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Abhinavagupta's religious vision is intimately bound up with the symbol of the Heart on three important levels. The first is the reality of the Heart as Siva, which refers to the ultimacy and transcendence of Siva in the Heart. The key term here is anuttara-tattva, that is, the principle of the Ultimate. The second level involves Abhinavagupta's teachings about the methods and techniques that must be employed in order to approach the Ultimate reality of the Heart and transform it into a living human reality. The most direct and effortless method of realization is known as the Sambhavopaya. 4 The third level intimates the nature of the state of realization of the Heart. This process of realization is termed hrdayangamibhuta, which literally means ''become something that moves in the Heart," and can be more simply translated as "experiential replication." The state of realization is often called Bhairavatathecondition of Bhairava.5 Thus, the overall structure of this study will follow these three 'levels' of the Heart: Ultimate reality, method, and realization.
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Abhinavagupta distinguishes between an understanding that is purely intellectual, and one gained from experiential knowledge.7 There is an important sense in which to understand the Heart actually requires replicating the journey of return that is the tantric sadhana: we must play Siva's game to its most
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