The Hindu Doctrine of Maya … Uh!?

In Hinduism there is taught the doctrine of ‘maya’ or “illusion”. 'Maya' means 'that which is not'.

Many Hindus do not see the world as you and I do. To them all that exists is the ultimate reality – Brahman.

Matter does not exist at all which means that the Hare Krishna’s brightly painted bus does not really exist either.

The world that we see, hear, touch, taste, feel and smell does not actually exist. It appears to exist but is really an illusion, ‘maya’.

So what has this to do with Christian faith? Good question... read on!

What is ‘reality’?

What is actually ‘real' and what appears to be ‘real’?

There are some very long roads in Australia spanning areas of vast flat areas. They can also get very hot and the travellers on these roads can see what appears to be vast areas of lakes … but they are not lakes. There are no lakes, no water; only sand and gravel – that is ‘reality’.

How do we know what is ‘real’? What actually exists as opposed to that which does not exist?

The Hindu doctrine of ‘maya’ is believed by many because of how they perceive the spiritual … and they are wrong, dangerously wrong.

Let me explain ... don't throw stones just yet!

The Bible begins with these words … "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1.1)

This statement is deeply profound and is a looking glass by which we can get a handle on ‘reality’.

How?

The late Dr. Henry Morris who was the Director of the Institute for Creation Research once stated that this one verse refutes all of man’s false philosophies concerning the origin and meaning of the world.

1. It refutes ATHEISM (that there is no God) because the Universe is created by God.

2. It refutes POLYTHEISM (that there are many gods), for ONE God created all things.

3. It refutes PANTHEISM (“everything” is God, that the universe and all of the material world is the same thing as God), for God is transcendent / beyond to that which He has created.

4. It refutes MATERIALISM (matter is all there is), for matter had a beginning.

5. It refutes DUALISM (the belief in the existence of good and evil as separate entities; 2 absolute powers/principles) because God was ALONE when He created.

6. It refutes HUMANISM (man is in control of his own destiny apart from any reference to god), because God, not man, is the ultimate reality and Authority.

7. It refutes EVOLUTIONISM (via natural selection), because God created ALL things.

When we turn to the New Testament we read this verse from the apostle John which he intentionally modelled on Genesis 1:1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1.1)

The ‘Word’ he will later inform us is Jesus the Christ (Messiah).

The God (Elohim – plural) of Genesis 1.1 is the ‘Word’ of John’s Gospel who literally came to Earth and dwelt (literally ‘tabernacled’) with humanity.

The Creator became a creature – and His name was Jesus.

How does this relate to ‘reality’?

Well, consider the words of the late Francis Schaeffer.

Schaeffer was a Christian who was deeply interested in philosophy, and world religions, and he encountered the doctrine of MAYA in hundreds and hundreds of young people who were travelling Asia and Europe in his day – in search of truth and meaning.

In Switzerland, Schaeffer, his wife Edith and his team pointed these young, searching people to the God of truth by pointing them to the Bible.

Sadly, many of these young people had been let down by the churches they belonged to by not teaching the Bible.

In the 1950’s he wrote the following letter to a friend:

“I wish I could put into words what I have increasingly felt in the past few years. I believe that when the Bible says that God is a God of truth, it is saying something far deeper than we usually realise. It is saying that God is truth in the sense that He is the God of REALITY – that there is only ONE God and only ONE reality.

And if one does not know this God and the reality which flows from understanding Him (including the world as he made it and as it is now through sin), then one has NO God and lives in a universe that does not really exist and therefore is untrue in the deep sense of not being real.”

This is a powerful insight that Schaeffer gives to us … because he is correct.

One cannot have an adequate grasp of reality without an adequate view of God.

To be found wanting here is to walk a path in this life that is illusory – and ultimately meaningless.

So, to teach others about 'reality'; one must teach about the true God - the Personal God of the Bible.

Now you can throw stones!

To give a sad example:

Richard Dawkins (high priest of the Church of Darwin and evangelist of atheists) roams this world with passion in an effort to impose a philosophy of atheistic ‘maya’ – illusion.

He proposes a worldview that not just excludes the Personal Creator of all that is but often with vitriol and hate towards the God Who made him (Richard) with all of his talents and abilities.

Dawkins is a preacher of ‘maya’ because he has an inadequate view of God (some may say he doesn’t have a view of God but his books betray this; he hates God with a passion).

Richard is a sad example because he is really no different that the holy sadhus of India who also are preachers of ‘maya’ – illusion.

One day, God will show Richard Dawkins the difference between reality and ‘maya’ (should Dawkins continue with his worship of Natural Selection).

But what is true of Dawkins and gurus is also true of all of us – me included.

Whilst I reject the Hindu doctrine of ‘maya’ there has always been an essence of it which I think is actually true.

If I (I’m getting personal here now) should reject anything at all that is true – I will believe a lie – and the "truth" of a lie is an illusion.

What is ‘true’ must be connected to Truth … or it will be a lie, false, not real … illusion.

And, folks, this is where I am finally leading: Truth is a Man - the Word - God incarnate - Jesus Christ. Connectedness with Him is to see 'reality'.

Listen to what He says about Himself. The context is that His disciples are grieving with the news that Jesus will soon depart from them. His love consoles their pain with REALITY:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:1- 7 (ESV)
 

Stephen Cracknell

There are 2 sermons based on this theme called IN THE BEGINNING. Please download them for free.

REFERENCE: Letters of Francis A. Schaeffer (CROSSWAY BOOKS)