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By Jayaram V
At Savatthi. "Monks, there are these four floods. Which four? The flood of sensuality, the flood of becoming, the flood of views, & the flood of ignorance. These are the four floods.
"Now, this noble eightfold path is to be developed for direct knowledge of, comprehension of, the total ending of, & the abandoning of these four floods."
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Ignorance, monk, is the one thing with whose abandoning in a monk ignorance is abandoned and clear knowing arises.
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In Buddhism we frequently come across the word "avijja".
The word "avijja" is a
corrupted form of the Sanskrit word "avidya".
Avijja means lack of knowledge or ignorance. According to the
Four Noble Truths, avijja or ignorance is the cause of dukha
or suffering. Majjima
Nikaya says, "Not knowing about dukkha (sorrow), not knowing
about the origin of dukkha, not knowing about the cessation of
dukkha,
not knowing about the way leading to the cessation of dukkha - this is
called ignorance. Through detachment, ignorance is overcome and when
ignorance is overcome a monk gains true knowledge."
The Buddha identified avijja or ignorance as one of the four floods of
suffering which can be mitigated only by following the Eightfold Path.
According to him, the very origin of life in this world is rooted in
ignorance. Since life arose out of ignorance, ignorance is the first problem
to be solved in order to find a permanent solution to the problem of
suffering in our lives. To the question as to how ignorance arises, he
identified improper discernment as the root cause of ignorance.2
"And how is there the yoke of ignorance? There is the
case where a certain person does not discern, as it actually is
present, the origination, the passing away, the allure, the
drawbacks, & the escape from the six sense media. When he does
not discern, as it actually is present, the origination, the
passing away, the allure, the drawbacks, & the escape from the
six sense media, then — with regard to ignorance concerning the
six sense media — he is obsessed with not-knowing. This is the
yoke of sensuality, the yoke of becoming, the yoke of views, &
the yoke of ignorance."
"And how is there unyoking from ignorance? There
is the case where a certain person discerns, as it actually is
present, the origination, the passing away, the allure, the
drawbacks, & the escape from the six sense media. When he
discerns, as it actually is present, the origination, the
passing away, the allure, the drawbacks, and the escape from the
six sense media, then — with regard to ignorance concerning the
six sense media — he is not obsessed with not-knowing. This is
unyoking from sensuality, unyoking from becoming, unyoking from
views, & unyoking from ignorance."
The Buddha identified avijja as the cause for wrong view and
wrong resolve, which is documented in the Samyutta Nikaya in the
following words.
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The Blessed One said, "Monks, ignorance
is the leader in the attainment of unskillful qualities,
followed by lack of conscience & lack of concern. In an
unknowledgeable person, immersed in ignorance, wrong
view arises. In one of wrong view, wrong resolve arises.
In one of wrong resolve, wrong speech... In one of wrong
speech, wrong action... In one of wrong action, wrong
livelihood... In one of wrong livelihood, wrong
effort... In one of wrong effort, wrong mindfulness...
In one of wrong mindfulness, wrong concentration arises.
"Clear knowing is the leader in the
attainment of skillful qualities, followed by conscience
& concern. In a knowledgeable person, immersed in clear
knowing, right view arises. In one of right view, right
resolve arises. In one of right resolve, right speech...
In one of right speech, right action... In one of right
action, right livelihood... In one of right livelihood,
right effort... In one of right effort, right
mindfulness... In one of right mindfulness, right
concentration arises."
According to the early tenets of Buddhism, the root cause of ignorance
must be first ascertained and dealt with, and this becomes possible only when we
practice mindfulness and observe life closely to realize how we have
become what we are in the first place and what we are becoming moment
to moment through our thoughts and deeds.
The following 12 steps are called the twelve links in the development
of life. They describe the process of how life comes into existence from a
sea of ignorance and leads to suffering.
1. In the beginning the existence was blind. There was no
knowledge. All of it was a great sea of ignorance.
2. In that great sea of ignorance there were some stirrings
that were formative and organizing.
3. From these stirrings arose the awareness of feelings.
4. From the feelings arose organism that developed
individuality.
5. These organisms developed the six fields, which are, the
five senses and the mind.
6. The six fields developed contacts with things.
7. Contact with things resulted in the origin of sensations.
8. From the sensations arose the thirst of the individual
being.
9. The thirst caused attachment to things.
10. Attachment led to creation and formation of selfhood.
11. Continuation of selfhood resulted in renewed births.
12. Renewed birth of the Self led to suffering, old age,
suffering, sickness and death of being.
Thus ignorance is at the root of the entire creation and origin
of life and of all suffering. It is by removing this ignorance one can start
reversing this process of suffering and continuation of the individuality,
resulting in the liberation from suffering through attainment of Nirvana or
the extinction of self.
Suggested Further Reading
1. Samyutta Nikaya 45.171, Ogha Sutta Floods (1)
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
2. Anguttara Nikaya 4.10 Yoga Sutta Yokes
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
3. Samyutta Nikaya 45.1 Avijja Sutta
Ignorance Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
4. Samyutta Nikaya 35.80 Avijja Sutta
Ignorance Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
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