Shakti Produces Practice vs. Discipline as Necessary Prerequisite
- Iccha Shakti (Desire as Creative Power) — Shakti produces practice, not vice versa; practice is expression of shakti already operating - vs.
- Iccha Shakti (Desire as Creative Power) — Shakti produces practice, not vice versa; practice is expression of shakti already operating - vs. - Implicit in all Shaiva teaching — Discipline, sadhana, Upasana practice are presented as necessary pathways to recognition
If shakti produces practice, then discipline cannot be a cause of realization. Yet all teachings emphasize the necessity of practice. Either:
(a) The apparent necessity of practice is a teaching expedient (we tell people to practice because they are not yet aware that shakti is moving them, and they understand causality backwards);
(b) Practice is necessary because shakti works through practice (shakti and practice are not opposed; shakti manifests as the discipline-impulse);
(c) Practice is a threshold that must be crossed before shakti can fully operate (shakti can produce some practice, but realization requires crossing the threshold consciously).