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MAYA AND ILLUSION

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Posted by: " Uttishthata " uttishthata

Thu Oct 11, 2007 7:59 pm (PST)

 

MAYA AND ILLUSION - Swam Vivekananda

 

These tremendous contradictions in our intellect, in our knowledge,

yea, in all the facts of our life face us on all sides. A reformer

arises and wants to remedy the evils that are existing in a certain

nation; and before they have been remedied, a thousand other evils

arise in another place. It is like an old house that is falling; you

patch it up in one place and the ruin extends to another. In India,

our reformers cry and preach against the evils of enforced

widowhood. In the West, non-marriage is the great evil. Help the

unmarried on one side; they are suffering. Help the widows on the

other; they are suffering. It is like chronic rheumatism: you drive

it from the head, and it goes to the body; you drive it from there,

and it goes to the feet. Reformers arise and preach that learning,

wealth, and culture should not be in the hands of a select few; and

they do their best to make them accessible to all. These may bring

more happiness to some, but, perhaps as culture comes, physical

happiness lessens. The knowledge of happiness brings the knowledge

of unhappiness. Which way then shall we go? The least amount of

material prosperity that we enjoy is causing the same amount of

misery elsewhere. This is the law. The young, perhaps, do not see it

clearly, but those who have lived long enough and those who have

struggled enough will understand it. And this is Maya. These things

are going on, day and night, and to find a solution of this problem

is impossible. Why should it be so? It is impossible to answer this,

because the question cannot be logically formulated. There is

neither how nor why in fact; we only know that it is and that we

cannot help it. Even to grasp it, to draw an exact image of it in

our own mind, is beyond our power. How can we solve it then?

 

Maya is a statement of the fact of this universe, of how it is going

on. People generally get frightened when these things are told to

them. But bold we must be. Hiding facts is not the way to find a

remedy. As you all know, a hare hunted by dogs puts its head down

and thinks itself safe; so, when we run into optimism, we do just

like the hare, but that is no remedy. There are objections against

this, but you may remark that they are generally from people who

possess many of the good things of life. In this country (England)

it is very difficult to be a pessimist. Everyone tells me how

wonderfully the world is going on, how progressive; but what he

himself is, in his own world. Old questions arise: Christianity must

be the only true religion of the world, because Christian nations

are prosperous! But that assertion contradicts itself, because the

prosperity of the Christian nation depends on the misfortune of non-

christian nations. There must be some to prey on. Suppose the whole

world were to become Christian, then the Christian nations would

become poor, because there would be no non-christian nations for

them to prey upon. Thus the argument kills itself. Animals are

living upon plants, men upon animals and, worst of all, upon one

another, the strong upon the weak. This is going on everywhere. And

this is Maya. What solution do you find for this? We hear every day

many explanations, and are told that in the long run all will be

good. Taking it for granted that this is possible, why should there

be this diabolical way of doing good? Why cannot good be done

through good, instead of through these diabolical methods? The

descendants of the human beings of today will be happy; but why must

there be all this suffering now? There is no solution. This is Maya.

 

to be continued...

 

The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Volume 2 [ Page : 93 ]

(Lecture Delivered in London)

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

Change is always subjective. To talk of evil and misery is nonsense,

because they do not exist outside. If I am immune from all anger, I

never feel angry. If I am immune from all hatred, I never feel

hatred.

- Swami Vivekananda

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