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Maya or Māyā (Sanskrit ') literally means "illusion" and "magic".〔James Lochtefeld (2002), "Maya" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing. ISBN 0-8239-2287-1, page 433〕 However, the term has multiple meanings depending on the context. In earlier older language, it literally implies extraordinary power and wisdom,〔 in later Vedic texts and modern literature dedicated to Indian traditions, Māyā connotes a "magic show, an illusion where things appear to be present but are not what they seem".〔〔 In Indian philosophies, Māyā is also a spiritual concept connoting "that which exists, but is constantly changing and thus is spiritually unreal", and the "power or the principle that conceals the true character of spiritual reality".〔M Hiriyanna (2000), The Essentials of Indian Philosophy, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120813304, pages 25, 160-161〕〔Lynn Foulston and Stuart Abbott (2009), Hindu Goddesses: Beliefs and Practices, Sussex Academic Press, ISBN 978-1902210438, pages 14-16〕 In Buddhism, Maya was the name of Gautama Buddha's mother. Maya is also the name of a manifestation of Lakshmi, the goddess of "wealth, prosperity and love", in Hinduism. For these reasons, it is a popular name for girls.〔 ==Etymology== Māyā is a Sanskrit word with unclear etymology, probably comes from two roots, ''mā'' (or ''may-'') which means "measure", and "''yā''" which means "vanish, to go, undertake".〔Jan Gonda, ''Four studies in the language of the Veda'', Disputationes Rheno-Traiectinae (1959), pages 119-188〕 These roots are also related to the root ''mā'', which means mother and serve as an epithet for goddesses such as Lakshmi.〔〔Tracy Pintchman (1994), The Rise of the Goddess in the Hindu Tradition, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791421123, pages 3-4〕 A similar word is also found in the Proto-Indo-Iranian language '' *māyā'', cognate to Avestan ''māyā'' with the meaning of "magic power".〔Mary Boyce (1996), A History of Zoroastrianism: The Early Period, Brill Academic, ISBN 978-9004104747, page 38-40〕 Franklin Southworth states the word's origin is uncertain, and other possible roots of Māyā include "may-" meaning mystify, confuse, intoxicate, delude, as well as "māy-" which means "disappear, be lost".〔Franklin Southworth (2012), Linguistic Archaeology of South Asia, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415655446, page 92〕 According to Monier Williams, Māyā meant wisdom and extraordinary power in an earlier older language, but from the Vedic period onwards, the word came to mean "illusion, unreality, deception, fraud, trick, sorcery, witchcraft and magic".〔Bhattacharji, Sukumari (1970), (The Indian Theogony: A Comparative Study of Indian Mythology from the Vedas to the Puraṇas ), pages 35-37, Cambridge University Press Archive〕〔(mAyA ) Monier-Williams' 'Sanskrit-English Dictionary'〕 However, Shastri states that the Monier Williams' list is a "loose definition, misleading generalization", and not accurate in interpreting ancient Vedic and medieval era Sanskrit texts; instead, he suggests a more accurate meaning of Maya is "appearance, not mere illusion".〔PD Shastri, (The Doctrine of Maya ) Luzac & Co, London, page 5 and ix〕 Maya was the name of Gautama Buddha's mother.〔 In Hinduism, Māyā is also a form of Lakshmi, the goddess of beauty and wealth, and the wife of the god Vishnu. In ''Devi Mahatmya'', the epithet for the goddess is Mahamāyā, meaning "one whose power of illusion is great".〔James Lochtefeld (2002), "Mahamaya" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing. ISBN 0-8239-2287-1, page 405〕 Because of the name's association with revered identities in Indian philosophies, Mayā is a common name for girls in India and amongst the Indian diaspora around the world.〔(Most Popular Indian Baby Names in US )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Maya (illusion)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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