Maya : The root cause of pain and misery

[The Crimson Universe]

@SalixIncendium ... True, intellect arises from maya's vidya aspect or sattva guna (whatever you wanna call it).
This conversation is also a result of maya's positive/sattva/vidya aspect.
I'm not denying the positive qualities of maya. But as i said before, the evil/avidya/tamas property of maya outweighs the good property of maya and that is why we see so much pain and misery in this world.

 

[Aupmanyav]

In Gita, Lord Krishna told Arjuna that both Him and Arjuna passed through many births. The Lord knows them all. But not Arjuna. We do reincarnate my friend, even if you don't want to believe in multiple lives.
Even if i abandon maya and give up all sensual pleasures and attachments, even then the world wouldn't turn into a better place. The maya shakti would still be active and would continue to keep the rest of humanity under the veil of ignorance.
And isn't this ignorance a product of maya?
Advaita speaks of maya's two qualities.
1. Aavaran shakti (Concealing power)
2. Vikshepa shakti (Projecting power)
If you ask me, our intellect is not only clouded by maya's concealing power but also false illusory images are projected infront of us by maya's projecting power. Due to these reasons, jivas commit sinful or foolish acts and suffer.

Well, you believe that, I don't.
Yeah, your abandoning things will have meaning for you and not for others.
IMHO, it is the other way round. Maya is the product of ignorance. Once one understands, maya disappears.
Maya is active till there is ignorance. in front of 'jnana', maya is powerless.

 

[Aupmanyav]

This conversation is also a result of maya's positive/sattva/vidya aspect.
I'm not denying the positive qualities of maya.

During this conversation, maya is waiting expectantly. It knows that mostly people will not be able to overcome it. Only some will do that.
Kabir said "Maya, bari thagini hum jani" (I know, maya is a great deceiver).
IMHO, Maya does not have any positive qualities.

 

[shivsomashekhar]

We all know that Ishwar's shakti Maya is the root cause of everything evil in the world. Yogananda said that the entity which the western world calls by the name Satan is nothing but Ishwar's shakti Maya.

Maya is a Sanskrit word with different meanings.

1. In Mahayana Buddhism (Abhidharma) it means false pretensions. But in Buddhism it is more commonly used to mean illusion.
2. In the Bhagavad Gita (7.14 and 7.25), it is Krishna's divine energy that hides his true nature from humans. But those who surrender to Krishna can cross Maya or see through it.
3. In Advaita, Maya is the same as the Buddhist interpretation. Other schools of Vedanta use the Gita definition.

Commonly in India, the word Maya is used with a negative connotation, which is how Yogananda has applied it. But if the term is applied correctly, it includes both good and bad. Obviously, per Gita 7.14, Maya is an impediment (and therefore, bad) for the Mumukshu who is intent on seeking liberation.

The only thing i want to know is that, if Ishwar (personal God) pollutes our mind with his Maya shakti and makes us do abominable acts, then why should we suffer the consequences. Shouldn't God be the actual culprit for keeping us under maya's spell?

This is the ancient Epicurean Paradox (or "Problem of evil").
Epicurus - Wikipedia

 

[mangalavara]

You said "you deserved bad treatment from another person because that person is wicked in nature, even though you were good to him".

No, I did not say that I 'deserved bad treatment' from someone. What exactly I wrote in post #11 is exactly what I meant.

By saying this you're kinda denying the law of cause and effect (the law of karma).

Karma as a cosmic law, from what I understand, does not mean a good thing happens to you because you did a good thing, or that a bad thing happens to you because you did a bad thing. Looking at the quotation from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad in my post, which has mysteriously disappeared, karma as a cosmic law is the law that a being becomes what that being does.

The law of karma says- you reap what you sow.

That idiom is derived from the Epistle to the Galatians, by the way. The passage that the original statement is in teaches that doing good works in a Christian context leads to 'eternal life' whereas doing bad works leads to corruption, which I assume means death because the Bible more or less equates corruption with death. Such a teaching is not exactly what I found in the Upaniṣad that I had quoted.

Its like we are brainwashed into doing abominable acts and then we suffer the consequences, even though we are not the real culprits. The real culprit is Brahman's illusory power maya.

We apparently hold different views on Māyā.

 

[Aupmanyav]

This is the ancient Epicurean Paradox (or "Problem of evil").
Epicurus - Wikipedia

It remains a problem for theists and they spend a lot of time trying to explain that, whether Hindu, Muslim or Christians. Buddhists do not search for root. They say whatever be the root, concentrate on its removal. It is not a problem for atheists.

 

[Aupmanyav]

The passage that the original statement is in teaches that doing good works in a Christian context leads to 'eternal life' ..

Then there is a requirement is to bear all pain that comes to you quietly even when you have been doing good, In the name of God / Allah / Bhagawan, 'because the meek will inherit the kingdom'. God / Allah / Bhagawan is great, it sees all but does nothing. You see, testing your faith - a-la King Harischandra in Hinduism. The benefits being available only after the 'end of days'. In Hinduism, sometimes earlier also. Justice is quicker in Hinduism and we do not have a indefinite date of trial. It happens immediately after death.

Your soul, as the theists believe, is immediately presented before the Lord of Death, Yama, and your accounts checked. Then one goes to heaven or hell for periods as per your deeds. Where you want to go first is your choice if you have a mixed plate (good deeds and bad deeds) - to heaven or to hell. Worshiping this God or that, following this religion or that, does not make any difference. The rules are same for all.

"According to this legend, King Harishchandra gave away his kingdom, sold his family and agreed to be a slave – all to fulfill a promise he had made to the sage Vishwamitra."
Harishchandra - Wikipedia