The Most Debated Topics in Theology

Controversial theological issues like free will or predestination attract significant search interest. Free will has been the "darling" I killed, since my head was shaved -- lending to feeling the cycle of my own birth and death upon this soul's journey -- realizing I am corded to the Maha Devī.

There is no free will. All is divine will, and always has been.

Predestination.

Theology vs. Religion

Understanding the distinction between religious practices and theological study is a common interest. The most distinct mark is that not all involved in theological study are involved in religious practice; futhermore, not all who are involved in religious practice call themselves "a religious person," moreover, those who consider themselves religious may only be in the early stages of a theological study.

Research Method (Śākta Perspective)

Śākta Perspective

Previous Experience: Sound and the Sensorium

Future Outlook: Ontology, Cosmology and Yoga Studies

::

THE TENSION OF NON-DIFFERENCE REALIZED IN ŚĀKTA THEOLOGY

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Hermeneutics of Śākta Theology

Manifestation of the Goddess (Devī)

Universal energy (Śākti)

3. Tension of Understanding Non-Difference

The Devotee and The Supreme Being

Ulterior Motives and Spiritual Goals

5. Realizing Supreme Spiritual Goals

Dwelling in Her Jeweled Island

Mergence Into Her Own Perfect Being

5. Conclusion

Abstract

Śākta theology suggests that as one continues down the spiritual path of devotion, one adheres to the divine ideal of worship as already presented in the word the Veda. In both the Devī-Māhātmya and the Devī Gītā the Great Goddess affirms the authority of the Vedic tradition with regards to righteous action or sacred law, while also describing the means of creation and clarifying the highest level of devotion. The unique challenge in Śākta theology appears to be the path of knowledge simultaneously on the path of devotion, as tension may take place at a metaphysical level upon service with supreme spiritual goals in mind. Those who follow the ideal of disinterested services in Śākta theology have recognition of the various traditional forms of liberation but are not driven to praise and serve the Goddess merely for the transcendent goal of liberation. The common question about Śākta theology is the function of desire within every living being as an unfolding of the divine energy Sakti, without the general quest or traditional focus on a desire for liberation. While visiting how the Devī Gītā portrays supreme devotion in relation to Vedic worship, this paper explores a reenvisioning that leads to an interdependence of divine desire for experience and harmony with the nature and purpose of the Goddess.

Keywords: Great Goddess, supreme devotion, interdependence, cosmic order, harmony

Selected Bibliography

Beck, Guy L. (1993). Sonic Theology: Hinduism and Sacred Sound. The University of South Carolina Press.

Brown, C. Mackenzie. (1998). The Devī Gītā, The Song of the Goddess: A Translation, Annotation, and Commentary. State University of New York Press. McDaniel, June. (2004). Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal. Oxford University Press. Pintchman, Tracy. (1994). The Rise of the Goddess in the Hindu Tradition. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Sherma, Rita. (2000). “‘Sa Ham—I Am She’: Woman as Goddess.” Is the Goddess a Feminist? The Politics of South Asian Goddesses, ed. by Alf Hiltebeitel and Kathleen M. Erndl (New York: New York University Press), pp. 24-51.

Sherma, Rita. (2022). Religion and Sustainability: Interreligious Resources, Interdisciplinary Responses. Springer-Nature United Nations Sustainable Development.