Maya-The illusion!
Hello all,
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to get an insight into your own Dharma-the path of your true purpose. Last week, we discussed how Dharma and Karma become inter-twined in the deeper layers. Today let us discuss the concept of Maya, the illusion called the 'material realm'. We have before discussed Maya in a modern sense of internet and social media. Today, let us analyze from a philosophical perspective.
Material world: All of us take birth in this material world, grow up, spend our days and go back behind the curtain, who knows where. Most of us live this life from a 'very body related' perspective. But is that what we are supposed to do? What is this material world? Why do we take this life? What is the point of all this? These are questions at least once or twice that come up in our mind during our short time in this material life.
In Vedic philosophy and Sanskrit, the material world has a specific name-'Samsara Sagara', Samsara-material existence and Sagara-ocean or in other words, ocean of material existence. Many of the sages of yester Vedic times have opined that it is very difficult to overcome the hurdles of the material life. They portray Maya as the silky, smooth but dangerous seductress who by any which way tries to keep us tied to her binds.
Can we see a few ways we are tied down by her? Look at our human race. The second we are born, we are first and foremost tied to a family. We are tied down by our family values, behaviors and attitudes. As if not enough, we are controlled by the experiences our ancestors lived, through our DNA. Think about it, we have pretty long strands of DNA. But not every gene is expressed or turned on. Only those genes which were turned on due to the experiences of the ancestors are still relevant to us and our family. Also the one we may have turned on during our own experiences. All the other genes remain switched off.
For example, a person from Africa would have their Melanin or the color producing genes of the skin, fully functional. The ancestors of that person chose to remain in Africa, where there is the beating tropical Sun. To protect the skin from the harsh Sunrays, a protective very dark coat of Melanin was needed, to keep away skin cancer and other skin conditions. The same way a person whose ancestors chose to be in Europe or other temperate region developed lighter skin that helps to capture more Sun to produce Vitamin D for the body. Like this only gene that are useful for the family, it's behaviors, geographical location and culture starts to be functional. Others are simply not used. The first level of control.
Now, we are born into a particular country. That decides the culture, social norms, and language we would be brought up in. The second we start with one mother tongue all the other languages as mother tongue are eliminated. A person born in Japan would talk Japanese, not Hindi. A person born in north India would talk Hindi or Urdu, not Spanish or Italian. So, this becomes the next level of conditioning or control.
Next one. The religion we are born into. For example, I am born as a Hindu. It becomes much easier for me to understand Hinduism compared to Islam or Sikhism. Of course, I can always read about and know and maybe even practice another religion. But the depth in which one has assimilated one's birth religion subconsciously is much greater compared to another religion. A person experiences a religion they practiced for a long time much deeper at an emotional level compared to another religion they started practicing much more recently.
Not done. Now the political philosophy. A person growing up in a particular country experiences that political philosophy at much greater lengths. A person born in China has more experiences with Communism compared to a person born in the USA or Sweden. Here again by virtue of choosing one kind of philosophy and experiences we are eliminating every other kind. Can we see the way the conditioning or control of the material realm that is emerging??
Relationships: Until now, we were discussing the overall control or conditioning we as a person has been layered upon. These are the masks or personas we wear according to the geography, situation, and circumstances we find ourselves in. Now, another very important factor that runs our lives is the relationships we find ourselves in whether of the family, workplace, society, community, or country we live in. We have to maintain these relationships. Let us take an example of a random person, John.
John is the first kid of the family. He is a male. As he is a male, he is supposed to act in a particular way, being tough and strong. By the time he is 5 or 6, in case any day he cries due to some sadness, he is told, 'Boys should not/don't cry'. After a few times even if he feels like crying his heart out, he would hold back and suppress his emotions. Now, being the first kid, he is looked upon by the family as someone who should develop responsibility. Other younger kids would look up to him.
So, now he becomes responsible, strong, and tough. He goes to school. Being the first one, he is expected to do well in schools. So, sincere, hard-working, responsible, strong and tough. Now, after school, in case his family is into business or goes to serve the country, he gets into a business education or army or navy. There he gets to interact with other people who are considered strong, tough and responsible. Here if the kid John is already a very tough kid by his very own nature, this theme of expectations works beautifully. A square peg in a square hole.
What if the same kid John is very sensitive, artistic, and very creative? Someone who likes to go into his own dream world and play with magical unicorns and Ice-cream rainbows. A kid who loves painting, writing, or music? Here the talents of the kid are completely ignored, isn't it? This particular kid John would have started living a very different life compared to the life that his talents are asking him to capture. In this scenario, he has layer upon layer of masks of toughness, strength, responsibility, honor in an entirely different field of business or serving the country, isn't it? The same toughness, strength, responsibility, and sincerity would have made a fabulous mark in the arena of creativity, whether of art, music, painting, or fashion.
