What is Māyā (माया) or Illusion?
Introduction
Whenever we perceive something (about an object or about a person) we try to perceive in two ways and generally a combination of these two perceptions is considered to be a human perception. First one is the sensory perception (received through any one or combination of 5 senses/sense organs), while the second one is cognitive perception which is based upon the extent of the intellectual information an individual has about an object or a person.
This leads to an equation:
Human Perception = Sensory Perception + Cognitive Perception
Analogy 1:Let us consider an analogy where an individual sees an object E.g., refrigerator. As far as sensory perception of that individual is considered regarding the refrigerator, it would be based upon the physical dimensions, color etc. When it comes to the cognitive perception of that individual, it depends upon the extent of the intellectual information that individual possesses about the refrigerator. A mechanical engineer will have a different cognitive perception from that of an electronic engineer for the same refrigerator. A simple home maker who uses the same refrigerator might have a completely different cognitive perception. This means, even though we all see the same object (s), the way we perceive about it would be different based upon the intellectual information we as an individual possess about those object (s). This is like four blind men who touch a portion of an elephant and develops different cognitive perceptions about the same elephant. One blind man who touches the ear says that the elephant is like a big fan, the other who touches its legs says that the elephant is having four pillars, the other who touches the tail says it is like a thin rope, while the last one who touches the trunk says that the elephant is like a long and thick rope. Now if we look at their individual perceptions, they are right in their own perceptions, but it is not true - why? - because it is not complete. Their understanding or perception of a portion of an elephant is true to them, but a person who can see the elephant completely 3-dimensionally in all the 360 degrees will say that the perception of these blind men is half true which also means half lie and their individual or collective perceptions will not really describe the whole elephant. This means the perceptions of all the blind men are in reality deceptions.
Extending this analogy to our daily perceptions and self reflecting upon our cognitive perceptions, we can arrive at a conclusion that all of our perceptions are half true which also means they are half life. This means all of our daily cognitive perceptions are actually deceptions, because we use different lenses/shades to see objects or to understand people. Thus, every perspective is deceptive. It is never complete and true.
Hence, our revised equation would be:
Human Perception = Sensory Perception + Combination of Deceptions
With the above understanding and revelation we should come to a realization that it is futile to argue on any aspect as all of our perceptions are in reality not complete or 100%. However,
we think and believe that what ever we are perceiving is true - and this belief is an illusion or māyā. In reality every thought process of ours is so limited. This is one reason we always need to have diverse group or group of individuals from different backgrounds who can think differently and contribute their perceptions, so that as a group one can arrive at a bigger perception of any aspect. Even then the group's perception will not be complete and one need to be aware of this.
Analogy 2:
When we go to a movie theater, there are mainly two things: one is the empty screen and the second is the movie projected onto the empty screen. The screen is real, while the movie is not real and it is nothing but a dance of light and shadows. The movie even though appears real, is not real. It is made into different effects of lights and shadows based upon the thought process. However tangible the movie appears, it is still a thought. The reader reading this article might think that this article is real and tangible, but in reality it was just only a thought in the author's mind and projected onto this screen with the help of lights and shadows. If we look at this analogy a little bit deeper, we can realize that this life is like the empty screen - unchanged, and on this life screen, births and deaths through various stages of infancy, childhood, adolescence, middle age, old age are happening as a dance of lights and shadows. We play many roles - father, mother, uncle, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, boss, subordinate, manager, CxO, husband, wife, sister, brother, student, teacher, etc., and it is wise and prudent that we realize that these are only roles and not to get identified with any of those roles - for one simple reason that all these roles are nothing but a dance of light and shadows and exist within us only as thoughts. When we are in deep sleep state where no thoughts exist, none of these roles exist.
As a being human, we need to just play many of these roles without any attachment and anchor ourselves always onto the screen rather than the movie - that is anchor ourselves beyond any of the roles - onto our true self which is that eternal stillness and Nothingness. While anchoring ourselves in Self-awareness, we can observe our body and mind as a third person and be not attached to our roles. The moment we are undergoing pain and pleasure, then we are tied up to our roles. The best way is to be always in our Self-awareness and being completely mindful of what is being done through our bodies and what is being thought through our minds.
Scientists say that human beings are negatively wired because of the threat to life and a very strong tendency to protect. In reality each and every one of us have two forces - the one which takes us outward and create boundaries, the other which interiorizes us and provides a chance to expand as big as the Universe. The force that takes us outward and creates boundaries is an illusion and the force that interiorizes us and tells us that we are boundless is the Truth.
Mechanism/Technique
How to overcome illusion or māyā?
- Staying with whatever perception that we perceive and being in an awareness and acceptance that our perception is not complete and is deceptive.
