Maya is an illusion

Maya is not a living entity. There is no such ‘thing’ called Maya. Maya is the absence of accurate self-awareness. You cannot fight Maya. You cannot win over Maya. It is an illusion and illusions can not be fought with. Like darkness. You cannot fight it. It does not exist. There is no such ‘thing’ called darkness. You cannot quantify darkness. Darkness is the absence of light. It exists only as a concept.

So what then is victory over Maya? Self-realization. When you switch on the light, darkness is dispelled. ‘But Baba says, Maya is the five vices…’ Yes, that’s right. Maya is, simply speaking, lack of clarity of what I want…of what I truly am. It is ignorance of the beauty of the self. The vices tell me that I am still seeking the truth. They point to the fact that I do not know how to get what I want and so I do the next best thing, I go for instant gratification, trying to at least get the symptoms of what I want even if it’s not sustainable and even though I know that it is not accurate.

Desire, Irritation, Hoarding, Bossiness, Clutching on…they tell me that I have not yet learnt that everything I need is within myself. That I am still seeking fulfillment… That I am still waiting for the magic to happen… for solutions to arrive from outside. I may have intellectual understanding, but the realization is missing. And until I take active steps to get there, the situation is not likely to change much.

Attempting to fight Maya… is foolhardy. You cannot fight a concept… an abstract notion. Truth will prevail. Discovery of truth… and living the truth…that is the journey we have all embarked upon.

How can I get to the Truth? How can I get rid of these vices? How can I be myself? How, how, how on earth can I get back on course?

Questions get me to the answers. But the answers won’t come from elsewhere. The world is telling me all the answers but I can’t see them because I am too engrossed in looking for them. I can’t separate the wheat from the chaff anymore. God is truth. He shares many different perspectives on truth. He dispels the myths and clarifies incessantly. He says, you know it all, and here it is again in essence. I am just reminding you of it. Now, be still. Be silent. Observe yourself. Look at yourself. Introspect. Watch. See. Be.

And in a few moments, truth dawns, everything makes sense and aha, it’s glorious! And then I begin to celebrate the truth… and slip back into ignorance. Truth is not a thing of momentary achievement. It is eternal. It is reality. It’s not a destination that you can reach and then be done with it. Like an exam you passed and got a degree. Like a task that got completed. No, it’s the only thing that shall always be. It is existence.

Uhh…but it all seems so abstract! It is, and it isn’t. For it will be what we think of it. We only see (and get affected by) what we are. We cannot see something that does not reflect ourselves. When God sees hell, he sees the heaven that was and shall be. That is the process of creation… and re-creation… When he sees ‘sinners’, he sees the purity that was and shall be. He does not judge. He is forever merciful. They say he is the supreme judge and needs to be feared. But he only shows us the truth. It is the contrast that causes pain… a realization of having strayed away from reality.

God tells us the short and direct path… the path of truth. Why would I stray away? Because God can only tell me something, he can not make me realize it. Realization is my task. And until I realize what it is all about… and get sustainable results, I will want to get the same experiences through other means. Pleasure is a cheap substitute for bliss.

So, what next?
‘Sit and study the knowledge. Reflect and ponder deeply. Realize and own it… Serve others for that will clarify things for you …’

But for how long? I mean, I need to live a life too…

‘Do you? What is life? But wait… yes, maybe you are right… maybe it looks as though it will take time for you. It needs just a second… but until that that moment of truth arrives…It needs time, but you can do it…Why don’t you fix a date for it?’

‘Patience O mind… Patience… your day of happiness is dawning… Trust me. And hand yourself over to me… I will take care of you… I promise.’