Come back to the creative kid, John who became a business person or an army or navy man. After serving honorably the community or the country, the person stands for an election and wins a seat as a senator, minister, or a congressman. Now, this kid John, who himself doesn't know who he is from the core (His creative spark has remained untouched for 30 years) is leading a country or community of people. How about that?
Someone who does not know themselves inside and out, how can they ever have deep principles, values, and ethics? They are leading so many other people and the spectrum itself becomes chaos and confusion. Can you see how the political spectrum and the underlying currents of corruption, fakeness, and mediocrity that is nowadays plaguing our modern world? Many are John, the creative kid stuck in a realm of political bravado and egotistic pursuit or in an entirely different field they have no interest in. Masks, masks, and masks!
Once in a very rare while the creative, starry-eyed boy John pokes his head when they find themselves in a reverie of a quiet moment. This is not about males, but about females as well. Many are finding themselves stuck in roles that are very far cry from who they really are. I can relate to this very well. I thought I was a Biotechnologist. But the reality was a very far cry. But in my case, I deliberately chose Biotechnology with absolutely no idea-Who I am!
Psychologists even have a name for this inner kid in all of us, the kid of six to fifteen years- 'Innerchild'. Anyone who finds this 'inner child' sad or unhappy is not leading a happy, healthy and productive life. The inner child embodies the true essence or true nature of the being. Remember the 'Atmajnana' or Self-knowledge we discussed in the last blog post? This Atmajnana is the true spirit that is embodied by the inner child. The deepest core of our being, truly who we are.
Whether it is Psychology, Philosophy, or Spirituality, everything leads to the same thing, over and over again. Realize, who you are! Any day we wear many many masks and live our life, we are under the influence of Maya-the illusion. Maya has no roots or anchor. It is the illusion, fake knowledge or the trappings of the mind. No wonder, people are crowding into the offices of Psychologists or Psychoanalysts.
When we have lived a life very far from our own true authentic Self, or 'Swaroopa', one day, our heart-the metaphorical one starts to resist. We lose interest, joy, and the spark of living. We become zombies living a life that was never destined to be ours. Things start to unravel at many levels, whether of family, career, social, communal or with kids. We may lodge deep anger or frustration and would have no idea why we are angry. This level of conditioning that has happened at a young age of 5-6 years, the person themselves would have no clue, even being very successful, why they are feeling so angry, dejected, or frustrated,
Self-Knowledge: The true tragedy of Maya or the illusion of the material world. Living a life that is not true and authentic, but based on a lie or self-deception of the deepest kind. Is it any wonder sages have warned about Maya-the silky, smooth temptress who keeps the human Soul tied and bogged down. In Christianity the same Maya is depicted as the snake who tempted Adam and Eve to bite the apple, where they forgot who they were from the Soul-Atmajnana, Self-knowledge, the simple question of 'Who am I'?
The only way to come out of this kind of Self-deception or Maya is to know who we are. That would lead us to our purpose or our own Dharma-the sacred contract we have come to this Earth to experience. In this path of Dharma or our own purpose lived through our truest Self gives us a purpose, joy, authenticity, and fulfillment for a life lived well. Can't we see how Maya, Dharma, Atmajnana and even our own Swaroopa-authentic Self, all become tied together into a nice bow, in this path?
The 'Gift from the Divine' tied and presented to us with a nice bow. In this path, our life takes a higher stance, a way that is opened due to the true intentions of our heart, totally true to our own true nature. The nature that has been molded in the cauldron of the experiences we have acquired through many lifetimes of sweat, blood, and tears. No path ever fulfills us the way our own true path of Dharma does. By not surrendering to this path we are rejecting all the blessings that come with our own Soul. When we reject our own eighty percent, how can we live happily with the remaining twenty percent? The tragedy of the modern life that ensnares a human Soul totally into the illusion of the Maya.
So, it is imperative for every human soul to come out of the illusion of their own Self-deception, Maya and find their true authentic Self, Swaroopa! That would definitely open the door to the true realms of creativity, passion, joy, and fulfillment!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉
Next week: Dwaitha-The duality!
Credits: Images and links from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to Jayasree Padmanabhan and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for a subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions and perspectives shared here are that of the author/owner only. Even though the author/owner will try to research well before posting the information, the author/owner of this blog does not make any portrayal of the accuracy or correctness of the content on this blog or the links provided. The author/owner will not be liable for any omissions or inaccuracies occurred. The author/owner will not be liable for any damages or losses due to the use or display of this blog. These terms and conditions can change at any time.
