The Purpose of Maya

[SalixIncendium]

I think most have a pretty decent understanding of what maya is, varying in what each individual's philosophy or school of though teaches. But what about the why?

I'm not sure what scripture says, if anything, about why maya exists or for what purpose Brahman manifested it, but in your view or your personal opinion, what is the purpose of maya? Or does maya have a purpose at all? Or even need to? Or is its purpose beyond a human's ability to comprehend?

 

[Sunstone]

I have two ways of thinking about maya. First my favorite way...

My favorite way to think about it is to pretend the gods are playing a game in which they send down parts of themselves (us) to earth to live out lives in which the goal of their game is to see if we can learn to love all of life. Only if we learn to love the earth and all of life by the time of our death do "we" win the game! Maya is just the illusion there is anything different from the gods, and the gods are just the illusion there is anything different from the Cosmic Weirdness itself.

That's my favorite way of thinking about Maya.

The other way is that the notion reality is divided into zillions of discrete things -- rather than is a single One thing -- is necessary for survival. Only by evolving an awareness or consciousness of self can one defend one's self.

 

[Shantanu]

Regardless of the school of advaita to which a person belongs the answer to 'why' Maya exists is simple: to create an undescribeable explanation for what science is yet unable to explain. If ones theology is sound and knowledge complete, there is no need to have Maya to hide one's ignorance under.

 

[Sunstone]

Excellent post, Shantanu! I see you are beautifully pretending to be trapped in delusion and misunderstanding! How joyously you play that game! Bravo!

Here is the game I myself joyously play....

THE GREAT CREATION MYTH OF THE BENEVOLENT PROPHET SUNSTONE


Once a thing that has no name decided to play "let's pretend" by making a name for itself, the unnameable. It pretended to create for itself the name, "The Weirdness".

Once the Weirdness pretended to get bored with itself and thus decided to create a thing of beauty. It created a thing called "god".

Once the god got bored with itself and decided to pretend to create many things out of itself, one thing, so that it could admire its own beauty in order to relieve its boredom. It created the gods.

Once a Goddess became bored and wanted a thing of beauty. Once a God became bored and wanted something to laugh at. They met and ****ed this beautiful, absurd world into existence. To increase their amusement, they created a cosmic game to be played by all living things, including sentient species, such as humans. The goal of the game is to fall in love with your life until the end of your life. Only those who die loving life so passionately they even love their own death can transcend the game and escape being reincarnated to play the next round.

But those who die passionately loving life and even their own death -- only those are invited to join the goddesses and gods in heaven as a goddess or god for an orgy of cosmic bliss admiring each other's beauty. However, they are not compelled to join the orgy, but instead are given the gift of true free will with which to chose whether to join the goddesses and gods in bliss or return to the game of life until they win again -- and are again given the choice.

Moreover all players are reincarnated in ways that will allow them to find in the current game everyone they loved or should have loved in the previous game.

Once a thing that has no named created a thread on an internet religious forum under the name of "Salixincendium" so that it could pretend to answer its own thread under the name of "Sunstone".

So playfully pretends the Prophet Sunstone.

 

[Vinayaka]

I think most have a pretty decent understanding of what maya is, varying in what each individual's philosophy or school of though teaches. But what about the why?

I'm not sure what scripture says, if anything, about why maya exists or for what purpose Brahman manifested it, but in your view or your personal opinion, what is the purpose of maya? Or does maya have a purpose at all? Or even need to? Or is its purpose beyond a human's ability to comprehend?

How can anybody learn to see clearly through the fog if there's no fog to begin with?

 

[Shantanu]

Excellent post, Shantanu! I see you are beautifully pretending to be trapped in delusion and misunderstanding! How joyously you play that game! Bravo!

The only game in town is to progress slowly and emphatically to put one's own slant on reality. This means raising the various concepts of maya out in the open and then proceed to discuss each in turn. That is how the reality gets uncovered and we progress as humankind. This was the purpose of my generalised post. I do that frequently but it has given me problems with the Moderators before, so I am glad I have passed that hurdle this time round.

