Everything is Maya: Illusion of the universe

Maya or a concept of unreality of the universe is not an attribute. Maya literally means ‘That which is not’(Ya ma sa Maya). Maya is unreal. Unreal means not real. So assuming it to be real and asking how Brahman has an attribute is a false logic. There are no two things like ‘Brahman’ and ‘Maya.’ Brahman alone is real. Brahman alone exits. Nothing else exists. There is no creation. There was never any creation. It is unreal. Just like a rope is mistaken to be a snake when seen in darkness, Brahman is mistaken for the universe. The snake even though seen, is not real. It never existed. The rope alone exists. Ishwara (ruler of the universe) is Brahman + Maya. So the snake which we see and get frightened is Ishwara.

The Snake does not exist by itself. The rope has to be there. The rope alone is real. Then how come we are seeing a Snake when it is not there? That is what is called as Maya. Maya is not some ‘thing.’ It is just a word for our mistaken experience. This world and everything in this world is not an illusion. Everything around you is real, the reality of this world and the worldly things is deeply ingrained in your body and your mind.

A young man dreams of making love to a woman while sleeping at night. What’s happening in his body and mind ? He actually goes through the whole sexual phenomenon, he actually has an orgasm, while making love to a woman that does not exist in reality. Not only the mind, every cell of human body is programmed to respond to dreams. And this doesn’t only happen in sleep, it happens when we are alive, this happens when we are walking on the street in day light, walking in front of a flower shop when you see a beautiful bouquet, the Iris of the eye opens up, it dilates to absorb the beauty of the flowers, the same would happen if you see a bouquet of roses in your dream, when you are fast asleep.

In the state of being in human body and mind, this world is not an illusion. This body is made up of the earth, so is the rose, the sight of which invokes a response from your eyes. Human body is intricately interwoven with everything and everyone around it. So, please do not presume, please do not believe, please do not assert or remind yourself - “your minding self” that this world is an illusion. If you presume, believe or remind yourself this is what’s going to happen -You have a persona, an outlook an individuality which the mind strongly programmed to depend on. By presuming or forcing yourself to believe that this world, body, mind is a dream, you are in effect trying to deny the mind of the pedestal that forms the very basis of it’s existence. Where as now the mind believes in this persona, this Ego, if you try to pull this existence that the mind stands on, the mind will immediately find another support.

This other support will be the another belief which is the exact opposite of the Ego. Before the mind that believed in the Ego, will not start believing in Non Ego. Where as before the mind that abides in Duality will now starts creating another belief to depend on, the exact opposite of Duality - Non Duality. With Ego as it’s center, where as the mind was revolving around the Ego in clockwise direction, when you deny the ego, the same mind finds another center, calls it “World is an illusion” and starts revolving around it in the anticlockwise direction.

You see how absurd this is ? The answer is dropping out of this cycle that makes the mind find one center or the other and keep revolving around it. When in Samadhi, in Enlightenment, in the state of pure consciousness, the world appears to be a dream. When the truth is realized, one can see that this world that appears like a dream, this dream will only last till the body and mind are alive. When the “person” dies, when the body/mind reaches it’s end, then the consciousness, the truth only remains. Death marks the end of the dream. In that sense Enlightenment also marks the end of the dream because with Enlightenment, the mind dies. Enlightenment is therefore also called as a living death.

If everything in this world is Maya (illusion) well, it’s not. This world is not an illusion for the querying mind, Until and Unless you realize the truth, this world is a reality. …..then what is the truth? A man took a bag of gold coins to present to Gautam Buddha. As he was about to respectfully place the offering at his feet, Buddha said “drop it”, The man thought may be Buddha is a religious man, so won’t accept any worldly belongings. So he presented him a flower, Buddha again said “drop it”. The man though, Oh, he wouldn’t even accept a flower. The man then though, I’ll give him all my respect and devotion and bow my head at his feet. As he was about to do that, Buddha again said - “drop it”. It took him a while to understand what drop it means. Buddha was telling him to drop his head, the thinking head, the chattering, talking questioning head.

Truth can’t be found by rotating clockwise around Duality or rotating anticlockwise around Non Duality. To find the truth, to find pure consciousness, the head has to be dropped, the questions have to be dropped. When the head drops, in that silence the truth appears in all it’s presence, in all it’s beauty, in all it’s grandeur. At the very least, it points directly at That in which this ‘you’ seeks. Find That which is Aware of the ‘you’ and direct experience will give an answer which is prior to all. If any words are formed in this process. Go deeper, trace the source. Get prior to any process, prior to any word, prior to any quality.

If you want to know truth you must give up the you and only truth will remain. Is the world you believe yourself to be in… not actually within you? What in you is Aware of this ‘you’ and also Aware of this world? Understand the ‘you’ as the dog chasing its tail. Don’t try to get at it with the ‘you’ rather, do so with That which is prior. From within what is Aware of this ‘you?’ Sit here, in this presence. Abide in That which is prior to the ‘you.’ From here all will be revealed. Let’s substitute the word “truth” with “reality.” There is no truth in the world, in that sense. Nothing lasting or absolute. Everything that can be known or experienced is just an idea or experience. It’s fleeting. But what is there regardless of whatever idea or experience? What is there in high and low and is in spite of both? What is before coming and after going?

It can’t be said what reality is. Anything I say will at best be a description of the nature of reality - and not reality itself. Reality cannot be grasped (known) and then given to another. It’s all there is, so how do you hold it and how do you give it? The “problem” begins with the idea that some idea or experience is truth/reality and another is not. Reality is expressing itself as ideas and experiences, but no idea or experience is reality or holds reality. Reality is all ideas and experiences and holds them all, but is defined by none.

If we use the word truth instead of reality in this regard, then you could say truth is expressing itself in lies. Any statement of the truth is not the truth. Again, it’s at best a description or a pointer - but not truth itself. You cannot find it or grasp it - because there was never anything else. Reality/truth already is the case, and you will not find it in time, in the flow of life, in experiences, in your next spiritual idea… It is already truth/reality expressing as that. Everything that tries to claim it is truth or reality is already too late. Already after the fact. But what is the fact? No one can say. Unknowable. You can only know what it plays or shows up as (ideas and experiences, perceptions, etc) - but reality itself remains undefined and free, unpinnable. Cheers!