 40. Devil |
(Satan Personified)
"Maya" is the magical power of illusion that underlies the phenomenal worlds. Western science has already discovered that a "magic" of unreality pervades atomic "matter." However, it is not only nature, but man also (in his mortal aspect) who is subject to "Maya:" The principle of relativity, contrast, reality, inversion, oppositional sates. It should not be imagined that the truth about "Maya" was understood only by the "Rishis" (saints).
The Old Testament prophets called "Maya" by the name of "Satan" (lit...in Hebrew, "The Adversary.") The Greek testament, as an equivalent for "Satan" uses diabolize or Devil, "Satan" or "Maya" is the cosmic magician who produces multiplicity of forms to hide the "one formless verity." In God's plan and play (Lila), the sole function of "Satan" or "Maya" is to attempt to divert man from spirit to matter, from "reality" (truth, at-one-ment, etc.) to unreality.
Christ describes "Maya" picturesquely as a Devil, a murdered, and a liar. "The Devil...was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth. Because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lie. He speaketh of his own: for his is a liar, and the Father of it."
-John 8-44
Jesus was the first to "personify" the universal consciousness as the "Father."
Jesus was also the first to "personify" "creation" as the Devil or Satan, i.e., that which tempts the "Holy Spirit" in man and as man to be drawn outward and ultimately get involved or lost in the created realm as opposed to the uncreated inner spiritual realm. The psychological - Person-ality can also be called a devil because it forms itself IN creation and is also a PART of creation.
Everything is God, the only thing that is not God is the psychological ego. Therefore, the psychological ego must be the "other one," the one who opposes and is not God, -the anti-person.
When the ego is dissolved then one realizes that there is no such place as hell.
Hell exists only because the ego (also called the psychological person-ality) exists.
The ego-I creates hell because the ego-I is the state, or condition of separation, hell is the condition of not being in the natural state of SELF-REALIZATION (to KNOW THY SELF as eternal spirit).
