Be Here Now (Var.)


When is garden statuary merely a decorative object and when is it a murti–an object of devotion, a representation of some aspect of the divine? It may well seem different for the artist, the person who chose its location, and the viewers.
Would you have a different reaction if this angel was on the grounds of a church? What about a temple? A national park? Your workplace? A sculpture museum?
The camera may not lie, but it certainly, like our own perception of things relative to that of others, have a distorted or unique perspective. One of the essential principles of the yoga world view is that of maya or illusion. In classical yoga, everything in the world is illusion; the only thing that is real is Atman–ultimate consciousness or god. In the tantric world view, the role of maya is more complicated. It essentially boils down to the idea that we are under an illusion when we think of the world and divinity as separate, and that this illusion of separation leads to a suffering of the individual spirit. Whether one hold with either of these world views or not, it is always true that thinking our limited perception is the only truth will likely lead to discord, misunderstanding, and strife.