Shiva Sutras

This is a stand in for all the essential texts of Kashmir Shaivism including the _Shiva Sutras_, _Spanda Karika_, _Vijnana Bhairava Tantra_, and _Tantraloka_.

Kashmir Shaivism is the richest and most beautiful philosophy of life I've found anywhere. It provides an approach to enlightened living that's fully compatible with self-actualization through career (and modern society by extension), and emphasizes the inherent significance of artistic expression.

Though the philosophy of these books is excellent, the English translations and explanations are lacking. The translations aren't explained in a way that best delivers the insight behind the texts, so I had to dig through a lot of different sources to fully understand the philosophy.

I'd recommend _Tantra Illuminated_ for anyone curious instead; it covers the same concepts in a much more approachable and well structured way.