MAYA - The Metaverse

The wisdom of the Vedic ancients that reality is non-dual and the perceived universe is an illusion (māyā) is a very difficult concept for the mind to process because the mind functions exactly in the opposite way. Mind is dualistic and always creates a subject/object split in every perception and action. And it treats the perceived universe as a reality because it functions within its field of perception. This illusion has served us well so far in terms of evolution, scientific progress, technology etc. But now we have come to a point both in terms of culture and science where these assumptions are turning out be huge stumbling blocks and need to be transcended.

Those interested in physics know of Schrodinger’s wave equation that is a fundamental description of the quantum nature of the universe. What’s most interesting is that this fundamental equation has what’s known as the imaginary number (√-1) baked into it. There is no real square root of -1, it is an abstraction. And it turns out the universe can only be described using this imaginary abstraction and therefore, it is itself a “Giant Abstraction!” Also, it turns out that the wave function that describes the universe ‘collapses’ into what we perceive as particles and objects only when there is measurement. This is known as the quantum measurement problem —which is an unsolved mystery in physics even today.

It is no coincidence that the word māyā literally means measurement in addition to illusion. It is measurement that seems to manifest what we perceive as the universe of space and time and objects. And still, there is great resistance to this idea in our mind because it is so fundamentally against our intuition. The resistance is so great that even the greatest of physicists like Einstein reportedly wondered “Do you really think the moon doesn’t exist when nobody looks at it?”. Or even with many spiritual teachers who ascribe fundamental reality to chronological time, nature, causality etc.

The rishis of the Sanatana Dharma had declared thousands of years ago, that the mind can grasp any particular thing only by relating it to Space, Time and Causality – “Desha, Kaala and Nimitta”. This means that we can relate to any object only by asserting the place it occupies, the time in which it exists and the causal relationship we have with it. Of course this is all done in a split second so we are hardly aware of it.   

However, the time seems to have come when the collective human consciousness is slowly opening up to the possibility that truth is fundamentally beyond space, time and all perceived mental constructs. And this awakening is happening with great logical formalism and rigor in the scientific community. It is not surprising that it is so because true science (as opposed to most pseudo-sciences that pass off as research) is about critical thinking without any bias and being open to where the inquiry leads.

The seeds of this inquiry may have been laid by the discovery of quantum physics. Max Planck who is considered the father of quantum physics said, “As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear -headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent spirit. This spirit is the matrix of all matter.”

This is exactly what “Advaita” says – that Reality is non-dual. The world of duality that we see is totally a concept of the mind!!  This is what they meant by saying that the world is “Maya” or a creation of the mind. Reality is pure existence, consciousness and bliss”. We will experience that Reality only by transcending the mind!!!

In the Upanishads this same question is answered by the rishi to the seeker. He asks the student to bring him the seed of a Peepul tree which is as small as a mustard seed. He then asks him to break it and see what is inside. The student shows some small particles of matter. He then asks the student to sow those particles and see if a tree can sprout from it. Of course the answer is in the negative. Then the master says, “Just as this huge, peepul tree has sprouted from the “space” inside the seed, so also this whole universe has come out of that Brahman, which is beyond space, time and causality. That Brahman is pure existence and pure consciousness.”

Now, many wonder what it means to say space, time and causality are only illusions created by the mind. It  goes totally against our experience of living. Obviously there is the inexorable march of time every moment. There is a vast space filled with forests, mountains and oceans covering a vast portion of this planet. If we jump out of a high rise building, it will cause death or severe injury. So what does it even mean to say that time, nature and causality are mere illusions?

The problem is one’s frame of reference. The one who perceives time, nature and causality is within the same frame of reference as these perceptions. And the perceiver and the perceptions are both valid within that frame. The perceiver cannot violate the laws of physics in dealing with the perceived — whether it be time, space or causality. They are all equally true BUT only within THAT frame of reference. They are totally false when we step out of that frame of reference.

This can be best understood by the analogy of VR (Virtual Reality) games and metaverses. When we step into a VR metaverse by wearing a headset, we assume the personality of a certain avatar within the metaverse. That avatar is firmly established within the linear time, space and environment of that metaverse. The avatar cannot afford to ignore any of the laws of that metaverse. If he does, he will simply not survive there. However once we remove the headset and step outside the metaverse, everything experienced within the metaverse — its narrative of time, space, environment, cause and effect as defined by the maker of the metaverse — are all seen clearly as valid only as long as we are wearing the headset. Once the VR headset is removed, none of them exist. We are back to the so called ‘real’ world and experience a different narrative of time, space, environment, laws of physics etc that correspond to this world.

What some of the latest research in  evolutionary biology point to,  is that this ‘real’ world of space and time is simply another metaverse and the VR headset for this metaverse is the mind. And the one wearing the headset is pure consciousness that is free of all content. This is exactly the insight of non-duality (advaita) in Hinduism. Hence that the rishis gave us various techniques of yoga by which we can transcend the mind and experience Reality!! Meditation is the process of dissociating from the headset called the mind. To remove the headset is to be still -free of thoughts and images. It’s important to note that this is exactly what we do during deep, dreamless sleep. We switch off the headset of the mind and become free of any sense of space, time or body. In fact we take complete rest. Without such restful sleep, we simply cannot even function effectively through the day. Of course this is done in an automatic and helpless way. If we can consciously do the same — switch off the headset of the mind when it’s not necessary — then we are free of all the mental chatter, anxieties, worries and concerns. We can then wear the headset to employ thinking in a very precise manner when necessary such as to solve technological problems, to communicate clearly, to go about the transactional needs of this metaverse called the world. And when it starts dragging us into unhelpful chatter, speculation, comparison and all the other activities which are the tricks of the metaverse to keep us addicted to the game, we are able to switch off the headset instantly and simply rest in our Being.

Our Puranas have been telling us the same thing through the method of stories and allegories! The Shiva Purana says that Shiva has three eyes. With his two normal eyes, he is able to see the world as we see it – filled with dualities and confined to the space, time, causality, frame. But when he opens his third eye in, the middle of his forehead, this world vanishes and all that remains is that ocean of “pure Existence, consciousness and bliss” that is the Brahman!

This is what is achieved in deep meditation or “samadhi” when we take off the head-set of the mind and become one with that Reality which is beyond Space, Time and Causality!

Hari Aum Tat Sat