Hi Ramji
I just was writing something and ” o’ boy ” how incredibly easy it is to be lost in words when trying to explain about Maya. When one knows it is That, but yet that That is not Maya one starts speaking nearly incomprehensible for others.
So the words mithya and satya are important tools. To say not eternal and yet not not eternal etc, seems awkward. Yet it is eternal! Yet maya is not eternal. It is neither! Ha ha. One seems like a lunatic in trying to express it. I do think I was able to express it fairly ok anyway. Do you think so?
Ramji: You did pretty well. The best way is to say is, “Maya is not the same but it is not different from the Self.
I just felt like trying to describe it. When Self realized it is probably more difficult to express than for those who just have read about it. Don’t you think?
Ramji: Ramji: No. You need to be properly taught. You are inspired from the teaching and you made a pretty good try but there is much more to understand before the knowledge of Maya sets you free of Cindy and is useful for others. You heard Vedanta several years ago but it seems you didn’t pursue it because you are in exactly the same place you were then. if you are a serious person you will center your life around the teaching, not just visit the teaching here and there when you feel a bit spiritual. I suggest you take up a systematic study of Vedanta if you want to really benefit. If you go to the website and click on the “start here” menu and follow the links, reading each article carefully it will get you started. I’m very busy and I can’t teach everyone from the first lesson; there are thousands of people in the ShiningWorld traditional Vedanta sanga so we expect people to learn the basics and work patiently through the texts until they have a good grasp of the fundamentals. Then, it is possible to ask questions that will really be helpful.
I seriously ask if you see any way I could explain it better.
Ramji: Yes, I do. Once you learn the basics you can get the Panchadasi video series from Tiruvannamalai where the whole Maya teaching is laid out in detail in 80 videos. Is it the key to moksa. You won’t be freed from Cindy, without complete knowledge of this teaching. You won’t be able to help others grow into the full understanding of themselves without learning Brahma Vidya (Vedanta).
Here are the facts about Maya that you need to know. Please don’t think you understand them if you think you understand them. You need to be taught. Vedanta is the rocket science of spirituality. Understanding Maya is like understanding E=MC2. You can say you know that it means energy equals mass times the speed of light squared, but what does that actually mean? You have to go through the whole of mathematics before you are even qualified to hear it explained by a top professor. It is the same with Vedanta.
What is Maya and What Does it Do? Verses 47-59
(1) It is an Unseen Power in Consciousness/Existence/Awareness.
(2) It is Not the Same but It is Not Different from Awareness.
(3) It is not Non-Existence because It has an Effect. (48)
(4) It is Eternal. It is both Manifest and Unmanifest.
(5) It is Not Real. It does not Stand Alone and Knowledge Negates It.
(6) It is Not Unreal because You Experience It
(7) It is Seemingly Real – It is Appearing Non-Existence
(8) It is Not a Part of Existence/Awareness but It Seems to be a Part
(9) It is Superimposed (adhyasa) on Existence. (31-32)
(10) It Superimposes Isvara and Jiva
(11) It Does Not Hide Awareness. It is a ‘small fraction’ of Awareness.
(12) It Makes the Impossible Possible. It is a Great Wonder.
(13) It is Inexplicable, Indescribable and Beginningless
(14) It is Beautiful, Intelligent and Omniscient
(15) It Creates a Matter Mirror (ParaPrakriti) That Reflects,
Reverses and Borrows
(16) It is a Vivarta Parinama Not an Arambha Parinama
(17) It Controls Everything (18) It Causes Samsara (Love of Objects, Becoming, Dependence,
Lack of Discrimination)
(19) It a Revolving Wheel of Energy (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) that Deludes
(20) It Creates in Three Stages
About Shankara
Cindy: Is this understanding he has from previous scriptures?
Ramji: Yes. He was a link to the Upanishads. Everything he taught was in the Upanishads several thousand years before he was born. He did not deviate from the teachings. He only made them particularly clear. There have been tens of thousands of Shankaras since this knowledge was revealed by Isvara and there Shankaras alive today. He just happens to be the most famous.
Cindy: And why does he call maya She? Is she mother nature? Shakti?
Ramji: I hate to say yes, although the answer is yes, because what does mother nature mean in terms of the moksa? What does shakti mean without knowledge of shiva? How do shakti and shiva relate to satya and mithya? Vedanta is a complete teaching or the relationship between God, the individual and Existence shining as Consiousness, Cindy. You need a lot of background, particularly the knowledge of the creation as unfolded in Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita. It is all explained clearly in 150 hours of my teachings of the Bhagavad Gita from Carbondale.
I think I told you this on the Q&A two weeks ago and I mentioned it again above. You are very inspired with a lot of bhakti for the truth. If this knowledge is going to do any good, however, except to get you high, then you need to learn Vedanta properly because it is a complete means of knowledge and the very best language for communicating the truth. You need to take a professional attitude toward it. I’m happy to help you, but you need to jump through a lot of hoops before I can be of service. I only teach qualified people. You can qualify by following my advice. Go to the start here menu on the home page and work through the beginning course.
Much love,
Ramji
