maya, (Sanskrit: “magic” or “illusion”) a fundamental concept in Sanathana Dharma. Maya originally denoted the magic power with which a god can make human beings believe in what turns out to be an illusion. By extension, it later came to mean the powerful force that creates the cosmic illusion that the phenomenal world is real. For the Nondualists, maya is thus that cosmic force that presents the infinite brahman (the supreme being) as the finite phenomenal world. Maya is reflected on the individual level by human ignorance (ajnana) of the real nature of the self, which is mistaken for the empirical ego but which is in reality identical with brahman.
Maya: art, wisdom, extraordinary or supernatural power (only in the earlier language); illusion, unreality, deception, fraud, trickery, sorcery, witchcraft, magic ... an unreal or illusory image ... regarded as the source of the visible universe.
To say that the universe is an illusion (maya) is not to say that it is unreal; it is to say, instead, that it is not what it seems to be, that it is something constantly being made.
Maya is, then, usually equated with nama-rupa or "name and form' ... when it is understood that form is ultimately void - in the special sense of ungraspable and immeasurable - the world of form is immediately seen as Brahman rather than maya.
In cosmic pantheism, holding that the Absolute called Brahman alone is real and the finite manifestations are illusory. There is one absolute undifferentiated reality, the nature of which is constituted by knowledge. The entire empirical world, with its distinction of finite minds and the objects of their thought, is an illusion. Subjects and objects are like the fleeting images which encompass the dreaming soul and melt away into nothingness at the moment of waking. The term Maya signifies the illusory character of the finite world. Sankara explains the Maya conception by the analogies of the rope and the snake, the juggler and jugglery, the desert and the mirage, and the dreamer and the dream.
Brahman is the real, the universe is false, The Atman is Brahman. Nothing else.
Māyā means “that which can be measured” it is often translated as “illusion” which can be misleading. Another synonym for Māyā is avidya - which means “ignorance.” Māyā generally refers to the external world of objective experience and Avidya refers to the subjective way in which we perceive the world.
The entire world of human experience is called Māyā which means:–
- It is unsubstantial - it has no absolute or independent reality.
- It is temporary - it only lasts for a short period of time.
- It is conditioned - by many factors both subjective and objective.
- It is relative - the way we see things is dependent upon our filters, desires, hopes and expectations.
So in view of these factors the world “appears” as an illusion or to be “unreal” — from the metaphysical point of view, but real from a subjective view. The problem is that we take the world to be real, substantial, permanent and the source of abiding pleasure and happiness - which is the real delusion - since our common experience, which we share with all sentient beings is dissatisfaction, discontent and inability to achieve meaningful and abiding happiness. A condition which is known in Indian philosophy as Duḥkha.
Maya must be seen through in order to achieve moksha (liberation of the soul from the cycle of death and rebirth) - ahamkar (ego-consciousness) and karma are seen as part of the binding forces of Maya. Maya is seen as the phenomenal universe, a lesser reality-lens superimposed on the one Brahman that leads us to think of the phenomenal cosmos as real. In Advaita Vedanta philosophy, maya is the limited, purely physical and mental reality in which our everyday consciousness has become entangled. Maya is believed to be an illusion, a veiling of the true, unitary Self—the Cosmic Spirit also known as Brahman. Maya is neither true nor untrue. Since Brahman is the only truth, Maya cannot be true. Since Maya causes the material world to be seen, it cannot be untrue. Hence, Maya is described as indescribable. She has two principle functions—one is to cover up Brahman and hide it from our mind. The other is to present the material world instead of Brahman. She is destructible. Consider an illusion of a rope being confused as a snake in the darkness. Just as this illusion gets destroyed when true knowledge of the rope is perceived, similarly, Maya gets destroyed for a person when they perceive Brahman with transendental knowledge. A metaphor is also given—when the reflection of Brahman falls on Maya, Brahman appears as God (the Supreme Lord). In the pragmatic level, where the world is regarded as true, Maya becomes the divine magical power of the Supreme Lord, to create and rule the world. Maya is God's pious servant. God is not bound by Maya, just as a magician is not illusioned by their own magic. Hence, God is Bliss. However, unenlightened jiva are the servants of Maya, hence they are in misery.
