Iccha Upaya in Hinduism is the realization, through one’s
willpower in Kashmir Shaiva Philosophy. It is also known as sambhavopaya. It is
called iccha upaya because it is related to icha shakti as rightly said in
Tantraloka (I.255): vibhu saktayanusamabandhat samavesah tridha iccha jnana
kriya yogaduttarottara sambhrtah.
Iccha Upaya is the real path, in which self realization is attained
through the mere exercise of will. Here there is a predominance of will over
all other aspects of experience.
Observance of external discipline, meditation or
contemplation etc, are not regarded as important in this path. It might be
compared to the state of experience which immediately precedes the emergence of
deep sleep (Tatraloka I.235).
Malinivijaya Tantra (II.23) explains icchopaya or
sambhavaopaya as
Akincichintakasyaiva guruna pratibaodhitah
Jayate yah samavesha sambhavo savudahrtah
This is sambhava-samavesha (absorption in Shiva
consciousness), which occurs to one who has free himself of all ideation by an
awakening imparted by the guru or by an intensive awakening of his won.
When there is identification with Shiva without any
meditation or thought process, merely by an intensive orientation of will power
or iccha shakti towards the inner reality, then there is sambhava yoga or
sambhava samavesha.
In iccha shakti, we think of our unity with the universe in
tridhopayah (three ways)
Imatta evoditamidam (all this has spring forth from me)
Mayyeva pratibimbitam (all this is reflected in me)
Madabhinnamidam (it is not at all different from me)
Tantraloka III.280
This is really the state of universal love, where one feels
one’s unity with all, a characteristic of the liberated soul. Abhinavagupta
presents the theory of abhasavada (appearance) under the heading sambhavopaya
or icchopaya, which leads easily to pure consciousness.
Source – Encyclopedia of Hinduism Volume V – page 125 – IHRF
The Upanishads (1996) Sri Aurobindo – Lotus Press Michigan.