Maya means "that which is not" (i.e. illusion). It refers to accepting the temporary as having lasting value, and looking for enduring happiness in this world. Through cultivating the quality of goodness the soul may rise to transcendence and escape the clutches of maya.

Under the influence of the three gunas, the soul is (1) misled by matter, and (2) subsequently entangled and entrapped. This tendency is termed maya (illusion).

Under maya's influence, the atman, (the soul) mistakenly identifies with the body. He accepts such thoughts as "I am white and I am a man," or "This is my house, my country, and my religion." Thus the illusioned soul identifies with the temporary body and everything connected to it, such as race, gender, family, nation, bank balance, and sectarian religion. Under this sense of false-ego (false-identity) the soul aspires to control and enjoy matter. However, in so doing he continuously serves lust, greed, and anger. In frustration he often redoubles his efforts and, compounding mistake upon mistake, only falls deeper into illusion.

In ignorance (tamas), he is fully convinced that right is wrong and wrong is right. In passion he is unsure, hesitant, sometimes enjoying and at others times repenting. Only in goodness does the soul begin to develop wisdom – to see things in the real light. Thus enlightenment means moving away from tamas towards sattva. By so doing, the soul gradually escapes the clutches of maya and moves towards liberation.

Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust.
Enjoyed no sooner but despised straight,
Past reason hunted, and no sooner had,
Past reason hated as a swallowed bait
On purpose laid to make the taker mad:
Mad in pursuit, and in possession so,
Had, having and in quest to have, extreme,
A bliss in proof and proved, a very woe,
Before, a joy proposed, behind, a dream. ~ William Shakespeare Sonnet 129 (on lust)

• "All that glitters is not gold."
• Being "Led up the garden path"
• "A wild-goose chase"
• "Failure is the pillar of success"
• "The grass is always greener"

All forms of enlightenment, particularly methods of controlling the mind and senses, so as to avoid being misled. Different paths involve the regulation of material activities, developing wisdom, performing austerities and serving God, instead of trying to enjoy and control the world.

Some traditions suggest retirement from materialistic society to avoid the temptations it offers. Accepting good counsel (e.g. from a guru) is usually considered essential. Perhaps most important is the role of education in training children so they can suitably respond to life, its opportunities and its allurements.

Related Values:

•  Becoming a responsible citizen – seeing the consequences of our actions. Learning from our mistakes.
• Avoiding immediate gratification with its possibly dangerous consequences (sex, drugs, etc.)
• Consumerism/advertising.
• Greed/compulsive shopping.
• Seeking guidance from others.
• Learning how to say "no."

Although Hinduism tends to be ultimately "world renouncing," it places much emphasis on accepting our temporal needs and meeting them in a dignified fashion, rather than denying them.