To what extent do the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna embody or even exceed the vast and oceanic philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism, that is, to be precise, the Tantrik exegetical writings of various Shaiva masters in the Kashmir Valley between 900-1050 AD who for the most part seem to have embodied similar mystic experiences and articulated similar philosophies to the ones we find in the Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, or the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna?

Many scholars have argued that Sri Ramakrishna's position (for instance, regarding the inseparable nature of Brahman and It's Shakti, that is, It's power to create, maintain and dissolve a seemingly manifold world while embodying Itself as that very world) departs from the traditional schools of Vedanta and perhaps comes closest to the Prakasha-Vimarsha/ Shiva-Shakti model of Kashmiri Shaivism as articulated by Abinava Gupta, Kshemaraja and others.

But while there are glaring similarities here, there are also some key differences. To highlight some of these nuances, we have Swami Medhananda of the Ramakrishna Order walk us through his take on Sri Ramakrishna's position, which he articulates beautifully in his book, "Infinite Paths to Infinite Reality" as "Vijnana Vedanta". We then contrast that view with Kashmiri Shaivism, at least according to my understanding of it.

In the course of this conversation, our commitment was to stay as close to the source literature as we could and offer ample citation for viewers to come to their own conclusions on these matters. You are all invited reason along with us as part of a greater exploration into the deeply exciting world of spirituality!

May all of this be an offering.

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