend the body and call it “Nemaz”!
>
>      If you unite Siva and the void,
>
>      That is the inner Nemaz, indeed.
>
>      One can not but appreciate the way Nund Rishi preserves and
> enriches the mystical and spiritual traditions of Kashmir. He does not
> reject the sharia, which is fundamental to the Islamic Sufism, but
> comes up with anew and creative interpretation of it in the light of
> his own intense spiritual experience. To unite Śiva (Being) and the
> Shunya (Non-Being --void) is the real Nemaz. With what ease have the
> concepts belonging to different spiritual traditions been intermingled
> and what a fantastic rhythm they create. The spiritual experience of
> the saint has highly recharged these concepts and the terms connoting
> them appear to be dancing. A divine light emanates from this dance
> which is so sharp that it pierces not only one’s eyes but the heart
> also.
>
>      Ahad Zagar is one of the most significant signatures of the
> contemporary Kashmiri Sufi poetry. He has great command over language.
> Like his other contemporary Samad Mir he is well versed in the
> spiritual ethos of Kashmir and by his contribution has definitely
> enriched the tradition. Some of his poems ignited controversies in the
> conservative religious circles of the valley, and some clerics even
> issued fatwas against him. But threats and fatwas notwithstanding he
> continued to articulate and express himself in the same controversial
> but piercing idiom. Here are some extracts:
>
>      I am the hidden secret of both the interior as well as the exterior.
>
>      To whom shall I bow, and for whom shall I perform the ‘Nemaz’.
>
>      I am the ultimate grace of both the mosque and the temple.
>
>      I am the worshiper, but I am the one worshiped.
>
>      I am the chain of birth and death.
>
>      And it is me again who is to play the game of love.
>
>      In the absence of Nothingness, there is no possibility of Being.
>
>      Nothingness is all pervading.
>
>      But if Nothingness is mere Nothingness,
>
>      Who has deluded me?
>
>      Realize Nothingness within yourself,
>
>      Dance round nothingness like a moth.
>
>      Keep your heart awake with Nothingness.
>
>      By examining this kind of poetry even at the linguistic level,
> we can probably identify the sources from which the poet draws
> inspiration. To paraphrase the above verses in rational prose would be
> mere sophistry. The poet has attempted to express an experience that
> transcends the rational and empirical categories. This kind of
> experience can be comprehended only at the level of Faith and not at
> the level of Reason. Ahad Zargar is a genuine and true representative
> of the mystical ethos of Kashmir.
>
>      Going back to the Sufism that originated from the Holy Quran,
> let me quote from the well known book “The Quranic Sufism” by Dr. Mir
> Valinddin himself a practicing Sufi and a student and teacher of
> Philosophy. In the chapter titled “On The Descent of the Absolute” he
> writes:
>
>        Now, the same Absolute Being that in the stage of
> transcendence is unknown and unknowable reveals Himself in multiple
> manifestations and different forms, or in the terminology of eminent
> Sufis, descends in these forms, or individualises Himself in different
> forms. This is of such a nature that in-spite of expressing himself in
> different manifestations and multiple forms the Absolute Being
> maintains His immutable state, and no change of any kind does
> necessarily take place. The stages of descent are innumerable but the
> most marked of these are but six and these are termed the Six Descents
> by the Sufis. The first three of them are called Marātib-i-Illahi
> (Divine ranks) which are ‘Ahadiyyat’ (Abstract Oneness) i.e., the
> state of Essence, the infinite, the indeterminate. The second is
> ‘Wahdat’ (Unity) and the third ‘Wahidiyat’ (Unity in Plurality). The
> remaining three are called Marātib-i-Kawni (worldly ranks) which are
> ‘Ruh’ (Spirit) ‘Mithal’ (similitude) and ‘Jism’ (body)
>
>      Without making any comparisons, let us remind ourselves that,
> while discussing the process of manifestation from the perspective of
> Kashmir Śaivism we came across some similar formulations, although not
> identifical ones.
>
>      Delineating the essential features of Sufism, Syed Hossein Nasr
> in his book Living Sufism Writes:
>
>        The Sufi teaches this simple truth that the basis of all faith
> or imān is unity. For as Shaykh Mahmud Shabistari writes in his
> Gulshan-i-Raz:
>
>
>        Yakay   been, yakay  gouy,    yakay   daan
>
>        Badeen khatam aamad  asal wa farah eemaan
>
>        See but one, say but one, know but one,
>    In this are summed up the roots and branches of faith.
>
>        The integration of man means the realization of the one and
> the transmutation of the many in the light of the one.
>
>      Right from the pre-Buddhist times Kashmiri spiritual
> consciousness has been perusing this goal of realization of the
> oneness of Being of course with varying degrees of successes and a
> contemporary Kashmir Sufi poet sings:
>
>      Yaura  dupmas   cha   path  zoo   jaan
>
>      Taura dupnam cha kaya ba kaya hai hai
>
>      Said I, I   offer,   you  my soul my life.
>
>      Said He, what a pity you are still a victim
>
>      of duality and talk in terms of ‘you’ and ‘Me’.
>
>      Let me conclude this presentation with a quotation from the same
> book by S. Hussain Nasr. Nasr in the chapter titled ‘Islam And the
> Encounter of Religious’ writes:
>
>              He who has gained a vision of that mountain top that
> touches the infinite rests assured that the climbers who are following
> other paths are nevertheless his companions on this journey which is
> the only meaningful journey of life itself. His certainty comes not
> only from the Vision of the peak, but also from his knowledge that
> those paths that have been chosen for man  by God Himself do
> ultimately lead to the top, What ever turns they may make on the way.
>
>
> --
>
> http://indersalim.livejournal.com
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-- 
Rashneek Kher
http://www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com
http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com