In Hinduism, Maya must be seen through in order to achieve moksha (liberation of the soul from the cycle samsara) —ahamkar (ego-consciousness) and karma are seen as part of the binding forces of Maya. Maya is seen as the phenomenal universe, a lesser reality-lens superimposed on the one Brahman that leads us to think of the phenomenal cosmos as real.
- The Supreme Self (or Ultimate Reality) who is Pure Consciousness perceived Himself by Selfhood (i.e. Existence with "I"-Consciousness). He became endowed with the name "I". From that arose the basis of difference.
- Maya is without the characteristics of (or different from) Reality or unreality, without beginning and dependent on the Reality that is the Supreme Self. She, who is of the form of the Three Guna (qualities or energies of Nature) brings forth the Universe with movable and immovable (objects).
- Maya is invisible (or beyond sense-perception). (But) this universe which is its effect, is visible (or perceived by the senses).
- Like night (or darkness) Maya is extremely insurmountable (or extremely difficult to be understood). Its nature is not perceived here. Even as it is being observed carefully (or being investigated) by sages, it vanishes like lightning.
- Maya (the illusive power) is what is obtained in Brahman (or the Ultimate Reality). Avidya (or nescience or spiritual ignorance) is said to be dependent on Jiva (the individual soul or individualized consciousness). Mind is the knot which joins Consciousness and matter.
Simulation Hypothesis
The simulation hypothesis or simulation theory is the proposal that all of reality, including the Earth and the rest of the universe, could in fact be an artificial simulation, such as a computer simulation. Some versions rely on the development of a simulated reality, a proposed technology that would be able to convince its inhabitants that the simulation was “real”.
The simulation hypothesis bears a close resemblance to various other skeptical scenarios from throughout the history of philosophy. Computer scientists believes that all of humanity lives in a computer simulation and, as far-fetched as it sounds. While few agree on the exact nature of the simulation, they all agree that it’s more likely than not that what we perceive as the world is not real. Instead, they believe we live in a universe more closely resembling the movie The Matrix or the video game The Sims — a world that feels real to the characters living in it and fundamentally indistinguishable from a “real” reality.
In AtharvaVeda it is stated that the Universe is a projection in space-time:
A full pot has been placed in Time and it is that which we see manifoldly. [AtharvaVeda 19.53.3]
The RigVeda says that the present creation is similar like the past creation:
The Ordainer created the sun and moon like those of previous cycles. He formed in order Heaven and Earth, the regions of the air, and light.
In every figure he hath been the mode: this is his only form for us to look on. Indra assumes many form by his Maya, for his Bay Steeds are yoked, ten times a hundred. [RigVeda 6.47.18]
Combining all these three statements at the same time we can get strong hint of Universe being like a simulation type, although this may not exclusively prove that Universe is simulation.
Just what is Maya? Maya is a Sanskrit word meaning the divine power of illusion, the principle of appearance, the marvelous power of creation. The Gods and Goddesses were 'Mayin', as they were 'possessed of the power of Maya'. They were seen to be powerful artists. In early Vedic India, Maya referred to this mysterious Divine ability to create dimensional reality seemingly out of nothing. Through the power of their imagination they constructed or fashioned the many and various physical objects that constitute the Cosmos as a whole. And it was through their Maya that they projected themselves into diverse forms as a way to enliven them and to direct their activities. Maya is also traditionally the Goddess of Illusion. In the old texts, Maya is said to reign in the three worlds – the physical, the mental and the emotional. They are not separate, but aspects of the world of our own creation. Maya is the light that gives creation form...for what is form, but light particles? Therefore Maya is also a symbol of creation.
How Maya applies to us? We all want to believe that we are not mere mortals and that there is something about us that extends beyond what we know and what we can feel and touch. But our rationale minds would not be satisfied with mere assurances of religious scriptures or the teachings of self-realized masters. We need proof, which will not come, however, unless we stand on the edge and take a deep plunge.
