Understanding Maya is the heart of this warm and insightful episode of the Ancient Wisdom Thoughts Podcast. Abhinabha from the Netherlands and Vajin from New Zealand, both students of Sri Chinmoy, sit down for a relaxed yet profound conversation that makes one of the deepest ideas in Indian philosophy feel close and alive.
What Maya Actually Is
Most people hear “Maya = illusion” and think it means the world is fake. The truth is more beautiful. Maya is the creative power of the Divine that projects the One into the many. It is the cosmic artist who paints the entire universe and then makes us believe we are only the tiny figures inside the painting. Without Maya, there would be no creation, no play, no adventure of the soul.
The Matrix – A Modern Key to Understanding Maya
Few metaphors work as perfectly as the 1999 film ‘The Matrix’. When Neo takes the red pill and wakes up in the real world, he experiences exactly what the ancient sages described: the sudden revelation that everyday reality is a dream superimposed on something far vaster. Abhinabha and Vajin laugh about how often runners and meditators have their own “red-pill moments” – a sudden glimpse of oneness that changes everything afterwards.
Maya in Sri Chinmoy’s Teachings
Sri Chinmoy never asked his students to reject the world. Instead, he taught that Maya is a temporary classroom. Life is real, feelings are real, joy and sorrow are real – they are simply seen through a limited lens. Through regular meditation, singing soulful songs, running long distances, or offering selfless service, we gradually polish that lens until the light of the soul shines through clearly. The goal is not escape, but transformation.
Sri Aurobindo’s Revolutionary View
The conversation then turns to Sri Aurobindo, who offered a gentle correction to the classical “world is illusion” idea of Shankara. For Sri Aurobindo, Matter itself is Brahman – the Divine in disguise. Maya is not something evil to be destroyed; it is consciousness that has forgotten its own divinity. The spiritual journey, therefore, is evolutionary: we bring more and more light down into the body, the emotions, even the cells, until earth becomes a place where the Divine can live openly.
Personal Experiences That Make Maya Real
Both hosts share stories that every listener can recognise. Vajin describes moments during an ultra-marathon when the sense of a separate “I” simply dissolved and only vast peace remained. Abhinabha recalls sitting in meditation and suddenly feeling the room, the city, the planet as one living being. These are not rare mystical events – they are natural glimpses once Maya’s grip loosens even a little.
Why Understanding Maya Matters Right Now
In an age of endless distraction, endless comparison, and endless fear, understanding Maya becomes practical medicine. Every time we choose gratitude over complaint, presence over worry, or kindness over judgment, we weaken the illusion of separation. Little by little, the veil lifts, and life feels lighter, brighter, more meaningful.
The episode closes on a hopeful note: Maya is not our enemy. She is the Divine Mother playing hide-and-seek with Her children. When we finally “find” Her with love and surrender, the game does not end – it becomes infinitely more joyful because now we play consciously.
Whether you are completely new to Eastern philosophy or have been meditating for decades, this heartfelt conversation will leave you with fresh inspiration and a quiet smile of recognition.
Explore More
For more information about events, visit the official website: www.srichinmoycentre.org.
To learn more about Sri Chinmoy, please visit: www.srichinmoy.org.
Sri Chinmoy (1931–2007)
