Guest guest Posted October 28, 2002 Report Share Posted October 28, 2002 Hi All, Why does Mahamaya, the grand illusion exist ? Why does not the Para Brahman merge everything together and exist as one ? If the Jiva is pure and can never be stained, why does Brahman have to wait until the Karma runs out ? Why did the Brahman throw itself out and create a struggle for the Jiva to come back to it ? Why do we not find answers anywhere to these questions ? What causes all this ? I read from Swami Vivekananda's writings that this question is not logical because Prakriti is beginningless and endless. But I could not understand his complex explanation on this. Is there any writing on this ? My apologies if I have got any of the terms wrong. I am quite new to reading Philosophy and am still trying to get the terms right. Thanks and my salutation to all. Om Tat Sat. Guru Venkat Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 29, 2002 Report Share Posted October 29, 2002 --- Guru Venkat <v_vedanti wrote: > > Hi All, > > Why does Mahamaya, the grand illusion exist ? Why does not the Para > Brahman merge everything together and exist as one ? If the Jiva is > pure and can never be stained, why does Brahman have to wait until > the Karma runs out ? Why did the Brahman throw itself out and > create a struggle for the Jiva to come back to it ? Why do we not > find answers anywhere to these questions ? What causes all this ? > > I read from Swami Vivekananda's writings that this question is not > logical because Prakriti is beginningless and endless. But I could > not understand his complex explanation on this. Is there any > writing on this ? > > My apologies if I have got any of the terms wrong. I am quite new > to reading Philosophy and am still trying to get the terms right. > > Thanks and my salutation to all. Om Tat Sat. > > Guru Venkat > Shree Guru Venkat - you have asked the whole vedanta and packed in the questions. The explanation that is offered depends on the qualificaition of the student. Please study your questions carefully and examine Swami Vevekanandaji's answer. You will see the beauty of his answer. First paraBrahman - or Brahman is one without a second - ekam eva - advitiiyam - hence from para brahma point - there is no creation and creator since that is duality. He is one. and what you have aksed him to do is already an accomplised fact - I should not even say an accomplished since it is an ever present fact. Since you are seeing a creation separate from Brahman - You have to redirect the question as why are you seeing that which is not there. It is not there and you are still seeing - then there is something wrong with the vision. Seeing something which is not there is what is called illusion or maaya. We cannot blame Brahman for that since it is we who are seeing, not Brahman. That is why it is called maaya - that which appears to be there, but what is there is only undivided or akhandm advitiiyam Brahman - hence any divisions or plurality is only apparent due to not knowing the oneness. Ignorance of Brahman is the cause for the plurality. Now depending on the student one can give some explantion for that plurality which is not there to start with! to satisfy his mind. One is it is creation by the Lord - Iswara. Who is Iswara? the one who created this world? This itself is a circular definition. When did he create this? - here we have a problme? if we say some time ago - but time is also one of the created things too. Some there is no beginning since time concept is not there when it began if at all it began. Hence creation is beginning less - That which is beginning less and endless is a cycle - Hence Swami Vivekananda's anwswer. All these questions arise only because you are asking about a cration which is not there to start with. Since it appears to be there - let us call it as maaya. Another way to answer and stop the student from asking any more is - this is all liila or play of the Lord. Why he has to play? why not? if he has to be accountable for why and how then he is no more Lord. Why - that is why! One has to be the Lord to understand his motivation of the creation. If you are happy with this answer than what Swami Vivekanandaji gave - that is O.K. you are Bhakta. We donot question any more why? That is HIS WILL. So my friend - let us not blame Brahman since he has nothing to do with all this. There is no karma or karta in Brahman - He is homogenous mass of absolute sat chit and ananda - satyam j~naana and anantam. There is no jiiva nor the world nor karma nor anything other than himself. But we who think we are different from Brahman have this problem. The most useful question is then why do we think we are different from Braham - the whole scripture keep screaming at us you are that Brahman. tat tvam asi. Unfortunately we do not readily accept the truth of the vedanta and we keep questioning how can I or you are Brahman. For that we need to study the scriptures and see the truth as expounded by the scriptures. Welcome to the advaitin group. Hari OM! Sadananda ===== What you have is His gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift to Him - Swami Chinmayananda. Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2002 Report Share Posted October 30, 2002 Sri Sadananda, You have given a very concise answer to my questions. Thanks very much. Om Tat sat Guru Venkat kuntimaddi sadananda <kuntimaddisada wrote: Shree Guru Venkat - you have asked the whole vedanta and packed in the questions. The explanation that is offered depends on the qualificaition of the student. Please study your questions carefully and examine Swami Vevekanandaji's answer. You will see the beauty of his answer. First paraBrahman - or Brahman is one without a second - ekam eva - advitiiyam - hence from para brahma point - there is no creation and creator since that is duality. He is one. and what you have aksed him to do is already an accomplised fact - I should not even say an accomplished since it is an ever present fact. Since you are seeing a creation separate from Brahman - You have to redirect the question as why are you seeing that which is not there. It is not there and you are still seeing - then there is something wrong with the vision. Seeing something which is not there is what is called illusion or maaya. We cannot blame Brahman for that since it is we who are seeing, not Brahman. That is why it is called maaya - that which appears to be there, but what is there is only undivided or akhandm advitiiyam Brahman - hence any divisions or plurality is only apparent due to not knowing the oneness. Ignorance of Brahman is the cause for the plurality. Now depending on the student one can give some explantion for that plurality which is not there to start with! to satisfy his mind. One is it is creation by the Lord - Iswara. Who is Iswara? the one who created this world? This itself is a circular definition. When did he create this? - here we have a problme? if we say some time ago - but time is also one of the created things too. Some there is no beginning since time concept is not there when it began if at all it began. Hence creation is beginning less - That which is beginning less and endless is a cycle - Hence Swami Vivekananda's anwswer. All these questions arise only because you are asking about a cration which is not there to start with. Since it appears to be there - let us call it as maaya. Another way to answer and stop the student from asking any more is - this is all liila or play of the Lord. Why he has to play? why not? if he has to be accountable for why and how then he is no more Lord. Why - that is why! One has to be the Lord to understand his motivation of the creation. If you are happy with this answer than what Swami Vivekanandaji gave - that is O.K. you are Bhakta. We donot question any more why? That is HIS WILL. So my friend - let us not blame Brahman since he has nothing to do with all this. There is no karma or karta in Brahman - He is homogenous mass of absolute sat chit and ananda - satyam j~naana and anantam. There is no jiiva nor the world nor karma nor anything other than himself. But we who think we are different from Brahman have this problem. The most useful question is then why do we think we are different from Braham - the whole scripture keep screaming at us you are that Brahman. tat tvam asi. Unfortunately we do not readily accept the truth of the vedanta and we keep questioning how can I or you are Brahman. For that we need to study the scriptures and see the truth as expounded by the scriptures. Welcome to the advaitin group. Hari OM! Sadananda ===== What you have is His gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift to Him - Swami Chinmayananda. HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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