- Going beyond the deceptive perception and having a 360 degrees 3-dimensional view of every aspect.
- Being completely Self-aware
To arrive at the second aspect, one need to understand what is meant by going beyond the sensory perception and cognitive perceptions. This can happen only when we withdraw our senses from all external objects which sage Patanjali called it as pratyāhāra प्रत्याहार. Once we withdraw all of our senses from external worldly objects and by some breathing technique can still the breath, then we can - may be for a moment - reach the stillness, thoughtless state. This is the state where we would be able to see everything as is without any shades/lenses. A long practice of the above practices and a longer duration of stillness and breathless states will result in another realm of perception which is called as intuitive perception. Please do not mistake this intuitive perception with gut instinct. Generally it takes 10 to 15 years of strong practice of mindfulness/meditative practices to cultivate intuitive perception.
Thus our final revised equation would be:
Human Perception = Sensory Perception + Cognitive Perception (Combination of Deceptions) + Intuitive Perception
ConclusionLiving in this world was never easy to anyone. Somewhere there would be difficulties. Neither everything will be bad, nor everything will be good. Good and bad co-exist. The creation itself is based on dualities and everything in the creation is relativistic. There is nothing absolute or permanent about the creation. There is nothing permanent about nature's phenomenon. It is highly dynamic and keeps constantly changing. It is up to us what are those choices that we need to make and for every choice that we make there will be consequences which inevitably we need to reap them and face them.
There is a story where two boys were participating in a competition. The task in the competition was to eat 50 bananas. Out of 50 bananas 25 were raw bananas and 25 were adequately ripened. Since the task was to complete both the varieties, one boy first made a choice to eat the adequately ripened bananas, while the other boy made a choice of eating the raw bananas first. Both boys could not complete the task. By the time they ate 15 bananas their stomachs were full and could not eat even one banana more. The boy who ate first the adequately ripened bananas was having full energy and could continue his day with full vigor and strength while the boy who ate raw bananas had to suffer indigestion and had to take medicine to cure himself from the stomachache that he got.
The above story illustrates that we all have choices to make in this relativistic world. Among the variety of choices - what are those choices that we make depends upon our awareness. An awareness of the Truth will make us to see the different choices available with a different perspective. The way we see and perceive the world is always different. The external world is made up of five elements of nature (earth, water, fire, air and ether). Whenever we see an object or aspect, we can never understand or perceive the complete composition of any object or aspect. With our limited intellectuality, we create labels and boundaries to our comprehension. In reality, our sensory perception is limited and our cognitive perception is also limited. With these limitations, we are not in a position to grasp the Truth as the Truth is beyond all these deceptive perceptions of the relativistic world. Any individual who makes an effort to think beyond the relativistic world and attempts to see beyond the thought process would enter into a state of awareness from where the Truth can be felt and the relativistic world can be witnessed.
Living in the Truth, we comprehend the reality of the relativistic world completely from a different perspective. Living in reality of the relativistic world, we can never grasp the Truth. Because, the reality of the relativistic world is always an illusion - it is never 100% true. It is always partially true, which also means it is partially a lie also. By the time we have expressed any relativistic phenomenon, it has already changed. It no longer exists the same, which also means - the one that we have expressed as our partial perception has occurred somewhere in past and is no longer current or is happening in the present. It is always advisable to stay beyond the perceptions to truly understand and perceive everything of the world and at the same time not to be in the world. In this way we can overcome every illusion that is created by us or our thought processes. To stay in the awareness of the Truth is what the purpose of a human being is. When we stay in that state, then we are no longer bound by the duality of the external world or illusion or māyā. A true state of Intelligence is this state. Upanishad states this state as prajñānaṃ brahma प्रज्ञानम् ब्रह्म. Brahman is the Intelligence. In the relativistic world, we all are only intellectual and never intelligent enough. With so-called transactions of intellectual conversations, we consider ourselves as intelligent which is an illusion. We rarely think about the limitations of our so-called deceptive perceptions. The only way to overcome all this is go deeper and go beyond the breath.
When we observe further at a deeper level, through long continuous practices of meditative techniques we can also come to an awareness that breath is the one, which is actually bridging the inner realm or the astral realm with the outer physical world or realm. Hence, by going beyond the breath we enter a realm of stillness, go beyond the deceptive perceptions, and can overcome the illusion of our perceptions or māyā. Being still, we can become the witness to the relativistic world and witness it 360 degrees 3-dimensionally without being bound or influenced by it. Being still, we know and become the Truth, which is beyond every illusion. Stillness is the one, which will take us beyond all perceptions, deceptions and comprehensions. Stillness is the one, which reveals the eternal presence of the Truth. Be Still and Know.
