Maayaa: Not the animation software but the real thing(so to speak)

Continuing from previous post
Maya or Maayaa as I like to write is defined in Wikipedia as:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_(illusion)
Maya (Sanskrit māyā, from mā "not" and yā "this"), in Hinduism, is a term describing many things. Maya is the illusion that the phenomenal world of separate objects and people is the only reality. For the mystics this manifestation is real, but it is a fleeting reality; it is a mistake, although a natural one, to believe that maya represents a fundamental reality. Each person, each physical object, from the perspective of eternity is like a brief, disturbed drop of water from an unbounded ocean. The goal of enlightenment is to understand this—more precisely, to experience this: to see intuitively that the distinction between the self and the universe is a false dichotomy. The distinction between consciousness and physical matter, between mind and body, is the result of an unenlightened perspective.

That was wikipedia definition -am not in total agreement.
According to Nisargadutt Maharaj the phenomenal world (that which we experience as the outside world) is not an illusion but an integral part of ourself in that our sense of presence (that fact that we know we exist) and the phenomenal world can never be separated because it is one and the same - both are interlinked and both arise simultaneously.

This is the Samarasa that Gorakshnath spoke about in his definition of Truth.
What is Maayaa (or Maya) is the sense of differentiation between the phenomenal world and "I". This sense of differentiation arises because we take this "I” to be a person and the world to be the perceived.

Realization is the understanding of this belief to be a fallacy. The realization that this person is a product of the world in which "i" had and still have no role to play. The name was given to "i" by the world. It was told that it was born and it accepts this blatant lie and it is this acceptance which is Maayaa (or Maya).

Astrologically 1st house is this sense of presence and the 7th house is the doorway to the phenomenal world and we have seen above that both are same, we cannot separate the two. This I feel is the reason why the Arudha cannot fall in the 1st and 7th from it.
Also 7th is the house of your conception and your final destination at the end of this life.

TRUTH : Redefined

The Natha Siddha Gorakshanath defines the Ultimate Truth, the Supreme Reality and its understanding as:

"The Absolute Truth is the nameless, formless, and Subject-Objectless Perfect Unity of Existence and Experience, free from all contradictions and relativity, qualifications, limitations and negations. The Absolute Truth, by virtue of its infinite, eternal, dynamic aspect, eternally and freely manifests Itself in all kinds of names and forms, all orders of phenomenal existences and experiences, all sorts of dualities and negativities, and harmonizes and unifies them in the all comprehending calm and tranquility of Itself.”

Thus Gorakshanath expresses the Absolute as the Universe, the Macrocosm as one with the Microcosm, and the concept of Samarasa.

Samarasa — the perfect assimilation; Undifferentiated oneness in which the yogi sees himself as the world, and the world as being in himself. It is the real stage of unity and equipoise in which microcosm becomes one with macrocosm: it is true Moksha.

Astrologically Pournima tithi is said to be best for Satyanarayana (personification of truth) worship. Even here Sun and Moon are placed samasaptaka to each other.
What is it about 1st & 7th houses that Maya doesn’t affect them.
This brings us to the definition of Maya.

 

Satya- truth

May Ganesh clear our path of all obstacles.

May the Satguru be always seated on our crown.

Welcome and Namaskaar.

We spiritual aspirants should be very particular about using words when describing spiritual terminology. Simple words which are used by people  like - God, truth should not be used vaguely.
As they say words are the thing.
Paramhamsa Yogananda said that Ever new joy is God.
God is the ultimate and absolute Truth, ever auspicious and beautiful.
Dr. Paul Brunton in his book `Hidden teachings beyond yoga' gives the following definition of Truth.
"Truth is that which is beyond all contradictions, Free from all doubt; which is beyond the very
possibility of both.
Beyond the changes and alterations of time and vicissitude, Forever one and the same,
Unalterable and unaltering, Universal and therefore independent of all human ideation."

A beautiful way of expressing the inexpressable.

Related to the abve defination are two stories that have affected me deeply.
The first one I read when I was a kid. The story was from Chandamama (a popular monthly story magazine for children in India). It tells the anecdote of a teacher of a Gurukul, who one day called his students and asked for Gurudakshina.Which was unique in that he asked each pupil to bring to him a stolen article which they have to steal when no one was watching
-Next day all students except one brought a stolen article and deposited it at their Guru's feet. When the only student who was unable to offer the Guru Dakshina was asked and ridiculed why he could not offer even this simple Guru Dakshina he answered, "My apologies for not fulfilling my dharma and offering my Guru Dakshina to you Gurudeva,but try as much as I could, there was no place that was not watched by anyone. When no one else was there watching ,`I' was there to watch.

The Second story is from Ramesh S.Balsekar's book,"Explorations into the eternal" forays into the teachings of Nisargdutt Maharaj Pg.17.
It is a Sufi story-
A Banquet is being given in honour of the king; all assembled Guests are seated according to rank, and only one chair remains vacant awaiting the arrival of the king. At this point a ragged Sufi fakir walks in and sits in the chair reserved for the king. The chief minister is very upset, angrily approaches the fakir and the following dialogue takes place.
C.M-How dare you sit in that chair? Are you an important minister even senior to me?
Fakir-No, I am more than that.
C.M- Are you the king?
Fakir- No,I am more than that.
C.M-Are you the prophet?
Fakir- No,I am more than that.
C.M- Then are you God?
Fakir- No, I am more than that.
C.M-(Horrified)-How can you say that? more than God, there is nothing.
Fakir-Yes, and I am that nothing.