Clarifying "Conditioned by Ignorance, Formations Arise" (Avijjapaccaya Sankhara)

I want to explain today a line of explanation for the great Paṭiccasamuppāda: "Avijjāpaccayā Saṅkhārā" (Conditioned by Ignorance, Formations arise). The Buddha preached the cessation with just this one line. It means as long as there is Avijjā (Ignorance), Saṅkhārā (Formations) which are Wholesome and Unwholesome Kammas (actions) are bound to arise. So, Saṅkhāra is essentially Cetanā (Volition). The Buddha preached "Cetanāhaṃ bhikkhave kammaṃ vadāmi" (Monks, I declare Cetanā to be Kamma). Cetanā is Kamma.

What is Ignorance (Avijja)?

What is Ignorance (Avijjā)? Avijjā is not knowing the Four Noble Truths. In the Visuddhimagga, it is explained as four things: not knowing Dukkha Sacca (Truth of Suffering), not knowing Samudaya Sacca (Truth of the Origin of Suffering), not knowing Nirodha Sacca (Truth of the Cessation of Suffering), and not knowing Magga Sacca (Truth of the Path). The Four Noble Truths are realities. Just like gold and rubies existing in the world but covered by earth, Avijjā covers the Four Noble Truths. There is Avijjā covering Dukkha Sacca, Avijjā covering Samudaya Sacca, Avijjā covering Nirodha Sacca, and Avijjā covering Magga Sacca. However, we cannot know that Avijjā exists. We cannot see the cover that is covering.

How Formations Arise Due to Ignorance

One who has not yet abandoned Avijjā, due to not knowing Dukkha Sacca, the suffering of Saṃsāra, thinks of it as "Happiness" with Sukha Saññā (perception of pleasure) and strives for that very suffering with Saṅkhāras. Due to not knowing Samudaya Sacca, one strives for Saṅkhāras having the scent of Taṇhā, which is the cause of Dukkha, thinking they are "Causes of Happiness". Furthermore, due to not knowing Nirodha Sacca and Magga Sacca, thinking the Brahma realm, etc. (which are not the cessation of suffering) are the cessation of suffering, and thinking sacrifice, etc. (which are not the path to the cessation of suffering) are the path to the cessation of suffering, they strive to perform Puññābhisaṅkhāra, Apuññābhisaṅkhāra, and Āneñjābhisaṅkhāra.

Three Types of Formations

Puññābhisaṅkhāra are sensual wholesome volitions (Dāna, Sīla, Bhāvanā) and fine-material wholesome volitions. Apuññābhisaṅkhāra are sensual unwholesome volitions. Āneñjābhisaṅkhāra are immaterial wholesome volitions. All these are Kammas involving Avijjā.

Classified another way, they are Bodily Formations (Kaya Sankhara), Verbal Formations (Vaci Sankhara), and Mental Formations (Mano Sankhara). It is important to understand that Physical Action, Verbal Action, and Mental Action are merely Volitions, merely Karmas.

Ignorance and Craving – The Two Roots

Avijjā and Taṇhā are the two roots. Taṇhā lures and coaxes from behind, while Avijjā covers the object. Avijjā says "Do not open the eyes; if opened, you will see Viññāṇa, Nāmarūpa; do not cross over to Saḷāyatana, Phassa, Vedanā, Taṇhā." But without Avijjā, how could Taṇhā cross over? Since the two great roots Avijjā and Taṇhā exist, will one refrain from doing [Kamma]? The two roots, the great taproots, exist within oneself.

Life is Just Karma

Writers write about the meaning of life with imagination. They compose endlessly. Life is just Wholesome and Unwholesome Kamma. We did not know that Avijjāpaccayā Saṅkhārā is Life. In life, we are all doing good things as well as bad things. That is Avijjāpaccayā Saṅkhārā. If looked at as a person, people do good things. They also do bad things. They say good and bad are intertwined in life.

In reality, everything done in life is just Avijjāpaccayā Saṅkhārā. Only Wholesome Kamma and Unwholesome Kamma differ. Getting Nāma-Rūpa is the same. If Nāma-Rūpa are obtained, Jāti (birth) will be obtained. If Jāti exists, Jarā-Maraṇa (aging and death) will be encountered. As long as Jāti is obtained, one will inevitably die. One cannot escape the terrible danger of dying every time one is born.

