Brahman and Maya - Is there a duality?

[Guest guest]

>

> > "a c" <ac writes:

>

> > If Brahman is alone real then from

> > where does Maya/Mahamahat originate?

>

> > If Mayaeither comes from somewhere or something other

> > than Brahman or if Maya actually *is* something

> > different than Brahman then we have duality (ie. Brahman AND Maya)

 

Actually there is a problem in the question. If one understnads that

Brahman alone is real, then the next question does not arise - where does

maaya originate? That question comes only when Brhaman that alone is real

is not recognized.

 

Shankara says in Atma bhodha -

 

taavat (yaavat?)satyam jagat bhaati

suktikaa rajatam yathaa

yavanna JNaayate brahma

sarvaadhishhTaanam advayam||

 

As long as I donot " know or recognize" Brahman, I see the world of

plurality as reality, Just as long as I donot recognize the substratum

shell I see the silver as real. Here is knowing is like knowing as an

object since scripture says "bravhavit brahmiava bhati" knower of Brahman

becomes Brahman , since when we know an object we donot become an object.

 

When maaya is understood as maaya, maaya ceases to be, to ask a question

where does maya originate?

 

mayaa is defined as ya maa saa maaya - that which appears to be there but is

not there. Where I see a snake when there is rope and ask a question where

does snake originate - obviously in the seers mind - since truely there is

no snake out there? but for the one who sees it is there and it is there

from the begining since he does not see a rope first and then sees a snake

later. The concept of maaya applies to not only the world, but also to the

concept of maaya too.

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda

 

- Gald to be back after the world tour proving that world is indeed round

and not flat any more!. It is all maaya!

[Guest guest]

> "a c" <ac writes:

> If Brahman is alone real then from

> where does Maya/Mahamahat originate?

> If Mayaeither comes from somewhere or something other

> than Brahman or if Maya actually *is* something

> different than Brahman then we have duality (ie. Brahman AND Maya)

 

You have raised some interesting and fundamental questions on the logic of

Advaita Vedanta.

 

First, Brahman is beyond all logic and Advaita Vedanta fully recognizes that the

Vedanta philosophy is also a part of the illusory world. Since Brahman is

beyond logic one has to be a Brahman to understand

when/why does Maya originate. Consequently neither I can explain nor you can

understand and this debate will continue until you and I become the unified

Brahman!

 

Several Vedant text books such as "Vedanta Treatise, " by A. Parthasarathy

discuss these points in greater details. Let me quote the following from Shri

Parthasarathi's book:

 

" The phrase, 'swapna sinha vath,' has the following interpretation. Swapna

means dream, simha means lion and vath means like. The philosophy of Vedanta

philosophy is also said to be like a dream lion.

Imagine a lion appears in a dream. The lion-in-the-dream is part of the dream

world experienced by the dreamer. But the lion-in-the-dream has one peculiarity.

One distinctive character which none of the other

objects of the dream possess. And that is its capacity to catapult the dreamer

from the dreaming state of consciousness to the waking state of consciousness.

When the lion appears in the dream, the dreamer

eperiences a kind of nightmare. He is startled. He is horrified. The lion wakes

him up as it were. The dream lion is no doubt a part of the dream but it

swallows up the entire dream. In doing so dream lion

also vanishes! That is the characteristics of the dream lion. Similarly Vedanta

plays the role of the dream lion in this world. Vedantic knowledge is admittedly

a part of this illusory world. But then it

dissolves the entire illusion of the world. Reveals Reality. It unveils your

real SELF. It transports you from the plane of world-consciousness to the plane

of God-consciousness."

 

As long as we are in the plane of world-consciousness, duality appears real and

duality dissolves itself (like the lion-in-the-dream) when we wake up and attain

the plane of God-Consciousness. Non-duality

applies only at the Paramarthika (Absolute Truth). Truth according to Advaita

metaphysics is of three types: pratibhasika (apparant), vyavaharika (practical)

and paramarthika (the highest level). When we

wrongly perceive the upright ears of a hare as its horns, it is 'pratisbhasika'

satta. This world of senses is vyavaharika satta since it is real for all

practical purposes. Brahman or God which is the

highest and unchanging truth is 'paramathika' satta.

 

Let me stop here allow all of us to contemplate instead of conducting academic

exercises!

 

Ram Chandran