Illusion， illusory. （ma^ya^）. （1） The art of bewitching others. Originally， in Indian mythology， the magical power by which certain gods were able to deceive people was called ma^ya^， and this word was translated into the Chinese Buddhist classics with the above ideograph. （2） Vision， dream， illusion. For example， the appearance of phenomena which have no real essence. Taking the illusory to be real is the deluded thought of regular people. Taking illusion to be non-existent is the mistaken understanding of the practitioners of the two （lesser） vehicles. （3） Although the six realms do not exist in reality， the manifestation of a 'self' or a 'soul' is called "illusion."