Maya  causes ignorance and through ignorance
       perpetuates the notion of duality, which is responsible for our bondage
       and mortality upon earth. When we know that maya is the power that
       blinds us, binds us and deludes us, we become aware of the extent of its
       influence and its role in our lives. Out of this awareness comes a sense
       of caution and discriminating, which ultimately leads to our salvation.
       But till we reach that stage, we remain in the grip of maya, like fish,
       caught helplessly in a net. Saivism recognizes maya as one of the pasas
       (bonds) or malas (impurities). It is responsible for our animal (pasu)
       existence or beingness and becomingness. It causes in us ignorance and
       egoism and binds us to the objects we desire and seek. It makes us
       believe that the objective world in which we live and experience alone
       is true. It draws us outwardly and binds us to the things, we love or
       hate or we want to possess or get rid of. It is responsible for our
       experience of time and space which otherwise do not exist. It conceals
       our true nature and makes us believe that we are mere
       physical and mental beings. Through its powerful pull, it draws us
       forcefully into the objective reality of the
       world in which we live and binds us to things and events through our
       thoughts and desires.

In Devi Mahatmya, it was said that Maya is a dream that all entities sleeps constantly in but none of which found so, and thus feel pain and pleasure, ...., etc. Such dual stuff.

It was believe the mother of BUddha is named Maya; if I still remember clearly. COnfirmation needed here^^

The five senses make us feel that the world is real. Seeing the solidity of the objects around us, feeling the impact of the senses, it is hard to deny the validity of what we see. Everything looks real and we never stop to question this reality.

The mind is attached to the five senses and accepts everything as real without questioning. When we bump into a table or a wall and we feel pain, it is difficult to say that we are imagining it. When we see with our eyes, hear sounds, smell, or when we feel heat or coldness, we accept these sense impressions as real.

Some say that the world is an illusion, Maya in Eastern terminology. Can we accept this when everything looks so real? Can we regard the world as imagination?

We need the five senses and the mind to be conscious of the world, which means that the world is dependent on them. Without the senses and the mind the world does not exist for us.

If we say that a real thing is something that always exist with no gaps, then the outside world is not real. There are times besides sleep, when we are so busy that we are not conscious of what is going on around us. When there are no sensory sensations, as while being in a floating tank, or when in deep meditation, we are still conscious, but not of the world. This means that sometimes we are conscious of the world and sometimes we are not.

After we wake up from sleep, or get out of deep meditation and return to ordinary consciousness, we feel that there was a gap in our consciousness of the outside world. There was no world at that time. If we endeavor to pay attention to our consciousness we will come to the conclusion that the outside world comes and go, while the awareness of our inner consciousness never wavers.

The world exists for us only when the senses and mind are directed towards it, and cease to exist for us the moment we silence the senses and mind. During deep sleep we do not experience the world because the senses are not active. Can you prove the reality of the world while you are deeply asleep? When you wake up from sleep other people may tell you that the world existed, but can you prove that these people existed while you were asleep?

After waking up we may invent all kinds of theories to prove the realty of the world. Yet, these are only mental theories. During sleep it was non-existent for us. The world disappeared together with time.

During sleep dreams seem very real, but upon awakening we realize that they were just dreams. So it is with this world we call reality. It is possible to wake from it too. Sri Ramana Maharshi, the great Indian sage, has said that the difference between a dream while sleeping and the dream we call wakefulness is only of duration, one short and the other one long.

Further to the above, each person interprets and relates to other people's behavior, words and attitudes in a different way, according to the contents of his subconscious mind. No one's world is like another. Again, we see illusion at work. A world is created, based on our interpretation of what we see hear and sense.

This post is not an attack on your post....it is just My own thoughts about the subject, and must in no way be taken as downgrade of your own...because none known the truth about this.

Isen't it all just a definition?

I agree that my reality of the world aren't the same as the reality of another human being.

We all make our "reality" as we go, and the reality is created with what we experience TOGETHER with what information we have on the subject beforehand, and our belief.

If we say that our life is a "dream" or an illusion, then ok...we make a defination as such....but what do it change?

Do our life become better?
Do we understand unfairness more?
Is wars as destructibal as before?

Isen't the thought in itself equal to the thought that we shall all be born again?

Isen't everything a "hope" for the eternal life, which again gives comfort to a human ?

Dear Grandpa,

No I will not consider your post as an attack.. Because you are the grandpa.. No Grandpa will try to do attack to the grand son. (Am I correct in saying so?

Will you accept this?)

Ok, I will try to share my innocent thought for some of your question one by one.

Isen't it all just a definition?

No, it is not just a definition.. It is a EXPERIENCE of the many enlightened masters. (E.g. Jesus Christ, Mohammad, Krishna and many others)

All explained the same in different ways..

SCIENTIST - Devising a formula for recreating the external invention. Using that formula anybody can able to reproduce that invention.

ENLIGHTNED MASTERS - Persons Devising a formula for reproducing the inner experience, which they experienced. These formulas are called Meditation techniques. So using this formula we can able to reproduce the same kind of inner experience, bliss and peace


If we say that our life is a "dream" or an illusion, then ok...we make a definition as such....but what do it change?

Do our life become better?
Do we understand unfairness more?
Is wars as destructibal as before?

This clarity on life will bring a lot of positive change in us. And if the population of such a beings increased definitely it will change the world.

SELF-CHANGE IS THE WAY FOR WORLD CHANGE. This is the basic of the spirituality.

No it will not create unfairness or wars. But this clarity in human beings alone can able to stop wars and unfairness.

The history never seen wars because of spirituality. But because of religion there were lot of wars.

The Spirituality behind all religion is same.

Spirituality is one, religions are many.

Spirituality is goal, religion are path.

Truth is one, explanation of truth are many (Same concept has to be explained in many ways so that the different segment of the people can able to understand)

We are always trying to take help of our imperfect senses and logical mind to conclude all the things in our life.

But there are many and many things, which can only be felt inside. This Mystic self and Mystic world cannot be grasped with the help of imperfect senses and logical mind ALONE. During initial process it can be helpful, but after that it will become obstruction.

Finally I would like to put the following words humbly.

If we do not know something, it does not mean that it is not exist.

Looking forward to continue this discussion.