'The Ignorance Sutra' (Avijja Sutta)

The Dharma in the Pali language

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was staying in Jeta's Grove, near Savatthi, at the millionaire's monastery. There he addressed the meditators, "Meditators!"

"Yes, venerable sir," the practitioners replied. Then the Blessed One said:

"Meditators, ignorance is the leader in the attainment of all unskillful things, followed by a lack of conscience and a lack of concern.

1. "Wrong view arises in an ignorant person who is immersed in ignorance.
2. In one of wrong view, wrong intention [motivation, aspiration, volition, resolve] arises.
3. In one of wrong intention, wrong speech arises.
4. In one of wrong speech, wrong action arises.
5. In one of wrong action, wrong livelihood arises.
6. In one of wrong livelihood, wrong effort arises.
7. In one of wrong effort, wrong mindfulness arises.
8. In one of wrong mindfulness, wrong stillness (samadhi, concentration) arises.

"Clear knowing [vipassana, insight, wisdom] is the leader in the attainment of skillful things, followed by conscience and concern. [This is the Ennobling Eightfold Path now being described:]

1. "Right view arises in a wise person, immersed in clear knowing.
2. In one of right view, right intention arises.
3. In one of right intention, right speech arises.
4. In one of right speech, right action arises.
5. In one of right action, right livelihood arises.
6. In one of right livelihood, right effort arises.
7. In one of right effort, right mindfulness arises.
8. In one of right mindfulness, right stillness arises."

What is avijjā?

What did the Buddha teach about avijja?

avijjā: "ignorance," nescience, unknowing. It is synonymous with delusion (moha, one of the root causes of all harm. See mūla). Ignorance is the primary root of all unskillfulness and suffering in the world, veiling our mental eyes and preventing us from seeing the true nature of things.

Ignorance is the delusion tricking living beings by making life appear permanent (rather than constantly passing away), able to fulfill (happy, pleasing, satisfactory), personal (substantial, self, with essence), and beautiful (not repulsive), hindering and preventing us from seeing that everything in reality is impermanent, disappointing (liable to pain and suffering), void of any "I," "me," or "mine" and basically impure. (See "perversions" of view, vipallāsa).

Ignorance is defined as "not knowing [penetrating, having gnosis of] the Four Truths, namely, disappointment, its origin, its cessation, and the way to its cessation" (S. XII, 4).

As ignorance is the foundation of all rebirth-affirming karma, of all harm and disappointment, therefore it stands first in the formula of Dependent Origination (paticca-samuppāda).

For that reason, The Path of Purification (Vis.M., XVII, 36f) says ignorance should NOT be regarded as "the causeless root-cause of the world... Ignorance is NOT causeless. For a cause of it is stated thus: 'With the arising of cankers (āsava), there is the arising of ignorance' (MN 9).

"But there is a figurative way in which ignorance can be treated as a root-cause; namely, when it is made to serve as a starting point in an exposition of the Round of Rebirth...

"As it is said: 'No first beginning of ignorance can be perceived, meditators, before which ignorance was not and after which it came to be. But it can be perceived that ignorance has its specific condition (idappaccaya)'" (A.X.61). The same statement is made (A.X.62) about the incessant craving for becoming (bhava-tanhā).

Ignorance and this kind of craving are called "the outstanding causes of karma that lead to unhappy and happy destinies" (Vis.M. XVII, 38).

Because ignorance still exists -- though in a very refined and residual way -- until the attainment of full enlightenment (arahantship), it is counted as the last of the Ten Fetters (samyojana) that bind beings to the cycle of rebirth.

As the first two roots (mūla) of all that is unskillful, greed and hate, are themselves rooted in ignorance. Consequently, ALL unwholesome states of heart/mind are inseparably bound up with ignorance.

The Roots of Good and Evil (Ven. Nyanaponika)

Ignorance (delusion) is the most obstinate of the Three Poisons or Roots of Evil. Ignorance is one of the cankers (āsava) and proclivities (anusaya).

Ignorance is often called a "hindrance" or nīvarana (e.g., in S.XV.3; A.X.61) but is not listed together with the usual Five Hindrances [since it itself is the root cause of the other five].

The Gradual Path of Purification (Real Buddha Quotes)

DEFINITIONS: Pali Text Society (PTS) Pali English Dictionary: avijjā (fem.) "ignorance"; the main root of evil [unskillful conduct] and of continual rebirth. (See Dependent Origination, paṭicca-samuppāda, cp. SN.ii.6, SN.ii.9, SN.ii.12; Snp.p.141, and many other passages). See on term; Cpd. 83 n. 3, 187 sq, 262 sq. and for further detail; vijjā ("knowing").

Avijjā is termed an anusaya (DN.iii.254, DN.iii.282; SN.iv.205, SN.iv.208 sq., SN.iv.212); it is one of the āsavā (Vin.iii.4; DN.i.84; DN.iii.216; Iti.49; Ds.1100, Ds.1109), of the oghā (DN.iii.230, DN.iii.276; Ds.390, Ds.1061, Ds.1162), of the nīvaraṇāni (SN.ii.23; AN.i.223; Iti.8; Ds.1162, Ds.1486), of the saṁyojanāni (DN.iii.254; Ds.1131, Ds.1460). See for various characterizations the following passages: Vin.i.1; Vin.iii.3; DN.iii.212 DN.iii.230, DN.iii.234, DN.iii.274; MN.i.54, MN.i.67, MN.i.144; SN.ii.4, SN.ii.26, SN.ii.263; SN.iii.47 SN.iii.162; SN.iv.256; SN.v.52; AN.i.8, AN.i.285; AN.ii.132, AN.ii.158, AN.ii.247; AN.iii.84 sq. AN.iii.414; AN.iv.228; Iti.34 (yā kāc’ imā duggatiyo asmiṁ loke paramhi ca avijjāmūlakā sabbā icchā-lobha-sammussayā), Iti.57, Iti.81; Snp Verse 199, Snp Verse 277, Snp Verse 729 (jāti-maraṇa-saṁsāraṁ ye vajanti punappunaṁ… avijjāy’eva sā gati), Snp verse 730, Snp Verse 1026, Snp Verse 1033 (avijjāya nivuto loko); Dhp.243; Cnd.99; Pp.21; Ds.390 Ds.1061, Ds.1162; Dhp-a.iii.350; Dhp-a.iv.161 (˚paligha). Sanskrit avidyā; from a ["not"] + vid ["knowing"]♦️Digital Pāḷi Dictionary: avijjā (fem.) "ignorance; illusion; not knowing; not understanding" [na + √vid + yā].

• "Discourse on Ignorance," Avijja Sutta (SN 45.1 PTS: S v 1 CDB ii 1523) translated by Dhr. Seven based on Ven. Thanissaro Bhikkhu translation (accesstoinsight.org); Ven. Nyanaponika (Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Doctrines and Terms); Wisdom Quarterly