Introduction to Maya and Vedanta Philosophy

Maya is fluid in meaning and application in both storytelling and philosophy, but it’s necessary to interpret in order to recognize the variety of usages. While many religions view Maya differently, this storybook approaches Maya through the Vedanta school of philosophy.

Broadly speaking, the Vedanta school sees Maya as an illusion with the human mind viewing subjective reality as a true state of being. This school of philosophy believes in the “invisible reality of the Self,” which can be considered a soul. According to the Vedanta school, Maya produces a false duality between ourselves and reality, but liberation is when the Self, or the soul, is the same as the Self in everything, or Brahman.

The Advaita Vedanta is a subset within the broader Vedanta school of philosophy, and it provides a deeper understanding of Maya. The name Advaita translated to "un-duality," reflecting the aforementioned invisible reality of the Self. This school of philosophy views reality as two-fold with Vyavaharika (empirical reality) and Parmarthika (absolute, spiritual reality). The empirical reality and perceived material world are Maya, and our consciousness is within this reality. The absolute, spiritual reality is of the Cosmic Spirit, Brahman, and the goal of spiritual enlightenment is to realize Brahman. This concept is distinct from the god Brahma as well as the Brahmin caste, although all words share a similar root.

It’s important to note that Maya shouldn’t be considered to be untrue, but instead true for now. In contrast, Brahman is considered to be the eternal, unchanging truth. The 10th century Advaita philosopher Prakasatman describes it best by stating, “Maya is the manifestation of the world, whereas Brahman, which supports Maya, is the cause of the world.”

Using this approach, we can understand Maya through various narratives. Maya, as an illusion, prevents us from perceiving the unitary Self with the Cosmic Spirit of Brahman. Across various narratives, a common theme is characters overcoming this illusion. However, this illusion takes many forms across different stories. While some characters recognize the unity of the world, others view the experiences of life as clouding the spiritual reality of Brahman. All the stories offer unique and fascinating insights on the idea of Maya.

Bibliography: Maya. Website: Wikipedia