by Ogo A. Bellard

Created on: August 13, 2007

Buddha realised that in order to explain and guide people out of suffering and toward enlightenment he must rely upon explaining common human truths in our world that could be seen, recognised and then understood by all. This is one of the reasons why 2500 years later in a completely different time and civilisation we can still see these evident common human truths.

One of these truths is how the experience of self arises even though there is no self, we create a false sense of a present fixed self that is only based on our experiences and memories. Thus we fail to see that there is no fixed self and that the world around us is an illusion in a temporary state of creation, this is called Ignorance in Buddhism a failure or unwillingness to understand the true nature of existence.

Dependant Origination and its twelve links form an intrinsic part of Buddha's teachings of which Ignorance is the first link. He saw Ignorance as the fundamental cause of suffering and the first event in a linked chain of events, each event occurring as a result of the previous event. Being Ignorant creates all the suffering and happiness in our lives and is part of the experience of Samsara or the Wheel of Karma. Because we are ignoring the true causes of our suffering or happiness we can't see or understand the true reality of our existence we are at trapped in Samsara with it's good times and bad times.

By ignoring the true nature of our reality, we project things that do not exist, we are deluded and confused, and we project and protect a sense of self because we are under the illusion that the permanent self exists. Even thought all things are temporary we project permanence, a belief that our house or car or even our bodies are permanent, yet houses will crumble, cars will rust, bodies will get sick and die. So it is with our sense of self, we believe it is a permanent thing but it is very temporary, we are all in a state of constant change, that self you believe is you, arises a different self each morning and changes with each experience of the day. Our Ignorance gives rise to this delusion and confusion and because of this confusion our personal world of Samsara is created.

All the ways in which we relate to our selves and the world around use are created by our own causes of Ignorance. But this can be a good thing, because ignorance can be relieved by understanding and realisation, if Samsara and your sense of self were truly sold and permanent then neither you, nor the world

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