Maya… is the whole world really an illusion?
There is an Indian proverb that states, ‘Everywhere that the mind can go, know that to be the field of maya’. Maya is an ancient Sanskrit word, and an important concept in the philosophy of Indian seers. It is usually translated as ‘illusion’.
So what does this mean? The mind can go just about anywhere?
Is every thought we’ve ever had, every experience we’ve ever enjoyed, therefore nothing more than an illusion?
At first glance, this seems like a pretty harsh concept to grasp. But, a deeper understanding of maya, and the concepts associated with it, transform this ancient proverb from bleak and pessimistic, to being universal, beautiful, and liberating.
The change in understanding comes from asking the questions:
Where can the mind not go? What is not maya, not illusion?
The answer lies in transcending our individual minds, to experience the eternal, unchanging field of unity that pervades everything in our diverse universe. Through meditation and yoga, the mind can act as a vehicle for taking us to an experience of unity beyond our own individual existence, beyond where the mind itself can go. This is the field beyond all maya.
With this understanding, the proverb ‘Everywhere that the mind can go, know that to be the field of maya’, is no longer just a bleak accusation that our lives are but a meaningless illusion. Instead, it is a beautiful teaser, alluding to this eternal experience of unity and freedom, accessible to every person, in every moment through their very own nervous system.
So what’s the practical value of this proverb?
How is it pertinent to our every day lives? To me, it’s a reminder not to get too caught up in the materialistic aspects of life. It’s a reminder to take the time out of each day for meditation, yoga and spirituality – for transcending the always changing and ‘illusory’ surface value of the world. The surface level joys of the world can no doubt provide happiness – but only transient happiness. The deeper levels of life, beyond the maya, provide a far more lasting state of fulfillment.
Take happiness from wherever you can get it. Take it from all levels of life, materialistic, and divine. But pursuing happiness only in the maya, only in the materialistic ever changing world, is like building a house without a foundation. Build the foundation of your happiness in unity, in the field that transcends all maya, because whatever you build on top of that will be stable, strong and ultimately Unshakable.
Peace.
Joshua Paling
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Guest post by Joshua Paling
Joshua graduated from Maharishi University of Management in 2010, with a BA in Maharishi Vedic Science. Joshua has a long-term interest in Meditation, Yoga and Indian Philosophy, and plans to soon become a teacher at Sydney’s Transcendental Meditation Center.
Read another post by Joshua Paling at Student Meditation.com
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Joshua. I don’t recall hearing that Indian proverb before – it is really a nice one. The quote I like from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is that the Devata (Impulses of Creative Intelligence) are the Maya of Brahm (Transcendental Self). In other words, all the diversity of life and living is a slight (or big) distraction from the true nature of one’s Self. For enlightenment we need absolute Unity without duality. As the Upanishads say – “Fear is born of duality” and this is definitely my experience.
Best Wishes for becoming a meditation teacher.
Asher.
From Yoga Vasishta:
“The universe can be said to be both real and unreal: real because of the reality of consciousness which is its own reality, and unreal because the universe does not exist as universe, independent of consciousness. In it, the mountain, the ocean, the earth, the rivers, etc., do not exist as such, but only as consciousness.”
“All the waves are but the water of the ocean. It is indeed true to say that there are no waves in the ocean; the ocean alone exists. Yet, it is also true that there are waves!”
“All this is relatively real, not totally unreal.”
“Diversity is unreal, though it is real in the sense that the diversity is conceived of and pervaded by the infinite consciousness.”
“This consciousness reflects within itself that which is within itself; hence, it is real.”
“Whatever consciousness becomes aware of within itself, it experiences (whether one calls it real or unreal).”
“This world-appearance is neither real nor unreal: it is indescribable.”
“Whatever is is indescribable.”
“It appears to be, but it is not what it appears to be.”
“This universe is Brahman’s dream-city: What is impossible in it?”
“It is indeed a great wonder that this world of diversity appears in the indivisible infinite consciousness.”
From Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:
“It must first be known that the world is not real even though it seems to be. The mind concludes that these things are always changing and that which is always changing has no lasting status of its own. On the sensory level however the world seems to be real. Through the intellect we decide that because the world is ever changing it cannot be real; the real is described as that which will always be the same. But the world cannot be dismissed as unreal because we do experience it.”