This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©Jayasree Padmanabhan and Swaroopa LLC, 2017- Eternity
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to get an insight into your own Dharma-the path of your true purpose. Last week, we discussed how Dharma and Karma become inter-twined in the deeper layers. Today let us discuss the concept of Maya, the illusion called the 'material realm'. We have before discussed Maya in a modern sense of internet and social media. Today, let us analyze from a philosophical perspective.
Material world: All of us take birth in this material world, grow up, spend our days and go back behind the curtain, who knows where. Most of us live this life from a 'very body related' perspective. But is that what we are supposed to do? What is this material world? Why do we take this life? What is the point of all this? These are questions at least once or twice that come up in our mind during our short time in this material life.
In Vedic philosophy and Sanskrit, the material world has a specific name-'Samsara Sagara', Samsara-material existence and Sagara-ocean or in other words, ocean of material existence. Many of the sages of yester Vedic times have opined that it is very difficult to overcome the hurdles of the material life. They portray Maya as the silky, smooth but dangerous seductress who by any which way tries to keep us tied to her binds.
 |
| The dazzle of Maya-material world! Time Square, The USA Image credits-Pixabay.com |
Can we see a few ways we are tied down by her? Look at our human race. The second we are born, we are first and foremost tied to a family. We are tied down by our family values, behaviors and attitudes. As if not enough, we are controlled by the experiences our ancestors lived, through our DNA. Think about it, we have pretty long strands of DNA. But not every gene is expressed or turned on. Only those genes which were turned on due to the experiences of the ancestors are still relevant to us and our family. Also the one we may have turned on during our own experiences. All the other genes remain switched off.
For example, a person from Africa would have their Melanin or the color producing genes of the skin, fully functional. The ancestors of that person chose to remain in Africa, where there is the beating tropical Sun. To protect the skin from the harsh Sunrays, a protective very dark coat of Melanin was needed, to keep away skin cancer and other skin conditions. The same way a person whose ancestors chose to be in Europe or other temperate region developed lighter skin that helps to capture more Sun to produce Vitamin D for the body. Like this only gene that are useful for the family, it's behaviors, geographical location and culture starts to be functional. Others are simply not used. The first level of control.
Now, we are born into a particular country. That decides the culture, social norms, and language we would be brought up in. The second we start with one mother tongue all the other languages as mother tongue are eliminated. A person born in Japan would talk Japanese, not Hindi. A person born in north India would talk Hindi or Urdu, not Spanish or Italian. So, this becomes the next level of conditioning or control.
Next one. The religion we are born into. For example, I am born as a Hindu. It becomes much easier for me to understand Hinduism compared to Islam or Sikhism. Of course, I can always read about and know and maybe even practice another religion. But the depth in which one has assimilated one's birth religion subconsciously is much greater compared to another religion. A person experiences a religion they practiced for a long time much deeper at an emotional level compared to another religion they started practicing much more recently.
Not done. Now the political philosophy. A person growing up in a particular country experiences that political philosophy at much greater lengths. A person born in China has more experiences with Communism compared to a person born in the USA or Sweden. Here again by virtue of choosing one kind of philosophy and experiences we are eliminating every other kind. Can we see the way the conditioning or control of the material realm that is emerging??
Relationships: Until now, we were discussing the overall control or conditioning we as a person has been layered upon. These are the masks or personas we wear according to the geography, situation, and circumstances we find ourselves in. Now, another very important factor that runs our lives is the relationships we find ourselves in whether of the family, workplace, society, community, or country we live in. We have to maintain these relationships. Let us take an example of a random person, John.
John is the first kid of the family. He is a male. As he is a male, he is supposed to act in a particular way, being tough and strong. By the time he is 5 or 6, in case any day he cries due to some sadness, he is told, 'Boys should not/don't cry'. After a few times even if he feels like crying his heart out, he would hold back and suppress his emotions. Now, being the first kid, he is looked upon by the family as someone who should develop responsibility. Other younger kids would look up to him.
 |
| Many roles we play from our mind and intellect! Image credits-Pixabay.com |
What if the same kid John is very sensitive, artistic, and very creative? Someone who likes to go into his own dream world and play with magical unicorns and Ice-cream rainbows. A kid who loves painting, writing, or music? Here the talents of the kid are completely ignored, isn't it? This particular kid John would have started living a very different life compared to the life that his talents are asking him to capture. In this scenario, he has layer upon layer of masks of toughness, strength, responsibility, honor in an entirely different field of business or serving the country, isn't it? The same toughness, strength, responsibility, and sincerity would have made a fabulous mark in the arena of creativity, whether of art, music, painting, or fashion.
