Maya
Hindu and Buddhist concept of the illusory nature of phenomenal reality. Maya literally means magic or illusion. The material world is not unreal but deceptive—we mistake appearances for ultimate reality. Maya results from ignorance (avidya) of our true nature. Overcoming maya through knowledge reveals Brahman. In Buddhism, similar concept of delusion obscures emptiness. Maya doesn't mean nothing exists, but that we misperceive existence. Liberation comes from seeing through illusion.
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