“We experience that the wall is here that the tree is there. We cannot say that the tree is not there. If we say that the tree is unreal we will have to say that it does not exist and we are not in a position to make such a statement. We acknowledge that the tree is there but we must also say that it is always changing. Because it is always changing it is not real, but because it is there, for all practical purposes we have to credit the tree with the status of existence.”
“What is that status between real and unreal? We call it phenomenal existence. The phenomenon of the tree is there even though it is not real. So the tree has a phenomenal reality. In Sanskrit, it is called Maya. the world is Maya, phenomenal, not really existing. The conclusion is thus that the world is neither real nor unreal”
YES! Tom, thank you very much for this. My experience of the natural progression of Knowledge and experience has unfolded in layers. The dynamic process of individual progression and shifting sense of self is a changing phenomena. I am Eric Carter, I am some essence/light/spirit/atma, I Am… Speaking from the various angles and range of this experience can be tricky.
Joshua’s article is great, thank you Joss! One reason I chose it is because this topic struck great discourse throughout history and… still today. Joshuas article may leave one conflicted. This seeming contradiction from my experience is a completely natural process of inner growth.
The article above speaks of unity and then it implies something separate from that unity, which is less real. Although, I see the meaning and logic here I think it can create judgment and more separation creating a situation where one is looking for some experience outside themselves.
I really like this quote, “This world-appearance is neither real nor unreal: it is indescribable.” It points to a sense of magic, opportunity and malleability to this seemingly concrete creation.
Thank you Joss, thank you Tom!
Wow… that is epic, Tom. I’ll have to get round to reading the Yoga Vasishta.
Do you happen to know the source for that Maharishi quote?
On the facebook post of this article, I made a comment you might be interested in – basically about reality as defined by Sankara. Not surprisingly, it’s in tune with reality as defined by Vasistha and Maharishi.
Sankara actually defines three levels of reality:
1. Sat – eternal, unchanging truth. Truth, regardless of time/place/causation. Pure consciousness is the only ‘Real’ thing in this sense.
2. Asat – completely not true – no claim to reality, even for a second. The examples usually given are the son of a barren woman, or a rounded square.
3. Sadasat – literally ‘real, not real’. This is where Sankara placed the world, and I guess this is the field of maya. You can’t say it’s totally not real, but it’s not totally real either. It has ever-changing, transient reality.
Apparently the definition of avidya (ignorance) is said to be mistaking the non-real for the real, and the real for non-real. Ie, thinking maya is real, and not seeing beyond the maya.
The three levels of “reality” Sankara defines are ALL Asat (as is the act of defining in any way). Trinkets from Maya’s jewelry box to bedazzle you and keep you on your cushion.
The only use in such layers/definitions is as examples to see these are only conceptual separations, and beginning a destructive/reductive process of seeing their false/empty nature and severing attachments to them, then extending that to ALL such ideas/beliefs/perceptions.
There is only “Sat”
“Asat” is The World. Matter, energy, separate self/ego, thoughts, feelings… all aspects of manifest existence. Asat = Maya, ALL is Maya (Maya thus is both Samsara and Nirvana in Buddhist context, as these are simply the last division/dual aspects. Some mistake Maya as only Samsara, which prevents non-dual realization).
Sadasat is seeing these are not two (non-dual realization).
A person can go deeply enough into it to come to understand this, and operate from that perspective. There is a huge cost in this (inwardly destructive/reductive) process, and no book or Guru can do this for you.
Such awareness of the non-dual is not abiding non-dual awareness, is not enlightenment. It is awakening, but to the nature of delusion rather than its annihilation. A profound new perspective within the dream, and so of great use there, but not escape from it.
Enlightenment’s cost is total annihilation of separation, so there is no other possible way to be and no person to even be that. It is not sought, or chosen, or attained. It has no use, as there is nowhere/no one to use it. Abiding is automatic, not really even relevant (an added concept/description of what cannot be other), nor any other characterization (and here we inevitably must fall off the map of what can be defined, described, or otherwise divided). A person cannot have abiding non-dual awareness/enlightenment. Awareness has them. Not two is NOT TWO.
No Enlightened Beings,
The One precludes the other
I am “Unshakable” lol I love it bro
You are amazing!