Maya (Sanskrit), has multiple meanings, within a Hindu or Sikh context, the word refers to concepts of "illusion". Maya, is the principal concept which manifests, perpetuates and governs the illusion and dream of duality in the phenomenal Universe. For some mystics this manifestation is real. Each person, each physical object, from the perspective of eternity is like a brief, disturbed drop of water from an unbounded ocean. The goal of enlightenment is to understand this — more precisely, to experience this: to see intuitively that the distinction between the self and the Universe is a false dichotomy. The distinction between consciousness and physical matter, between mind and body (refer bodymind), is the result of an unenlightened perspective.
I seem to have been swept up in current lately. There are moments of mental rest, when I mediate but there is no vivid imagery, and for most of the day I seem to be paddling rather swiftly. I had the image of being swept up in a rip tide as I began this blog. (ah, there's my image!) It occurred to me that I was once a good swimmer and if we're going to use rip tides as a metaphor for how I feel, then I am more than capable of swimming parallel to the shore. I'm not sure what all these means...but I have a sneaking suspicion that what I subconsciously want is to be in control of my own life! DANGER DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!! Hm...so how did I get to the idea today that life is an illusion?
Early today, I was having a very deep conversation with a dear friend. You know, the kind of friend that listens - really listens to what you are saying. You know that person is you friend and is truly listening when they don't nourish false statements but question the ones that are valid. I was going on, as I tend to do when I feel safe, about my philosophy of life. Possibly this notion could have been brought on by the book I am studying "Beyond the relaxation Response". The book proposes two main tenants for ridding ones self of stress: a very tightly held philosophical or religious conviction and (my favorite) meditation. Since I buy the meditation part of the theory hook, line and sinker and for obvious reasons...I have experimented for an extended period of time with meditation and have found it to greatly enhance my life physically, psychological and emotionally. I am left with only the investigation and notion of putting forth my ideas about my philosophical and religious ideology.
Briefly I will give you a history of my religious beliefs. I grew up going to a church that was very fundamentalist (Christian). There came a point as a teenager where that no longer sustained me and I sought other, very unhealthy ways, to fill the void. In my early twenties I found a spiritual venue in which I could explore...but only used a teaspoon to do so and wound back up in my thirties in a liberal Christian environment. This environment was not conducive to my blossoming as a spiritual being as I disagreed with most of its tenants but kept going out of respect to my family. In my early forties much existentialist angst took its toll and I found myself filling the void again with very unhealthy devices. After much pain I sought a new way and was guided to Buddhism, meditation and exploration of my self body, mind and soul. Thus in a nut shell you can see why I am here on this blog sharing my meditative journey- it's about spirituality not religion. I am in search of answers. Having grasp mediation on a very fundamental level I find it necessary now to enhance that with forming and articulating my own philosophy on matters of existence. I have read that most people go through this process as young adults but I am of the notion - better late than never.
The notion that life is an illusion has come up several times in my meditative journey into the valley of my soul. So I began to read about this concept. What I have decided so far is that I believe in parts of all theories of existence. Had my life not been filled with events that are explainable only with mystical notions...I may have little inclination to embrace this supposition. But one can't go around claiming to be a mystic when the experiences only seem to apply to a few privileged friends and family members. So I dig deeper to explain what I believe. I see that connection between all beings like that of the Upanishads. But I can't classify myself as a Upanishad. Now can I? So I step further one more step. Into Maya...the illusion. Life is an illusion based on our perception. It's based in our perspective. Our perception of beauty is based on what our culture exposes us to as beauty. For example the physical beauty of a person is based on what we've been taught beauty is. I was taught from a very young age that beauty was what lies in a persons heart but society taught me that beauty was about a persons appearance, and the modeling industry taught me that beauty was about height, weight, and physical symmetry. Physical beauty is subjective as is all other beauty. Therefore this logical line of thinking leads me to assume that all of life must be the same. How do I make the leap from this supposition to the one that life is an illusion?
Life is based on our perspective...our experiences, our education, and the culture in which we live. Life within us is the life around us. Try this, sit in a room with someone you trust and ask them to describe an object in the room...you will both have different descriptions of the same object. We see reality through filters not through true knowing. True knowing is our sixth sense...intution, we all have it some of us to more or lesser degrees than others. True knowing is not knowledge in the intellectual sense...true knowledge is knowing at the very core of our beings what's real and what isn't...Life isn't real...Life Is an Illusion!
The music box in my soul played this as I meditated:
Diamond Rio Meet In The Middle
...I'll start walking your way,
you'll start walkin mine,
We'd meet in the middle
"Neath that old Georgia Pine..
