“Yeh sab Maya hai” is an oft repeated quote by Spiritual Masters, which means what we are experiencing as life is actually just an illusion. This happens because we mistake the illusion for reality.
The reason why we accept an illusion as reality is explained very well by Maharishi Patanjali. It is due to our discriminative faculty(Buddhi) being afflicted by “kleshas”. There are 5 kleshas that afflict every unenlightened person and it starts with Avidya – wrong knowledge of our existence that leads to the second klesha of “Asmita” which is a sense of “I-ness” or separation or individualism (a drop of water considering itself to be separate from the ocean). This further develops into the individual personality constantly craving things it likes – “raga”(attachment) which creates attachments to these things. When the things you are attached to are threatened or taken away or denied to you – it converts to “dvesha”. So dvesha is just an inverted form of raga. Finally all this leads to the biggest klesha which is “abhinivesha” which is commonly understood as fear of death but is actually the fear of loss of “i”dentity.
All of us have these kleshas in varying degrees and hence experience a distorted version of reality which is the Maya (illusion). Yoga is the path of overcoming kleshas – it is an experiential path that you have to consistently practice till you attain deepest levels of meditation(Samadhi).
Now whether you want to continue living in the make believe illusory world(Maya) or want to experience reality is a choice you have to make…
Bodhisattva 