THE Doctrine of Maya - HolyBooks.com
THE Doctrine of Maya - HolyBooks.com
THE Doctrine of Maya - HolyBooks.com
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""""""""PREFACEix<strong>of</strong> the Theistic Idealism <strong>of</strong> Ramanuja. Theseobjections have never before been collected togetherand discussed in reference to the doctrine <strong>of</strong> <strong>Maya</strong><strong>of</strong> the work wasproper. The brevity in this partintended in order not to make the essay unnecessarily long. I had a mind, however, to appendanother chapter on the analogies <strong>of</strong> the Conception<strong>of</strong> <strong>Maya</strong> in European philosophy, especially in thesystems <strong>of</strong> Plato, Plotinus, Berkeley, Kant, andSchopenhauer. But in the present volume I haveleft it out, since it was felt that the present essayis in a way <strong>com</strong>plete in itself, and that the additionalpart, which would have taken a considerable lengthin itself, is not necessary for the purpose.I have given my own translation <strong>of</strong> passageswhich in my opinion have not been quite accuratelyrendered in the current translations. I have employed the words appearance and illusionrather indiscriminately in translating the word*maya," though I am conscious <strong>of</strong> the subtledifference in the two conceptions. The word illusionhas been most current in this connexion. Personally I would prefer the term appearance. Theworld, says the <strong>Maya</strong> theoryin its correct interpretation, is an appearance, not a mere illusion,since the latter as such is impossible. There aresome passages where the latter conception seems tobe held; e.g., maydmatram if rendered as amere illusion would implythis. But as I haveshown in some detail with reference to passages