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Originally Posted by Joe Mc
The Rope is mistaken for the Snake is a classical illusion that was popularised by Advaita Vedandists in India. Is this illusion useful ? Have you any views on what it means ?
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Namaste.
The Rope vs Snake analogy was used to illustrate the Advaita Vedantic term for Mithya or Mithyatva (false perception) as being in a relativist distinction from the general term of Maya or illusion which was used at the time.
It is an analagous representation of how our conditioned biases (e.g fear) also known as vasanas, can distort the perception of reality (Brahman) through sensory cognition...also called karmendriyas.
Thus, we are not experiencing an "illusion", but a distorted form of reality...mithya (which gave rise to the English word, myth).
This tale later became extrapopated in the form of The Six Blind Men and The Elephant...showing how false perception (Mithya) will remain thus, no matter how many mithyavadis (ignorant people) are involved and how human beings are very proud in their arrogance with their ability to "know" things...and as sad as it is, for many, their ego still is unable to admit that the "snake" is really a "rope" even after being shown thus.