13. Avijjāvagga

Saṁyutta Nikāya 22.127

Linked Discourses 22.127

13. Avijjāvagga

13. Ignorance

Dutiyasamudayadhammasutta

Liable To Originate (2nd)

Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca mahākoṭṭhiko bārāṇasiyaṁ viharanti isipatane migadāye.

At one time Venerable Sāriputta and Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita were staying near Varanasi, in the deer park at Isipatana. …

Atha kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito …pe… ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

Mahākoṭṭhita said to Sāriputta:

“‘avijjā, avijjā’ti, āvuso sāriputta, vuccati.

“Reverend Sāriputta, they speak of this thing called ‘ignorance’.

Katamā nu kho, āvuso, avijjā;

What is ignorance?

kittāvatā ca avijjāgato hotī”ti?

And how is an ignoramus defined?”

“Idhāvuso assutavā puthujjano samudayadhammaṁ rūpaṁ ‘samudayadhammaṁ rūpan’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti; vayadhammaṁ rūpaṁ …pe… ‘samudayavayadhammaṁ rūpan’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.

“Reverend, it’s when an unlearned ordinary person doesn’t truly understand form, which is liable to originate … liable to vanish … liable to originate and vanish, as form which is liable to originate and vanish.

Samudayadhammaṁ vedanaṁ …pe… vayadhammaṁ vedanaṁ …pe… ‘samudayavayadhammā vedanā’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.

They don’t truly understand feeling …

Samudayadhammaṁ saññaṁ …pe…

perception …

samudayadhamme saṅkhāre …pe… vayadhamme saṅkhāre …pe… samudayavayadhamme saṅkhāre ‘samudayavayadhammā saṅkhārā’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.

choices …

Samudayadhammaṁ viññāṇaṁ …pe… samudayavayadhammaṁ viññāṇaṁ ‘samudayavayadhammaṁ viññāṇan’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.

consciousness, which is liable to originate … liable to vanish … liable to originate and vanish, as consciousness which is liable to originate and vanish.

Ayaṁ vuccati, āvuso, avijjā;

This is called ignorance.

ettāvatā ca avijjāgato hotī”ti.

And this is how an ignoramus is defined.”

Dutiyaṁ.