One of the unique concepts of Hinduism is Maya, which is actually used to describe our current state of existence, how much alienated we are from our own true nature and how deeply entangled we become with the objects of our desires, weaving a web of deceptions around ourselves that keep us conveniently concealed from the truth of who we are or what we should have been. It is a state in which each individual considers itself to be someone else, distinct from the rest of creation. Our scriptures make it clear that our world is a trap and Maya is the trapping mechanism. It is the temptation of curiosity or some wicked desire that brings us here in the first place and puts us in contact with the objects of our world. Once we taste it, we enter into a make believe world and stop thinking about going back. We become imprisoned in our own thoughts and desires, undergoing births and deaths and delaying our own liberation.
Our scriptures make it clear that our world is a trap and Maya is the trapping mechanism. It is the temptation of curiosity or some wicked desire that brings us here in the first place and puts us in contact with the objects of our world. Once we taste it, we enter into a make believe world and stop thinking about going back. We become imprisoned in our own thoughts and desires, undergoing births and deaths and delaying our own liberation. Maya has three effects: obscuring, projecting, and revealing. The obscuring or veiling effect cuts off our vision of perfect unity. Its projecting effect casts forth all of these broken reflections that we see around us. Maya's revealing effect occurs when we contemplate all of these different forms with the idea that we are in essence one with everything.
Traditionally Maya has often been most associated with the Goddess, Shakti, which is another name for Lord Shiva’s consort, Parvati, who also represents the powerful serpent energy of Kundalini, while Kali is Parvati's terrible aspect. Maya is the delusive veiling power that Shakti uses to create the phenomenal world and make the one reality appear as many. Maya is the external garb of the universe,who provides insight into Shakti's Maya.
The Bhagavad Gita teaches us how to deliver ourselves from this delusion of mind and thereby from our bondage to the cycle of births and deaths and the pairs of opposites such as pain and pleasure or happiness and sorrow. The true meaning of the word Moksha is not salvation but destruction of Moha or delusion that precedes salvation. To achieve this correct understanding of the mechanism of Maya is essential, which is explicitly described in the Bhagavad Gita.
Lord Krishna in Bhagwat Gita details about the 'Maya' in it's various chapters.
"mama yonir mahad brahma
tasmin garbham dadhamy aham
sambhavah sarva-bhutanam
tato bhavati bharata" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 3)
"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, My womb is the great Nature (Prakriti or MAYA) which is the source of birth of all living entities, and it is in that I place the germ (embryo of life). Thus it makes possible the births of all living beings."
"sarva-yonisu kaunteya
murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija-pradah pita" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 4)
"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, It should be understood that all species of life, are made possible by birth in this material nature (Prakriti or MAYA), and that I am the seed-giving father."
"yavat sanjayate kincit
sattvam sthavara-jangamam
kshetra-kshetrajna-samyogat
tad viddhi bharatarsabha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Thirteen verse 27)
"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Wherever a being is born, whether unmoving or moving, know that it is from the union between the field and the knower of the field. (Purusha is the knower of the field; Prakriti is the field; Shiva is another name for the knower of the field and Shakti is the field; Spirit is another name for the knower of the field and Matter (Prakriti) is the field).
"prakrityaiva cha karmani
kriyamanani sarvasah
yah pasyati tathatmanam
akartaram sa pasyati" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Thirteen verse 30)
"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, One who can see that all activities are performed by the nature (Maya) alone and sees that the self does nothing, actually sees." (The Self is the silent witness).
"ishvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese ’rjuna tishthati
bhramayan sarva-bhutani
yantrarudhani mayaya" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 61)
"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, The Supreme God is situated in everyone’s heart, and moves them to act by his divine Maya, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy."
We can never get over this influence of maya on us because we are human beings with sensory perceptions. That is how are built to live on earth. In this universe the Maya exists under certain parameters like Mirage. For a thirsty person, it looks like at far, there is plenty of water. By experience we find out that by the effect of scorching sun and creates that illusion on the sand.
If I break one layer of maya and another one shows up. At times it seems, it is infinite and impossible to break and realize the true nature of the soul, Universe and Vishnu. The best way to make progress on this is Meditation and going beyond sensory perceptions. That is when the true nature of the creation is comprehended. For that we need Maha Vishnu blessings.
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