Come back to the creative kid, John who became a business person or an army or navy man. After serving honorably the community or the country, the person stands for an election and wins a seat as a senator, minister, or a congressman. Now, this kid John, who himself doesn't know who he is from the core (His creative spark has remained untouched for 30 years) is leading a country or community of people. How about that?
Someone who does not know themselves inside and out, how can they ever have deep principles, values, and ethics? They are leading so many other people and the spectrum itself becomes chaos and confusion. Can you see how the political spectrum and the underlying currents of corruption, fakeness, and mediocrity that is nowadays plaguing our modern world? Many are John, the creative kid stuck in a realm of political bravado and egotistic pursuit or in an entirely different field they have no interest in. Masks, masks, and masks!
 |
| The masks we wear! Image credits-Pixabay.com |
Once in a very rare while the creative, starry-eyed boy John pokes his head when they find themselves in a reverie of a quiet moment. This is not about males, but about females as well. Many are finding themselves stuck in roles that are very far cry from who they really are. I can relate to this very well. I thought I was a Biotechnologist. But the reality was a very far cry. But in my case, I deliberately chose Biotechnology with absolutely no idea-Who I am!
Psychologists even have a name for this inner kid in all of us, the kid of six to fifteen years- 'Innerchild'. Anyone who finds this 'inner child' sad or unhappy is not leading a happy, healthy and productive life. The inner child embodies the true essence or true nature of the being. Remember the 'Atmajnana' or Self-knowledge we discussed in the last blog post? This Atmajnana is the true spirit that is embodied by the inner child. The deepest core of our being, truly who we are.
Whether it is Psychology, Philosophy, or Spirituality, everything leads to the same thing, over and over again. Realize, who you are! Any day we wear many many masks and live our life, we are under the influence of Maya-the illusion. Maya has no roots or anchor. It is the illusion, fake knowledge or the trappings of the mind. No wonder, people are crowding into the offices of Psychologists or Psychoanalysts.
When we have lived a life very far from our own true authentic Self, or 'Swaroopa', one day, our heart-the metaphorical one starts to resist. We lose interest, joy, and the spark of living. We become zombies living a life that was never destined to be ours. Things start to unravel at many levels, whether of family, career, social, communal or with kids. We may lodge deep anger or frustration and would have no idea why we are angry. This level of conditioning that has happened at a young age of 5-6 years, the person themselves would have no clue, even being very successful, why they are feeling so angry, dejected, or frustrated,
Self-Knowledge: The true tragedy of Maya or the illusion of the material world. Living a life that is not true and authentic, but based on a lie or self-deception of the deepest kind. Is it any wonder sages have warned about Maya-the silky, smooth temptress who keeps the human Soul tied and bogged down. In Christianity the same Maya is depicted as the snake who tempted Adam and Eve to bite the apple, where they forgot who they were from the Soul-Atmajnana, Self-knowledge, the simple question of 'Who am I'?
The only way to come out of this kind of Self-deception or Maya is to know who we are. That would lead us to our purpose or our own Dharma-the sacred contract we have come to this Earth to experience. In this path of Dharma or our own purpose lived through our truest Self gives us a purpose, joy, authenticity, and fulfillment for a life lived well. Can't we see how Maya, Dharma, Atmajnana and even our own Swaroopa-authentic Self, all become tied together into a nice bow, in this path?
 |
| The Gift from the Divine-Self knowledge, Atmajnana! Image credits-Pixabay.com |
The 'Gift from the Divine' tied and presented to us with a nice bow. In this path, our life takes a higher stance, a way that is opened due to the true intentions of our heart, totally true to our own true nature. The nature that has been molded in the cauldron of the experiences we have acquired through many lifetimes of sweat, blood, and tears. No path ever fulfills us the way our own true path of Dharma does. By not surrendering to this path we are rejecting all the blessings that come with our own Soul. When we reject our own eighty percent, how can we live happily with the remaining twenty percent? The tragedy of the modern life that ensnares a human Soul totally into the illusion of the Maya.
So, it is imperative for every human soul to come out of the illusion of their own Self-deception, Maya and find their true authentic Self, Swaroopa! That would definitely open the door to the true realms of creativity, passion, joy, and fulfillment!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉
Next week: Dwaitha-The duality!
Credits: Images and links from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to Jayasree Padmanabhan and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for a subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©Jayasree Padmanabhan and Swaroopa LLC, 2017- Eternity
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