Common misconception

Maya does not mean the world is flatly unreal; it means the world is not what it appears to be on its own.

The question it leaves you holding

If a rope is mistaken for a snake in dim light, was the fear unreal — or only the snake?

Schools that center this concept

• Advaita Vedanta — Shankara's non-dualism: only Brahman is real; the individual self is that one Self, mistaking itself as many.

Debates this concept decides

• Is the World Real, or Maya? — Is the world solid reality, a passing appearance of Brahman, or a real creation you must take fully seriously? Schools split.
• A God With Form, or the Formless Absolute? — Do you worship a personal Lord with qualities, or realize a reality beyond all attributes — and is one higher than the other?

Related concepts

• Brahman — veils
• Samsara — spins out

Questions to explore

• Does calling the world maya make it worthless, or just dependent?
• How does Advaita answer the charge that maya explains nothing?