Maya

A Sanskrit word. Maya’s literal meaning
is “magic” or “illusion”; the connotation
it carries is a magic show or illusion in
which objects appear to be present, but
are not. In the Hindu philosophical
tradition, maya describes how human
beings become confused about the true
nature of the world and themselves.
Such illusion keeps them enmeshed in
bondage to their desires and continues
the cycle of reincarnation (samsara)
that comes from this; at the same time,
however, such people are unaware that
they are in bondage.
In Hindu theism—in which the highest power is conceived as a deity—maya
is generally described as one of God’s
powers, through which the deity can
accomplish his or her purposes; in this
understanding, maya is seen as an existing entity. The analysis of maya is a little
different in the Advaita Vedanta school,
which propounds a position known as
monism. Monism claims that a single
Ultimate Reality, called the unqualified
Brahman, lies behind all things. Despite
the appearance of difference and diversity, the only thing that really exists is
this formless, unqualified Brahman. For
the Advaitins, the assumption of diversity
is a fundamental misunderstanding of
the ultimate nature of things. The
Advaita school accepts that God wields
maya as a power, but since God (as a
being with particular qualities) is considered lower than the highest, ultimate
Brahman, both God and maya are part
this lower reality. Thus, both are ultimately not real. The Advaitins describe
maya as confusion from the lack of
correct understanding; the confusion
disappears when perfect liberation has
been reached.