maya

The dazzle of illusion, even when we see through it; the ways in which we entangle ourselves, the ways in which we work free-How do we get to change?When all is said and done, it seems a matter of grace.

Like the appearance of silver in mother of pearl, the world seems real until the Self, the underlying reality, is realized.

If Brahman an infinite ocean, then Atma a wave within be,Ocean not different from its waves, the waves as ocean be;They are but one and the same very similar in actuality,So Brahman and Atma are one and the same in reality.960

BASIC LIFE ATTRIBUTESFour purusharthas or goals of the life be,So very crystal clear in life undisputedly;1Artha getting useful wealth and prosperity,Finding the meaning for living herein truly;2Kama fulfilling desires, acting repeatedly,It the physical, material desire fulfillment be;14Dharma _ the foundation of all human goals be,Refers to obligations, conduct, moral duties;25Moksha _ the liberation from the web of maya be,Freedom from the cycles of birth and death clearly;33As all the rivers must lead to the sea eventually,All spiritual paths leading to the same goal finally;43And all of the variety of life are created certainly,By combination of the three Gunas undisputedly.44

The sacred stillness of your brilliant hearthas as the myriad wonders masqueraded.But if you knew this secret from the start,then you'd have quit this Game before you played it.

The lucid dream, located as it is at a crossroads between worlds and states of consciousness, places the magician in a unique position to influence the delicate balance of consciousness and the interplay it has on matter in the waking state, and is thus an opportunity to test one__ ability in the art of adjusting the mutable fabric of Maya.

The core practice of magic is: The execution of a willed intent to create change in the material world, which either defies, hastens or purifies the consequences of natural cause and effect.

Every being experiences themselves as the center of their experience. Consciousness is what lies at our very core, and connects us all to each other. We may appear to be separate and individual because of the various forms our Consciousness inhabits, but below the surface the substance of our being is one and the same.

We fail to see the oneness of all things, and because of this, we unknowingly cause a lot of harm to ourselves. We pollute the Earth that we live on, cut down the trees that produce our oxygen, destroy the ecosystems of nature and the animals that maintain them, and we mistreat and harm each other, thinking that these destructive actions will not have a direct effect on us.

We are so fascinated by the complexity and beauty of the various forms in nature, that we have been led away from the formless dimension of Consciousness that lies at our very center. When you look at a person, you see many differences in their unique form, and often we compare, contrast, and judge one another because of the forms that we inhabit. But if you look beyond the various qualities and characteristics of form, and look another person in the eyes, you see a Being, and it is this Being that lies beneath the surface of form that connects us all. That is why the eyes are often referred to as the gateway to the soul, because they allow us to see and feel the presence of another Being, and realize our oneness.

Buddhist philosophy points out that the true nature of all forms is essentially formless. Forms do not have an existence of their own, but rather they arise together, and are mutually dependent on one another. Everything in the world of form is constantly changing, constantly dying, and constantly being reborn__hich is why Buddhists say that there is no-self; no form that has an existence in and of itself.

You are just as connected to the Universe as a finger is to a hand, or as a branch is to a tree. The entire cosmos is expressing itself through your being.

You do not have an existence independent of your environment, but rather you are your environment, and your environment is you.

Your true being, as Consciousness, is ever at peace, ever at rest, eternally existing in the dimension of here and now. It is the formless and eternal quality within you that expresses itself through the world of form.

If your consciousness is without form, without quality, and without characteristics of any kind, would that not imply that the consciousness in every other being is also formless? And if they are all without form, how can you distinguish their consciousness from your own? What forms would you use to compare them? Isn__ the observing you exactly the same as the observing them?

When we look at a tree, we do not see the tree for what it really is. We see how it appears to us on the surface, and we dismiss it as being just another form in the Universe. We fail to realize that the tree is connected to the Universe on every level; that all of nature is expressing itself through that single form. There can be no tree without the earth that it grows from, the sun that gives it energy, the water that nourishes its growth, and the millions of fungi and bacteria fertilizing its soil. Looking deeply into anything in nature, we realize that it is connected to the whole. We see that nature is one seamless web, and the notion that things have an existence of their own is merely an illusion.

The consciousness inhabiting your body is exactly the same as the consciousness inhabiting my body. We are one. The delusion that we are separate beings comes from identifying with the world of form__ith our names, our bodies, our roles, our beliefs, our thoughts, and all of the mental constructs that we have created; but even these are more connected to the universe than we realize.

Your body and my body are both totally made up of and dependent upon the elements of the earth__he water, the air, the heat, the land, the soil and the food it produces__s well as all of the elements that these elements are dependent upon__he sun, the stars, the galaxies, and a vast field of energy and space to contain them in. Nature is our extended body, and the elements outside of our skin are just as important to our health as the elements within our skin. Our bodies are connected to the universe as a whole, and consequently to each other and the many ways in which we influence our shared environment.