Distinguishing Karma Merit and Wisdom Merit

Distinguishing Karma Merit and Wisdom Merit Therefore, in the act of gilding a Buddha statue, knowing it as "Gold" as soon as seeing it is Avijjā. What the eye sees is just color. Because there is no Sati, it becomes "Gold" in the subsequent mind (Mano). The color seen is the Preceding Mind, knowing it as gold is the Subsequent Mind. Besides knowing it as gold, seeing it as valuable, as essence, is good in a worldly sense. Although one gets Kamma merit, because there is no Sati to know "Seeing is just color as it is seen," the cover of Avijjā takes the lead and Avijjāpaccayā Saṅkhārā happens again. One cannot struggle free from the realm of Avijjā that causes Saṃsāra to revolve.

One might ask, "Shouldn't we gild the Buddha statue?" Actually, the Buddha preached and taught to be free from Avijjā. Being grateful for this, we should offer gold robes to the Buddha. In gilding, there must be wisdom free from Avijjā. If one gilds the Buddha with Avijjā and prays, it is just Paṭiccasamuppāda revolving.

Vipassana and Abandoning Ignorance

Practicing Vipassanā is to abandon Avijjā. Ledi Sayadaw stated in his Paṭiccasamuppāda Dīpanī that encountering the Buddha's Sāsana is solely to abandon Avijjā. He even wrote that the cessation of Avijjā is Nibbāna. The Sayadaw said if Avijjā ceases, one reaches Nibbāna.

If one applies Sati in the Subsequent Mind after the Preceding Mind, does Kilesa still come? If Kilesa ceases momentarily, it is momentary Nibbāna. Does momentary Avijjā not cease too? Since the Preceding Mind is known as Nāma-Rūpa, does Avijjā still exist? Since there is Sati in the Subsequent Mind, does Taṇhā still come? So, as soon as Sati is present, Avijjā is already ceased and Taṇhā is already abandoned. Since Avijjā and Taṇhā have ceased, Paṭiccasamuppāda has also stopped.

Vipassanā does not ask the great wheel of Paṭiccasamuppāda to turn first and then cut it. As soon as Sati follows the Preceding Mind in the Subsequent Mind, Avijjā is ceased and Taṇhā is abandoned. We just don't know this point. Sati follows behind. But we don't know how Avijjā ceases. Without knowing how Taṇhā is abandoned, how will we get Dhamma? Because Wisdom (Ñāṇa) has not arisen yet. Sati follows behind. But Wisdom has not arisen yet. Only when Wisdom arises can Kilesas be abandoned. Knowing the Four Noble Truths. Only when Avijjā is abandoned does one discern Nāma-Rūpa Dukkha Sacca. Only when knowing the cessation and abandonment of Taṇhā does one know the abandoning of Samudaya Sacca. With just this one Sati, one also knows Nirodha Sacca, the Nibbāna where Taṇhā ceases. Since developing [Sati] means only Sati is to be developed, does one not know Magga Sacca too? That is knowing the Four Noble Truths only when Wisdom arises. That's it. If Wisdom arises and knows the Four Noble Truths, one reaches Nibbāna.

Conclusion

Where is it? It exists only in the Preceding Mind and Subsequent Mind. It is nowhere else. If one goes beyond that, nothing exists anymore. Therefore, only when Sati, Viriya, Samādhi, and Bhāvanā power are complete will Anicca Saññā, Anatta Saññā, Dukkha Saññā arise. If there is no Bhāvanā power, since one holds the view of person and being, it will just be Nicca, Sukha, Atta.

Avijjāpaccayā Saṅkhārā is just a great natural phenomenon. Speaking and acting with Avijjā since birth is just nature. Where we start to go wrong is starting with the wrong knowledge called Avijjā. We don't know it is wrong. Now we know only because the Buddha appeared. Therefore, it is important to know how to pick up the little Cetanā with Sati. Truly, we are learning to thin out Avijjā, the beginning of the great Paṭiccasamuppāda. Buddhas and Arahants attained Dhamma because as soon as this one Avijjā ceases, Saṅkhāra also ceases. As soon as Avijjā ceases, the whole Paṭiccasamuppāda ceases. It is finished.