Work Classification Layer
Compare Works
Pick two or more works to set their attribute fingerprints, dimension-by-dimension passages, and shared school embodiments side by side. Especially useful for author-stage comparisons (Wittgenstein early vs late) and for setting a single tradition's foundational texts against each other.
Tantraloka
All reality is the free creative pulsation of Shiva-consciousness — the Tantraloka maps every path from ignorance to recognition
Attribute Fingerprint
Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.
| Attribute | Tantraloka |
|---|---|
| Time · Extent | Infinite |
| Time · Ontological Status | Relational |
| Time · Grain | Continuous |
| Time · Freedom | Both |
| Time · Traversability | Non-Linear |
| Time · Dimensionality | One |
| Time · Direction | Uni-directional |
| Space · Extent | Infinite |
| Space · Ontological Status | Relational |
| Space · Curvature | not engaged |
| Space · Dimensionality | Three |
| Space · Locality | Non-Local |
| Matter · Extent | Infinite |
| Matter · Ontological Status | Emergent |
| Matter · Conservation | Conserved |
| Matter · Dimensionality | Three |
| Matter · Locality | Non-Local |
| Observer · Time Instance | Multiple |
| Observer · Space Instance | Multiple |
| Observer · Knowledge Extent | Immediate |
| Observer · Knowledge Retainment | Total |
| Observer · Physicality | Both |
| Observer · Agency | Active |
| Observer · Number | Plural |
| Observer · Metaphysical Agency | Personal |
| Observer · Moral Authority | Tradition |
| Observer · Theological Method | — |
| Energy · Extent | Infinite |
| Energy · Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Energy · Conservation | Conserved |
| Energy · Dispersibility | Reversible |
| Information · Ontological Status | Substantival |
| Information · Cosmic Conservation | Conserved |
| Information · Personal Conservation | Conserved |
| Information · Granularity | Continuous |
Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence
What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.
Time
Tantraloka
Infinite, relational. Time is the pulsation (spanda) of consciousness — not an independent substance but the rhythm of Shiva's creative activity. Non-linear: in the recognition experience, the practitioner transcends temporal sequence. Both: karma conditions ordinary experience, but recognition dissolves temporal conditioning.
Space
Tantraloka
Infinite, relational, non-local. The cosmos is the self-expression of Shiva-consciousness, and every point in space is the centre. The thirty-six tattvas map a hierarchy of spatial-ontological levels from pure consciousness to gross matter.
Matter
Tantraloka
Infinite, emergent. Matter (prithivi and the other gross tattvas) is consciousness in a contracted mode. Not illusory but real — the splendour (pratibha) of consciousness expressing itself. Conserved: the cosmic cycle of creation and dissolution is without loss.
Observer
Tantraloka
Both embodied and identical with Shiva. The practitioner's consciousness is Shiva-consciousness in a contracted state; liberation is the recognition of this identity. Multiple time- and space-instances in the liberated state. Active: the four upayas (means) require varying degrees of practice. Knowledge is immediate in recognition. Personal metaphysical agency: Shiva as supreme Person.
Energy
Tantraloka
Infinite, substantival. Shakti is the dynamic creative power inseparable from Shiva-consciousness. The cosmic cycle of emanation and reabsorption is Shakti's eternal activity, conserved and reversible.
Information
Tantraloka
Substantival: the thirty-six tattvas are the informational architecture of reality. Consciousness as vimarsha (self-reflective awareness) is the ultimate informational ground. Conserved eternally. Personal information is conserved: the atman is eternally Shiva.
Internal Tensions
Where each work's argument pulls against itself.
The central tension is between the non-dual metaphysics ("all is Shiva") and the elaborate ritual apparatus of the Tantraloka: if recognition is simply seeing what has always been, why are thirty-seven chapters of ritual instruction necessary? The relationship between the four upayas (means) — some requiring no effort, others requiring complex practice — creates an internal hierarchy that sits uneasily with the claim that all paths lead to the same recognition. The strong non-dualism also raises the problem of evil: if everything is Shiva's free play, the moral reality of suffering requires explanation. The transgressive ritual elements (Kaula practices) have been controversial both within and outside the tradition.