Maya and Brahman

[Guest guest]

Dear Jay and All,

 

I'm new to the forum and intend to send an introduction

in the near future.

May I say my few pennies with regard to this topic.

Traditionally "Maya" seems to have some correlation

with "world" and "illusion".

Is it that how we see the world or our interpretation of

the world that is unreal ?

Normally, one distorts the perception of the world with

the conditioning of the surface mind with all it's ideas,

biases, prejudices, attachments, preferences and so on,

i.e. with secondhand information, all we have heard,

learnt, read from external sources, (mostly lies!)

without questioning this misinformation.

Each of us therefore project all our fears, desires and

other misinterpretation, fabricating a completely imaginary

or unreal world, that not only conflicts with others but violently

defends his own consoling and false views.

With true spiritual practices that clears these obscurations

from blinding our vision, one starts perceiving the true world or

Brahman.

So, is it that we must start being truthful and sincere

about ourselves and our limited surface mind, rather than

seeking the Truth or Brahman ?

 

Regards

~dave

 

 

 

 

 

"Vivekananda Centre" <vivekananda on 10/26/99 06:51:25 AM

 

Please respond to advaitin

 

 

 

"adv list" <advaitin >

 

cc: (bcc: Dave Sirjue/EOG/Enron)

 

 

 

Maya and Brahman

 

 

 

 

 

"Vivekananda Centre" <vivekananda

 

Maya and Brahman

 

It is very interesting to see the mental gymnastics involved in trying to

somehow show a relationship between these two. Maya as the 'shakti or power'

of Brahman or a negation - not this - not this - 'Neti, Neti'

 

We wonder does anyone on the list really "know" the nature of "maya"?

Does anyone think the best examples given by Sri Shankara and all the other

great sages of all ages put together convey even 1 percent of what is

involved?

 

These Sages keep repeating - We cannot really tell you!

Yet what else can we do but keep trying to pry it out of them.

Great fun this Brahman/Maya relationship!

 

It is he/she alone who has the Grace of Brahman that Brahman is revealed.

 

jay

[Guest guest]

On Tue, 26 Oct 1999, Vivekananda Centre wrote:

> "Vivekananda Centre" <vivekananda

>

> Maya and Brahman

>

> It is very interesting to see the mental gymnastics involved in trying to

> somehow show a relationship between these two. Maya as the 'shakti or power'

> of Brahman or a negation - not this - not this - 'Neti, Neti'

>

> We wonder does anyone on the list really "know" the nature of "maya"?

> Does anyone think the best examples given by Sri Shankara and all the other

> great sages of all ages put together convey even 1 percent of what is

> involved?

>

> These Sages keep repeating - We cannot really tell you!

> Yet what else can we do but keep trying to pry it out of them.

> Great fun this Brahman/Maya relationship!

>

> It is he/she alone who has the Grace of Brahman that Brahman is revealed.

>

> jay

>

 

namaste.

 

jay asked if anyone here know the relation between Brahman and mAyA.

At the risk of being accused daring, I would like to come forward

with an answer, which is not really an answer.

 

Brahman is the only one there is. It is beyond time and space and

supersedes time and space. IshA upaniShad describes It in a beautiful

way at-the-same-time-contradictory words. For the intellect to have

a feel for this Brahman, I strongly recommend IshA upaniShad verses

4 to 14. Brahman is without beginning, without end, without change,

without motion, it moves, it moves not, faster than the mind etc.

 

Now regarding mAyA, I have explained in two posts (of September 19

and October 22 in thread maya is not illusion?) my understanding.

For that, I would like to add the following:

 

mAyA is without beginning, but has an end. mAyA is anAdi which can

be proven (please see my post of May 24, 1999 on this topic).

 

mAyA and Brahman have a mutual relationship. mAyA does not exist

without Brahman and Brahman without mAyA does not have the ability

to create. So, this creation is a result of mAyA. People who are

engulfed in mAyA do not know the truth that they are Brahman.

mAyA is an AviccharaNa. So, while this AviccharaNa (enclouding of

the reality) takes place, Brahman, untouched by this AviccaraNa,

stays as a witness. This AviccharaNashakti, like mesmerism, engulfs

the jIvA and makes the jIvA think what he/she is not. We have seen

many Indian jAnapadA films where a rajakumAra under a spell acts

like someone who he is not. When the spell is broken, the rAjakumAra

(the jIvA) recognizes who he/she is and the film story comes to a

happy ending.

 

Now, the questions like

1. What is the relation between mAyA and Brahman?

2. Is mAyA so powerful as to engulf the only reality Brahman?

3. If mAyA has an independent locus apart from Brahman, are you suggesting

two independent loci, in which case, mAyA is as real as Brahman?

 

really belong (i) at one end to only of intellectual curiosity with

no answer graspable by the intellect, and (ii) at the other end, belong

to questions raised by vishiShTAdvaitins where Shri Ramanuja and others

raised this against advaita philosophy. I recall Shri Sadananda gAru on

this list answered these questions earlier, for which I did not pay much

attention at that time as I thought (and I still think) the answer (and

the question) is of intellectual curiosity only and does not serve the

purpose of purifying the heart, which is the sole route, purpose and

end-point of advaita.

 

I would certainly like to read with interest other members' comments.

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

------

[Guest guest]

Greetings:

 

You have made some excellent points and your question contains the answer

within: "So, is it that we must start being truthful and sincere about ourselves

and our limited surface mind, rather than seeking

the Truth or Brahman ?" Yes, indeed! It is also true that seeking the truth or

Brahman is nothing but being truthful and sincere about ourseleves. The reason

that we seek the Truth is because we face road

blocks and interference from our own mind which makes us feel that it is

impossible to be truthful and sincere in all our actions and life undertaking.

We start ask the questions and trying to find answers

outside without realizing that the answers are inside!

 

Let me take this opportunity to welcome you to the list and I am looking forward

to your thoughtful questions, comments and articles.

 

regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

Dave Sirjue wrote:

> "Dave Sirjue" <Dave_Sirjue

>

> Dear Jay and All,

>

> ....................

> Each of us therefore project all our fears, desires and

> other misinterpretation, fabricating a completely imaginary

> or unreal world, that not only conflicts with others but violently

> defends his own consoling and false views.

> With true spiritual practices that clears these obscurations

> from blinding our vision, one starts perceiving the true world or

> Brahman.

> So, is it that we must start being truthful and sincere

> about ourselves and our limited surface mind, rather than

> seeking the Truth or Brahman ?

>

> Regards

> ~dave

>

 

--

Ram Chandran

Burke, VA