The Book: On The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are / quote 7 of 101
The world as lila, meaningless play
in the Vedanta the whole world is seen as the lila and the maya of the Self, the first word meaning “play” and the second having the complex sense of illusion (from the Latin ludere, to play) magic, creative power, art, and measuring—as when one dances or draws a design to a certain measure. From this point of view the universe in general and playing in particular are, in a special sense, “meaningless": that is, they do not—like words and symbols—signify or point to something beyond themselves, just as a Mozart sonata conveys no moral or social message and does not try to suggest the natural sounds of wind, thunder, or bird-song. When I make the sound “water,” you know what I mean. But what does this whole situation mean—I making the sound and your understanding it? What is the meaning of a pelican, a sunflower, a sea urchin, a mottled stone, or a galaxy? Or of a + b = b + a? They are all patterns, dancing patterns of light and sound, water and fire, rhythm and vibration, electricity and spacetime,