Introduction

The discussion is about what is maya. Maya, in a very simple sense, is where interpretation comes in, where perception is added. The moment perception comes, maya appears, and at the same time meditation disappears. That is the only point.

I am speaking only at physical levels. This is not about inner engineering, not about intellectual explanations, not about psyche analysis. This is a casual discussion, but it is a very important discussion, because it is directly connected to daily life and behavior. Whatever is happening inside, in the parallel world of mind or psyche or intellect, I am not touching it at all.

Life at Physical Levels Is Simple

At physical levels, life is very simple. Natural things are happening. Breathing is happening. Digestion is happening. Heart is beating. Hunger comes. Thirst comes. Sleep comes. These things are not done by us. They are happening.

There is no identity involved in these natural happenings. Nobody says, today I breathed well, or today I digested properly, or today my heart worked perfectly. Why? Because these are natural processes. Identity is not needed. Identity does not arise.

Natural Processes Are Already Meditative

Whatever is happening naturally, without our effort and without our interpretation, is already meditative. It is experiential, not expressive. The moment we start expressing it, labeling it, interpreting it, giving meaning to it, then meditation is lost and maya appears.

Example: Thirst and Drinking Water

For example, when you are very thirsty and you drink water, what happens? There is complete synchronization. There is no name, no form, no recognition, no registration. It is formless, nameless, effortless. That fulfillment itself is meditation. It is not recorded anywhere. No identity is formed.

Example: Hunger and Eating

The same applies to hunger. Hunger comes naturally. Food is taken. Hunger goes. Nobody carries the impression that I fulfilled my hunger today. It just happened. But when mind repeatedly involves itself and creates patterns, impressions are formed. Those impressions become habits. Those habits become behavioral momentum. Slowly, life which was originally happening naturally starts getting interfered with. The problem is not hunger, thirst, sleep, or activity. The problem starts only when interpretation enters.

Where the Problem Actually Begins

At the physical level, nothing is wrong. Body knows when to eat, when to drink, when to sleep, when to wake up. It is very intelligent. But the moment perception is added — this food is good, this food is bad, I enjoyed, I did not enjoy, I want this again, I don’t want that — then something extra is added which was not required.

That extra is maya.

How Interpretation Disturbs Natural Flow

Earlier, hunger came and went. Now hunger comes with expectation. Thirst comes with preference. Sleep comes with resistance. Activity comes with identity. The natural flow is disturbed, not because the body failed, but because interpretation entered.

Impressions and Accumulated Perception

When there is no interpretation, experience remains complete in itself. It does not leave a residue. It does not demand repetition. It does not ask for memory. That is why natural processes do not create identity. They happen and dissolve.

But when the mind starts recording, registering, labeling — I liked, I disliked, this was good, this was bad — then impressions are stored. Those stored impressions start guiding future behavior. Slowly, life is no longer happening freshly. It is happening through accumulated perception.

That accumulated perception is what we are calling maya here. Nothing mystical. Nothing abstract. Very practical.

Meditation at Physical Level

Meditation, at the physical level, is simply life happening without interference. No labeling, no commentary, no ownership. Just happening.

The moment commentary starts, meditation disappears. At the same moment, maya appears. They cannot coexist.

Final Observation

This is not about sitting with eyes closed. This is not about controlling thoughts. This is about seeing how unnecessary interpretation is constantly added to very simple living processes.

Remove interpretation, and life is already meditative. Add interpretation, and even simple acts become burdensome.

That is the entire point.