(Article) How Ignorance Causes Suffering

Cloud

How Ignorance Causes Suffering

This is what we call ignorance: not recognizing the void nature of phenomena and assuming that phenomena possess the attribute of true existence although in fact they are devoid of it. With ignorance comes attachment to all that is pleasant to the ego as well as hatred and repulsion for all that is unpleasant. In that way the three poisons—ignorance, attachment, and hatred—come into being. Under the influence of these three poisons, the mind becomes like a servant running here and there. This is how the suffering of samsara is built up. It all derives from a lack of discernment and a distorted perception of the nature of phenomena.

Full article: http://www.tricycle.com/feature/investigation-mind

ThailandTom

Simplified, perfect and thank you. Recently I have tried to maintain a notion that I have this ego, as most of us do, that I am ignorant, well this is where it is strange, I KNOW the way, yet I choose to ignore it, is that ignorance or stupidity or what?

Gui

I know, for myself, that my ego is constantly asserting itself in directions off the path. I get the feeling it is frightened of the possibility of it's demise.

Cloud

I would say that's clinging, TT. A lot of the time we know what we should do, but we can't bring ourselves to do it because our mind clings strongly due to our conditioning. As GI Joe would say, "knowing is half the battle". Doing is the other half, and it can be tough.

If you ask me, trying to maintain a notion that you have an ego is problematic. There's no real ego, no real self. What's there is a complex of delusion and clinging... which only remains for so long as we don't see reality clearly. We should try to maintain a notion that we have no real ego... no self. Then we can turn to the underlying cause of our problems, craving/clinging.

Temporary_arising

If you simply watch desires, or the minds leanings as they arise, you'll quickly see that they cause unrest in both mind and body.
Then ask yourself, "is this unrest helping the situation"?
When there's SEEING that desire causes unhelpful unrest, desire stops arising.
Without desire there is no greed, hatred, or delusion.
It's really that simple.

Spaceless

For instance, on eating flesh of animals - is ignorant because animals are same as mankind with different external appearance. Mankind indivually varies according to appearances as well, it also varies with races and cultures. However, one thing is the same, they all love happiness and harmony same as mankind. And to enjoy their flesh is planting the devastative ignorant seeds for your future well beings. Pig has compassion that saved human :

Jo Ann Altsman suffered a heart attack while vacationing in the north woods of Presque Isle, Pennsylvania, USA. LuLu, a housebroken Vietnamese Pot-Bellied pig came to Jo Ann's aid. LuLu took one look at Jo Ann and after 'crying' for a moment, she managed to push open the gate to get to a nearby road. Witnesses reported that LuLu would wait until a car approached, then calmly walk out into the road and lay down in front of the oncoming vehicle. When a driver failed to stop, LuLu would return to Jo Ann to check on her, and then leave again to try and summon help. After about forty-five minutes the determined pig finally managed to persuade a young motorist to stop and follow her to the Altsman's mobile home. The man telephoned the emergency services and paramedics quickly arrived.
http://animalslook.com/pig-saves-owner/