--- In [email protected], "Richard J. Williams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > John wrote: > > As an extension of Chopra's analogy, we can say > > that if one has not reached cosmic consciousness, > > then the phenomenal world is an illusion or Maya > > due to the effects of the gunas. > > > The point I was trying to make, John, is that if > Purusha, the Transcendental Person, is part and > parcel of the relative world of prakriti and subject > to the three gunas, then, according to Shankara, > the highest God, Creator Brahm, is just an illusion > - a result of Maya, thus not real.
Brahm is Brahman's reflection in Prakriti, as such He/She is limited in time and space. A blue crystal ball will refect the yellow light of the sun IN the crystal, as blue...once the crystal ball (prakriti) disolves the 'blue' light returns to its source/color of the sun or Brahman/unmanifest). Reality consists of; Illusion/Prakriti the Mother Divine OM vibration, the TAT/Brahm or son of the, Father/Brahman SAT. OM TAT SAT. Life is BOTH Relative AND Absolute that is the reality. So in essence you are right but to dismiss all manifestations of Brahman as illusions is better left to Prakriti perhaps, they're all real, but limited to time and space. snip> It is very difficult to relate on a > personal level to a non-person and at the same time > call that person God, who is obviously a Person, > by definition, according to the Upanishads. God is both personal and impersonal according to MMY.
