Ignorance

This paper I wrote put me to sleep LOL enjoy :)


Buddhism interprets ignorance as the assertion of self-will, manifested as attachment, and this is the root of our suffering. Attachment and self-will are ignorance, because they cause us to be selectively blind to the fact that the world is an illusion. Awareness is clouded by the assertion of self-will and attachment. Those that are self-willed are also self-centered and are only concerned with their own perceived success or failure without any regard to the welfare of other sentient beings.
Ignorance is at the root of our physical birth and interpretation of the world though our glazed eyes of ego; this causes suffering. It is by removing this blindfold of ignorance we can bring an end to our suffering resulting in liberation through the attainment of Nirvana or the extinction of ego-self.
“ Delusion refers to belief in something that contradicts reality. In Buddhism, delusion is … a lack of awareness of the true nature or Buddha nature of things, or the true meaning of existence. According to the Buddhist outlook, we are deluded by our senses, among which intellect (discrimination thought) is included as a sixth sense. Consciousness, attached to the senses, leads us into error by causing us to take the world of appearances for the world of reality, whereas in fact it is only a limited and fleeting aspect of reality." (Erhard et al.1991)
Avidyā, which is translated to mean “not seeing”, is further defined as a lack of knowing, and can be associated with ignoring or not paying attention. It has been described as having no beginning. The fundamental idea of Buddhism is to remove the clouds of ignorance and allow room for the sunlight of awareness to shine through. This awakening is achieved by effort, mindfulness and meditation. All three of these are incorporated in the Buddhist practices of the Noble Eightfold Path.
Ignorance is one of the links in the 12 Fold Chain of Pratitya Samutpada. If you take away the link of ignorance all the other links vanish, as they are dependent on each other for their existence. The mind has a foreground of what it focuses on and a background of what is ignored, ignorance. When we confuse concepts for reality, symbol for fact, we are living through our ignorance.
Ignorance is an obstacle to being awakened and the stunning blank feeling I get before every test I take. Ignorance is when I repeat the same mistakes and expect different results. Ignorance is sleepwalking bouncing through the net of illusion; the final bounce will hopefully be off the rim and set me free spiraling wildly through space.