Creation arises from false knowledge; not in any other way

Creation is not a cosmic event in the past; it is a cognitive event in the present. Every time the mind projects a world of objects, it is “creating” in the Vāsiṣṭha’s sense. Mithyājñāna — false knowledge, erroneous cognition — is the cause of creation, not a demiurge or divine will. The world appears because consciousness mis-knows itself; it disappears when it knows itself correctly.