Mata Amritanandamayi or Amma as she is popularly known has a very original way of explaining the nature of maya or cosmic illusion. She was once asked to define maya and she replied by saying: The mind is maya. The inability of the mind to conceive the world as impermanent and changing is known as maya."
Is the objective world also then part of the illusion? According to Amma the answer is in the affirmative because the objective worlds too are a projection of the mind. She further added that anything that prevents us from grasping this reality is maya.
A Sadguru is absolutely essential for a seeker wishing to escape the clutches of maya. It is only a Sadguru who can perform that task.
By helping the seeker discriminate between the real and the unreal, by creating the fire of self enquiry or instilling the love for God, the Sadguru keeps the flames of wisdom and devotion ablaze and protects them from the stormy nights and the heavy downpour of needless temptations.
Such a Sadguru will zealously guard the disciple like a hen protecting the chickens under her wing.
Sri Ramana Maharishi once said that just like a tiger will hold her cub by her teeth, the Master will never let go of the disciple.
It is through a gradual process that the disciple begins to appropriate the qualities of faith and surrender which eventually culminates in self-revelation.
This is nothing less than a process of total transcendence. What is transcended is the ego. Amma beautifully explains: "All explanations eventually lead you to the realization that all explanations are meaningless. In the end you will realize that nothing else existed but the Atman and there was actually no process."
"Transcendence," says Amma, occurs only when we attain enough maturity and understanding. These come through spiritual practice and by facing different experiences in life with a positive attitude and a certain degree of openness.
If you become a little more watchful, you will understand that this dropping and going beyond smaller things, petty desires and attachments are a common experience in our daily life.”
Amma uses the example of a child who begins by being much attached to stuffed toys. Gradually, the child begins to discard them in favour of something else because he has outgrown his liking for stuffed toys in favor of a tricycle. He even reaches a stage where he has forgotten that he was once a child. Such is the nature of transcendence. A seeker needs to transcend everything until he clings to only the Supreme.