04/25/2026
“The world is real, both when seen as the Self and when seen as separate. When seen as the Self, it is real; when seen as separate, it is unreal.”
- Sri Ramana Maharshi
SEEING THE REAL
The difference between illusion, delusion, maya, and the real lies in where Atman abides.
Reality is the unmanifest, nonconceptual Consciousness of Self. It is undifferentiated Being, beyond thought. The unlimited can never be understood by that which is limited, and so when Atman is identified with the vessel, it cannot conceptualise what is prior to all conceptualising.
When we speak God’s name, or the true Self’s name, I AM THAT I AM, we are speaking both of the eternal Self and of its expression, the living temple born in its image.
The first I AM is the eternal, infinite Self, still, silent, unchanging, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, the Alpha. This is Reality. When all else falls away, this remains as the final, unshakable state of Being. It is untouched by its effects. It is that which causes all effect while remaining untouched.
The second I AM is the I AM of expression, the temple not made with hands. In its pure state, it is the eternal Self living through a clear mind, the Christ mind, the Buddha mind, the unclouded intellect. This is the I AM of Atman as reflection, the living sense of being expressed through the conscious and subconscious field, through the five sheaths. This is the field of reflection, the Omega, within which illusion appears.
The field of becoming is not evil. It is the moving mirror of the unmoving. It is the play of form, the world of change, time, and experience. Though it arises from the eternal Source, it endures only as movement, not as stillness. It is forever in flux, endlessly becoming, never remaining the same. Illusion arises when this movement is mistaken for the Self.
When the Christ mind faces Brahman, the true Self, we live in heaven consciousness. When it turns toward the mind as an object, and forgets its source, it becomes the ego.
Delusion arises when Atman, also known as Christ, appears to fall from Grace through misidentification with the field of experiencing, accepting limitation where none exists. Forgetting its true nature, Atman appears to identify as the temple made flesh. Instead of being conscious of the mind as the eternal Self, it becomes conscious as the mind, and Spirit seems veiled.
When the Self appears veiled, Atman, the living reflection of Spirit, misidentifies with the mind. Thought then becomes necessary for orientation, and Presence is obscured. This is the root of misidentification with the vessel. This turns awareness from its present moment temple, where faith, intuition, claircognisance, and direct knowing naturally dwell. In this state we live by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil instead of the tree of life.
Illusion arises when Atman identifies with the vessel. Delusion is forgetting the source. Reality never moves. Maya is the appearance of separation within the field of reflection, until Atman turns inward again and recognises its own source.
Love Tracy