Maya: The feel of certainty

Once there was a powerful King X. The King Y of the neighboring kingdom wanted to conquer King X’s kingdom. He knows that King X is too powerful to wage war against him. The King Y was struggling about how to plan an invasion. Meanwhile an astrologer visited the King X. He told that his predictions can change the fate of King X and expand his kingdom. King X wanted to give a try and he asked the astrologer to stay in the palace. One day the astrologer predicted that 3 thieves would be attempting a theft in the royal treasury to night. The soldiers protecting the treasury were alerted. As told by the astrologer the thieves came and were caught. The King was surprised. Few days later the astrologer predicted that there would be attack on the eastern border of the kingdom by King Y’s army. The border security was beefed up and the attempt was effectively curbed by King X. The King X felt very happy with the astrologer. The astrologer told that an assassin was sent by King Y. His plan was to assassinate the King X and was hiding in the nearby town. He gave the exact location of the assassin. The assassin was caught and it was confirmed that he was sent by King Y. The King X was extremely pleased and started giving importance to the astrologer. The astrologer predicted that King X can get the control back on the disputed border land presently in the control of King Y if he sends his troops to attack at a particular time. The King X told “Our attempts to capture that land were failure from the time of our forefathers. If your prediction fails, I may lose many of my men and you may lose your head.” The astrologer reassured the King X with confidence. The King X’s troops attacked the place. Many of the King Y’s soldiers were killed and the King X got the control over the disputed land. The king X was in ecstasy. He developed enormous confidence on the astrologer. King X appointed the astrologer as his chief adviser.

Here the King X developed “feel of certainty” about the astrologer. This "feel of certainty" is supported by reasons (experiences the king had with the astrologer). The “feel of certainty” can be equated to the lens. Just like the spectacle frame holds the lens the reasons hold the "feel of certainty". The mind perceives the world through this feel of certainty. Unlike the eye spectacles, the frame (reasons) of mind spectacles strongly influences the lens (nature of feel).

One day the astrologer said to the King X, “The Goddess of wealth is about to enter our Kingdom at midnight. I want you to open the fort to invite her. I want your servants holding flowers to welcome her not the armed personnel. The King X was about to open the gates suddenly the minister who got the information about the plot from his sources stopped the King. the King X was shocked to know that King Y’s army is on the other side. The King X later came to know that the astrologer was planted by the King Y.  Sending the thieves, attempting the infiltration, sending the assassin, and ceding the border land were the part of King Y’s strategy to make the King X develop confidence in the astrologer so that the fort doors be kept open at the time of attack. The astrologer was decapitated.

What we feel certain may not be certain:

A colored lens only allows the selected colors pass through it. In the same way the "feel of certainty" of the king X (similar to lens) deleted few details (potential threat of opening the gate) and also distorted few details (opening of the gate is perceived as the sign of welcome to goddess than the threat from the opponent). When the feel becomes dominant the truth is distorted or a part of it is deleted. We can call this phenomenon as "override”. The feel overrides the perception of the truth and makes our perception selective and incomplete. The King X saw not what he is supposed to see by what he wished to see or what he is conditioned to see. 

 Reward may be a bait in disguise:

The feel of the King X is supported by a series of reasons (correct predictions by astrologer). The belief of the King X became stronger with 1).  increased number of reasons to believe, 2)benefits he received, 3) consistent repitition of correct predictions. These predictions were felt as rewards initially but once he got realized, they considered him as the baits. The purpose of the bait is to make us see for what they are designated for (in the disguise of reward). The nature is like King Y. Nature sends its baits wealth, relationships, success and position (these agents are like astrologer in the story). A person starts seeing the life through the feel of happiness offered by them. When the reward leaves the "feel of high" starts waning off and the person searches for another bait to keep him in high. In foraging for the reward, a person tends to delete, distort the experience of life.

 Our consciousness about the phenomenon of death is the guiding principle of life:

A wave in an ocean not only lifts up the boat it also drifts the boat. “Feel or emotion” is similar to the wave which not only lifts our feel but also drifts away our course of life. To reach the destination the boat has to keep the track of the light house. In the same way irrespective of how exciting and exuberant we feel we always have to be conscious of our inevitable death. This consciousness of our perishable nature is like a light house. This consciousness about the death won't let us lose our direction in any high or low feel. This consciousness prevents the override of the "feel or emotion" over the perception of truth.

The Maya:

In yogic philosophy this apparent "feel of certainty" is called Maya. The King's limited knowledge about the astrologer made his reasoning erroneous. A single correct information from the minister made whole of the feel vanish. The problem with Maya is that most of the people mistake it as a truth (not just a feel). Maya is like a delusion in interpretation. Our beliefs about certain things in childhood change in adolescence they further change in old age. Our experiences change always and so does the beliefs and feel of certainty. Every individual has ever changing truth about himself and the world till he dies.    Deep meditation involves conscious death of the identity, emotion and reasoning. The reasoning is the frame in which "feel of certainty - Maya" is suspended. Shedding of the frame of reasoning and "feel of certainty" facilitates our attention to escape the trap of "virtual reality".