Back to the substantive issue:

My favorite way to think about it is to pretend the gods are playing a game in which they send down parts of themselves (us) to earth to live out lives in which the goal of their game is to see if we can learn to love all of life. Only if we learn to love the earth and all of life by the time of our death do "we" win the game! Maya is just the illusion there is anything different from the gods, and the gods are just the illusion there is anything different from the Cosmic Weirdness itself.

While this thread remains in this DIR I have to say that the winner of the game is the one that Hinduism states is the winner: in other words, the liberated, or one who has attained moksha. The question that arises is what leads to liberation from this samsara within this lifetime. The answer is truth alone liberates. So what is truth? My answer to that would be truth is whatever a person can get away with without facing criticism or worse sanctions. One must always fight injustices in this regard also. If one is on the truth path (that is something) this would come naturally to the person. Hence I await the response of @SalixIncendium to qualify his particular brand of theology within which his Maya is set in order to take this thread further.

I however do appreciate that in the DIR there is to be no debating, and so we may be better off transferring this thread to the Same Faith Debates Forum if further evidence is posted. It would be very interesting to do so. Other posters and Moderators may disagree.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Hence I await the response of @SalixIncendium to qualify his particular brand of theology within which his Maya is set in order to take this thread further.

I intentionally didn't offer my thoughts in the OP because I would like to see what others' thoughts are, and if anyone is aware of anything that is written in scripture about it.

I'll offer my thoughts in a bit once others have had opportunity to chime in.

I however do appreciate that in the DIR there is to be no debating, and so we may be better off transferring this thread to the Same Faith Debates Forum if further evidence is posted. It would be very interesting to do so. Other posters and Moderators may disagree.

I would prefer this topic remain a discussion and not a debate. I'm interested in understanding others' views, not in whose view is right or wrong.

 

[Aupmanyav]

But what about the why?

It is a corollary of Brahman's existence. Cosmic weirdness as Sunstone said. And as Shantanu said, it is there if you so believes, otherwise not. Good explanations.
Energy seemingly gives rise to waves/particles, they combine, create molecules, bacteria, vegetation, animals, humans, senses, brains, mind.
Seen at the micro level, nothing exists other than force fields.

 

[atanu]

I think most have a pretty decent understanding of what maya is, varying in what each individual's philosophy or school of though teaches. But what about the why?

I'm not sure what scripture says, if anything, about why maya exists or for what purpose Brahman manifested it, but in your view or your personal opinion, what is the purpose of maya? Or does maya have a purpose at all? Or even need to? Or is its purpose beyond a human's ability to comprehend?

Joy and play.

mAyA does not exist. It is an effect of Brahman's advaita existence. Brahman and @Sunstone are synonymous of-course.

 

[sayak83]

I think most have a pretty decent understanding of what maya is, varying in what each individual's philosophy or school of though teaches. But what about the why?

I'm not sure what scripture says, if anything, about why maya exists or for what purpose Brahman manifested it, but in your view or your personal opinion, what is the purpose of maya? Or does maya have a purpose at all? Or even need to? Or is its purpose beyond a human's ability to comprehend?

How can a singular entity (Brahman) be creative without diversifying into a plethora of shapes and forms in which its singular essence resides? This differentiated flux which is the expression of Brahman's creative nature is Maya and it is absolutely good....unless one begins to believe that all this flux has no coherence or unity of self-essence. That false belief creates, isolation, alienation, insecurity and ego..which is bad and causes suffering.

So
Maya is good.
False beliefs about nature of Maya is bad.

 

[George-ananda]

I have two ways of thinking about maya. First my favorite way...

My favorite way to think about it is to pretend the gods are playing a game in which they send down parts of themselves (us) to earth to live out lives in which the goal of their game is to see if we can learn to love all of life. Only if we learn to love the earth and all of life by the time of our death do "we" win the game! Maya is just the illusion there is anything different from the gods, and the gods are just the illusion there is anything different from the Cosmic Weirdness itself.

That's my favorite way of thinking about Maya.

The other way is that the notion reality is divided into zillions of discrete things -- rather than is a single One thing -- is necessary for survival. Only by evolving an awareness or consciousness of self can one defend one's self.

Maya is part of the creative aspect of Brahman where Brahman creates this play/drama of the universe. Brahman willingly for artistic reasons suspends knowledge of his infinite nature and experiences the finite nature of the characters in the play/drama.

