CH09: Avijjā (Ignorance)

At-a-glance: Past Cause • Kilesa-vaṭṭa

A. Definition & place in DO

• Avijjā = not-knowing the four noble truths: dukkha, samudaya, nirodha, magga (SN 12.2).

• Position: Past Cause; conditions saṅkhārā → launches the present-result stream (SN 12.1).

• Round: Kilesa-vaṭṭa (defilement).

• Function: biases seeing, valuing, and intending; hides conditionality (“when this is, that is”).

• Not a first cause: saṁsāra is beginningless; avijjā is treated as the operative root for this analysis (SN 12.1).

• Practice relevance: when avijjā is weakened, downstream fabrication loses fuel.

B. Mechanism (how avijjā conditions the next)

• Avijjā → Saṅkhārā: misconstrued aims/values generate intentions (body, speech, mind).

• C1 (handoff): those intentions mature as present vipāka beginning at viññāṇa and cascading to vedanā.

• Reinforcement loop: unrecognized vedanā tilts to taṇhā, re-feeding avijjā (“this must satisfy me”).

• Cessation: insight into the four truths punctures avijjā; with less delusion, fabrications quiet.

C. Practice (1–3 min drills)

1. Four-Truths Name-it (90 sec)
   Pick a fresh hassle. Name, in order: Dukkha? Origin? Cessation? Path step now? Say one concrete path step (e.g., right speech, mindfulness of feeling).

2. Because→Then Map (2 min)
   On paper: write one line “Because (cause), then (effect).” Fill it with a real moment (e.g., “Because pleasant tone arose, then wanting surged”). Read it twice. Feel how DO replaces blame.

3. Vedana First (2 min)
   When stirred, label phassa → vedanā before any story. Note tone (pleasant/neutral/painful). If an urge appears, mark “taṇhā forming,” relax jaw/chest/hands. This is avijjā-weakening in action.

D. Cross-links

• Ch10 Saṅkhārā (what ignorance fabricates).

• Ch05 Two Truths (what avijjā fails to know).

• Ch06 Three Connections (watch C1’s downstream).

• Ch08 Practice Primer (meeting vedanā prevents re-feeding avijjā).

Sources

SN 12.1; SN 12.2.

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QR Footer (left → right)

• Audio QR-CH09-AUD1 — “Seeing the Four Truths in a minute.” (Alt: “QR to audio: avijjā practice overview”)

• Video QR-CH09-VID1 — Avijjā → Saṅkhārā with real-life examples. (Alt: “QR to video: ignorance→fabrication demo”)

• Slides QR-CH09-PPT1 — Past-Cause diagrams for class. (Alt: “QR to slides: avijjā teaching deck”)

• Prompt QR-CH09-PRM1 — Because→Then mapping card. (Alt: “QR to prompt: DO cause–effect cue”)

Next: Ch10 — Saṅkhārā (Formations/Fabrications).