Maya: What It Is — Swami Bhaskarananda
from Vedanta Society of Western Washington
Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on May 22, 2011. In this talk, Swami Bhaskarananda explores the Vedantic concept of maya— and clarifies how it relates to our experience of the world. Drawing on the Upanishads and Swami Vivekananda, he explains that maya is not merely a theory but “a statement of fact”: the world is known and experienced, yet it is not ultimately real in the Vedantic sense of being eternal and changeless. Using the dream analogy, he shows how a dream world feels real while it lasts, though it is later recognized as a projection of the mind; similarly, the waking world is understood as a projection dependent on ignorance of Brahman. Swami Bhaskarananda notes different interpretations within the Hindu tradition. In Tantra, the creative power of God (Shakti) and God are seen as inseparable, so the universe is viewed as a manifestation of the Divine Mother. In Advaita Vedanta, however, Brahman is beyond time, space, and action—changeless, eternal, and a non-doer—and thus cannot truly “become” the world. From this standpoint the universe is inexplicable and ultimately unreal, beginningless in appearance but having an end when ignorance is removed through knowledge of Brahman. The lecture concludes by encouraging deeper reflection on Advaita Vedanta as a means to understand maya and move toward spiritual freedom.
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Chapters
- 0:42 Meditation on the Divine
- 1:20 Introduction to Maya
- 19:05 The Nature of Reality and Maya
- 24:01 Methods of Validating Truth in Hinduism
- 37:44 Understanding the Nature of Reality in Advaita Vedanta
- 40:05 The Nature of Reality and Change
- 51:57 Understanding Maya and Its Implications in Advaita Vedanta
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