Even we have this power of Maya when we go to the movies and watch a drama identifying with the characters as real for the duration of the movie (although at another level it is all just high-paid Hollywood actors doing their job).

So the 'Why' answer is to enjoy and experience creative art. The universe is a play/drama with a happy ending where all the characters eventually learn they are Oneness with all others and all is infinite sat-cit-Ananda (being-awareness-bliss).

EDIT: Actually I was intending to click 'reply' on @SalixIncendium OP but clicked on Sunstone's post instead. Oh well, it relates to Sunstone's thoughts too.

 

[Shantanu]

I'm interested in understanding others' views, not in whose view is right or wrong.

Let me make one thing clear then: God exists. The only Maya is His considerable powers to influence the universe including human affairs which is conducted with abilities that are beyond human comprehension.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I think most have a pretty decent understanding of what maya is, varying in what each individual's philosophy or school of though teaches. But what about the why?

I'm not sure what scripture says, if anything, about why maya exists or for what purpose Brahman manifested it, but in your view or your personal opinion, what is the purpose of maya? Or does maya have a purpose at all? Or even need to? Or is its purpose beyond a human's ability to comprehend?

I suppose I'll offer answers to my own questions at this point. I have not found any purpose or reason for the existence of maya other than to experience. I'm not sure if there is a purpose beyond that, and if there is, it is beyond my ability (or likely anyone's) to understand from existence in relative reality, at least based on my own experiences.

While I would like to believe that maya was manifested by Brahman as a play or drama where it plays many roles for the purpose of entertaining itself or for it's own enjoyment or amusement, I not much for believing something without some sort of experiential evidence, and I have had no experiences to support such a belief.

So for right now, until I have an experience that brings me to a different understanding, I am of the opinion that maya just is, and it exists for the sole purpose of experience.

I am pure consciousness. I am satcitananda. That is my true nature. I have no other purpose to manifest maya other than to experience life as SalixIncendium.

(My insufferable opinion, of course )

 

[Jainarayan]

Keep in mind that the true definition of māyā in Vedic times is "power". Later on it took on the connotation of illusion.Considering māyā to be the "power" of Brahman, and Brahman is all there is, I think it's not unreasonable that māyā should exist and do what t does. And let's face it, it's a trippy subject that can make our brains liquify and run out our ears.

 

[shivsomashekhar]

I think most have a pretty decent understanding of what maya is, varying in what each individual's philosophy or school of though teaches. But what about the why?

Maya has very different meanings, depending on who you ask. Yet, the main schools of Vedanta agree that Maya is beginning-less.

And if it is beginning-less, there cannot be a why. There cannot be a reason for why a beginning-less entity exists. We can speculate, but that is all it would ever be.

 

[Aupmanyav]

While I would like to believe that maya was manifested by Brahman as a play or drama where it plays many roles for the purpose of entertaining itself or for it's own enjoyment or amusement, ..

Ah, like my grandsons, Brahman needs entertainment!

And if it is beginning-less, there cannot be a why.

A reason/cause is necessary even for the beginning-less. Or Brahman could be in the shadow region, where the end is the beginning and the beginning is the end.

 

[ajay0]

I think most have a pretty decent understanding of what maya is, varying in what each individual's philosophy or school of though teaches. But what about the why?

I'm not sure what scripture says, if anything, about why maya exists or for what purpose Brahman manifested it, but in your view or your personal opinion, what is the purpose of maya? Or does maya have a purpose at all? Or even need to? Or is its purpose beyond a human's ability to comprehend?

Maya is the delusion of duality, brought about by identification with the thinking-emoting process or the body-mind complex.This identification inevitably brings suffering.

Purpose of suffering is to connect you to your Self (Awareness). It indicates that you got carried away by all the transient things around you. - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar


Pain in the body indicating a state of illhealth, begins its rectification through proper attention and care. Similarly psychological suffering indicating an unnatural or unhealthy state of being, also begins its rectification through proper attention and care.

 

[Shantanu]

Ah, like my grandsons, Brahman needs entertainment!

I am pretty sure that Brahman gets plenty of entertainment managing the world of humanity. We deduce that through practicing Brahmanism and find that He can talk and play games in human relationships.