Advaita Vedanta: The Illusion of Illusion in Hinduism

In the realm of Advaita Vedanta, everything we perceive through the filters of ego is an illusion. This includes all thoughts, concepts, feelings, and sensations. They are seen as inseparable from the mirror of our relative reality, impermanent and not to be taken as real. The Upanishads, the bedrock of Hindu philosophy, do not use the term 'illusion' as employed by Sri Sankara. Instead, they refer to creation as the manifestation of Brahman.

The Word 'Illusion'

While Sri Sankara used the term 'mithya'—analogous to a mirage—to describe the nature of our perception, the Upanishads prefer to refer to creation as 'maya.' Maya does not mean illusion in the sense of delusion, but rather as something that is finite and has a beginning and an end. Mayavada (the philosophy of maya) suggests that these aspects of relative reality are not eternal and thus cannot be true in the absolute sense.

To Illustrate

Consider the verses from Gaudapada and Shankara's commentary to understand the profound implications of maya and illusion:

1. Mandukya Karika (MK 2.31)

Just as dream magic or a city in the sky are seen to be unreal, so also do the wise know this whole universe to be unreal from the teachings of Vedanta.

2. Shankara's Commentary

Dream and magic, though unreal, are considered by non-discriminating people to be real. Again, just as a city in the sky—which appears to be full of shops, houses, palaces, and villages filled with men and women—is seen to vanish suddenly before our very eyes, or just as dream and magic are seen to be unreal, similarly, this whole universe this entire duality is viewed as transient and ultimately unreal.

3. Upanishads Verses

“There is no difference whatsoever in It” (BU 4.4.19) “The Lord on account of maya is seen as manifold” (BU 2.5.19) “In the beginning this was the self, the only entity” (BU 1.4.17) “In the beginning this was indeed Brahman, one only” (BU 1.4.11) “It is from a second entity that fear comes” (BU 1.4.2) “But there is not that second thing” (BU 4.3.23) “But when to the knower of Brahman everything has become the self…” (BU 4.5.15)

Non-Existent in Reality

Shankara's commentary also emphasizes that processes such as origination, dissolution, bondage, striving, and liberation are matters of ignorance and do not exist in the realm of truth. This includes religious practices like prayer, puja, or meditation, all of which are seen as ephemeral manifestations of the absolute reality.

Oral Commentary by Shankara

“This verse is meant to sum up the purport of this chapter. If from the standpoint of the highest reality all duality is unreal and the self alone exists as the only reality, then all dealings, conventional, or scriptural are surely matters of ignorance…” “Origination or dissolution can belong only to a thing that has existence and not to one that is non-existent like the horns of a rabbit. Nor can the non-dual have either birth or death. For it is a contradiction in terms to say that a thing is non-dual and yet has birth and death. And as for the empirical experience of prana and other things such as the body, it has already been stated that it is a superimposition on the self like a snake on a rope. Indeed such a mental illusion as the fancying of a rope for a snake does not either originate from or merge in the rope. Nor does the rope snake originate in the mind and merge there, nor does it do so from both the rope and the mind because the snake never actually comes into being. Similar is the case with duality, which is equally a mental illusion for duality is not perceived in a state of concentration or deep sleep. Therefore, it is established that duality is a mere figment of the mind. And therefore, it has been well said that since duality does not exist, the highest truth consists in the non-existence of dissolution and the rest.”

Conclusion

From the highest standpoint of truth, Hinduism and everything else are seen as unreal appearances of Brahman, which is Reality itself. This understanding holds that the conventional and empirical realities we experience—be they religious or secular—are but reflections of the ultimate reality and not its true essence.

By understanding the nature of maya and illusion, we can move closer to the true essence of existence, beyond the transient and impermanent nature of our relative reality.