Crazy maya!!

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by ameliorate

...since to believe it's an illusion is like living life through a smokescreen.

Ha, that's funny, cuz I think the opposite; it's like living life with my eyes WIDE open!

In the Illusion ...the chair only looks like a chair and I know that I know what it really is ---like on the Holodeck.
The offense from another is like in a dream ---not real.

For me that's wonderful! The chair has a purpose - in this 3rd dimension it helps my body be comfortable ---
a body that isn't me...nutty, huh?

Reminiscent of The Matrix. I'm enjoying this steak, even tho I know it's not real. Rem that line?

The LOA goes hand in hand with this being a Dream ---and what we believe can manifest here...
Jesus showed the same lesson...
He knew (believed ) what water was...and showed us what was more real
than Physical Laws in this 3rd dimension.
To some the LOA is as weird as Jesus walking on water ---they don't believe either.

JASG Thank you very much for explaining. I have heard it said that vishistadvaita becomes advaita in the end, but I don't seem to delve into studying advaita as much as other things.

In theory, if someone really did experience the world as in no way real and they can turn their attention inward, I can see how that could make them naturally lose interest in other aspects of life. Maybe it would be like living in that feeling when you would rather meditate than do anything else.

At the same time, I would be surprised if it was helpful for anyone to take the theory as an intellectual belief and try to ignore the world while they still have an interest in their life. Things tend to fall away on their own when we outgrow them, so if we really are only Brahman and there is no world, we are bound to notice, eventually. In any case, it is important to be honest about the experience @ameliorate -never let anyone call you crazy for being honest.

Originally Posted by Aditi

JASG Thank you very much for explaining. I have heard it said that vishistadvaita becomes advaita in the end, but I don't seem to delve into studying advaita as much as other things.

In theory, if someone really did experience the world as in no way real and they can turn their attention inward, I can see how that could make them naturally lose interest in other aspects of life. Maybe it would be like living in that feeling when you would rather meditate than do anything else.

At the same time, I would be surprised if it was helpful for anyone to take the theory as an intellectual belief and try to ignore the world while they still have an interest in their life. Things tend to fall away on their own when we outgrow them, so if we really are only Brahman and there is no world, we are bound to notice, eventually. In any case, it is important to be honest about the experience @ameliorate -never let anyone call you crazy for being honest.

I would say in the end all paths lead to Absolute reality, whatever that really is. Since it is Ineffable we can only relate to it from the perspective of embodied being and a given path.

Regarding the unreal thingy... Advaita states something like there's Absolute reality (Brahman) and transactional reality (the universe), the prior having inherent existence and the latter having borrowed existence. That the universe is but name, form and function of Brahman and within Brahman and Maya is both the power of Brahman that projects Brahman as name, form and function and also the ignorance that veils its Brahman nature. Self realization removes the veil but not the projection.

Some years back I practiced lucid dreaming with some success. When one attains lucidity within a dream one realizes one is not the dream body but the dreamer and the entire dream. That's a really good model for what Advaita would call Awakening or Self realization, and if it sticks Enlightenment.

Late last year I had a waking version of a lucid dream that lasted for several weeks, and that's what got me digging deep into Advaita. It had the opposite effect of driving my attention inward because what was within was without and vice versa. Everything was more vibrant and more real. It was all me and I was all it so it didn't matter whether attention was turned inward or outward. It was all the same however outward was more interesting.

Before that experience I could never fully grasp or believe statements to the effect of One in all and all in One or as Baba Muktananda said "Earth, moon, stars and sun revolve inside me".

Prior to diving deep into Advaita I spent a good decade meditating and diving deep into consciousness studies. Perhaps that "shaded" my experience and other Awakening experiences are different? I can't say and can only speak to my own experience.

[Honza]

Real or not the fact is that I have broken my tooth and now I need to go to the dentist and have it extracted. Ouch. However I now know enough to be able to ease the pain and fear.

Be positive is my motto for the day.

[Honza]

One thing that I have noticed is that maya (whatever it is) obeys the spiritual energy within and around me. What is scary at times is that the spiritual energy is quite negative at times. I am slowly healing my positivity and the spiritual energy.

[sky]

Originally Posted by Honza

Real or not the fact is that I have broken my tooth and now I need to go to the dentist and have it extracted. Ouch. However I now know enough to be able to ease the pain and fear.



Be positive is my motto for the day.

They hurt when we're getting them,
They hurt when we have them,
They hurt getting them removed......

But on the positive side, when the're gone the pain is gone.


Good luck Honza, you'll be fine.....
Warm Salty Mouthwash helps.

[Honza]

Thank you sky.

One of the attributes of maya is that it takes great courage to face what goes on there. Maya is a challenge. We need our strength to face it.

[Miss Hepburn]

Honza, (or anyone), Do you think injuries and such reflect something deeper?
I do...every pain, injury I get I relate to something in me...like a block.
Maybe a trauma I'm repressing from childhood.
Believing this, then I can work on the unconscious reason it's manifesting on the physical.
If you don't that's ok. Just wondering.


Added: Duh, I see you said this already:One thing that I have noticed is that maya (whatever it is) obeys the spiritual energy within and around me.
What is scary at times is that the spiritual energy is quite negative at times.
I am slowly healing my positivity and the spiritual energy.
__________________

[Meerkat]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

It's a seemingly subtle but extremely deep dialect argumentation. Earlier in the year I got about half way through "The Seven Great Untenables" however it was above my pay grade. Way above! I was still acclimating to the basics of Advaita. I'll pick it up again in a year or so. LOL!

In short Advaita posits Brahman without attributes whereas Vishistadvaita posits Brahman with attributes. Advaita posits Brahman alone is the ultimate reality whereas Vishistadvaita posits three ultimate realities: God (Isvara), soul (Cit) and matter (acit).

Advaita contends that the real, Brahman, must be unsublatable, unchanging, and therefore it follows that the changing world must be unreal or illusory, an appearance born of ignorance.

Vishistadvaita contends the plurality of the world is "internal" to Brahman and that all change belongs only to the "body" (Cit & acit) of Brahman and not to Brahman Itself which is Its unchanging essence. It's a distinction between the form and the essence of Brahman.

To Advaita Maya is an appearance of Brahman born out of ignorance and to Vishistadvaita Maya is an attribute of Brahman.

At least that's my current understanding.

That's a useful analysis. I've been reading the Upanishads, and my impression is that you can find support for both positions.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Meerkat

That's a useful analysis. I've been reading the Upanishads, and my impression
is that you can find support for both positions.

Hey, welcome here!!