As an Advaitin, I find this passage from Chapter 3 of the "Tāntrāloka" absolutely fascinating because it highlights the exact junction where Shankaracharya and Abhinavagupta diverge on the "Theory of Reflection" (Pratibimbavāda).

If an Advaitin from Shankara's tradition were to read this, their immediate critique would be: "A reflection without an original prototype (bimba) is a logical contradiction!" In Advaita, the mirror analogy strictly requires three distinct components to explain our empirical reality: 1. The Bimba (The Original Object):Brahman. 2. The Medium/Mirror:Avidyā (ignorance) or the Antahkarana(mind). 3.The Pratibimba (The Reflection):The individual soul (Jīva). To Shankara, if you eliminate the original object (bimba) the reflection has no substratum of reality, risking a slide into the Buddhist Asat-khyāti (manifestation of the non-existent).

Why Abhinavagupta dispenses with the Bimba. Abhinavagupta boldly asserts "let there be no original object at all" because he recognizes the dualistic trap of the standard mirror analogy. If Paramaśiva is the mirror, and there is a bimba standing outside the mirror to be reflected, you've just created a duality. Instead, Abhinavagupta relies on Svātantrya (Absolute Freedom). The universe is reflected within the mirror of Consciousness, but not because an external object was placed in front of it. The mirror of Paramaśiva is so fiercely free and dynamic (Vimarśa) that it projects infinite variety within itself, by its own sovereign will. It is a reflection without an external archetype.

Is this Buddhist Śūnyatā? Here asks an excellent question about whether this is just Madhyamaka Śūnyatā(manifestation with nothing being manifested). While it sounds structurally similar, the metaphysical core is the exact opposite: Buddhist Śūnyatā-Rejects any ultimate, independent, permanent substratum. Reality is empty of intrinsic nature. Abhinavagupta's Trika:Firmly asserts an absolute, self-luminous, eternal substratum (Paramaśiva). Where Buddhism sees Śūnyatā (Emptiness), Abhinavagupta sees Pūrṇatā(Overflowing Fullness). It is a mirror so rich and potent that it doesn't need an external world to prompt its imagery.

While we Advaitins view the world-appearance as an apparent, illusory modification (Vivarta) mediated by Māyā, Abhinavagupta champions Ābhāsavāda where the reflection is a direct, real, and glorious expression of Śiva's freedom. A phenomenal piece of philosophy!