The cure of ignorance

The goal of the teachings is the understanding of the reality which appears so that ignorance and wrong view will be eliminated. That is why the Buddha always taught about seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, the experiences through the mind-door, about each doorway. Because of ignorance we confuse the different doorways.

Acharn Sujin said that the cure of ignorance is awareness and “study” of the realities which appear. In that way there can be right understanding of all realities as they are. Someone asked how one can know that there is subtle attachment. Acharn Sujin answered:

“By awareness and study of realities. At this moment realities appear. There is seeing, and then, what else is there after seeing? Kusala or akusala? Subtle attachment or calm, or right understanding or what else? Without awareness and study one cannot know this. It has been taught in the Abhidhamma that after seeing, if there is no kusala, there must be lobha- mula-citta, dosa-mula-citta or moha-mula-citta. Do we know this moment? Do we know what is there, as soon as there is seeing and no awareness or understanding of reality as it is? What is there after seeing? Subtle attachment, very subtle. So subtle that one cannot see that it is attachment.

One wants to have indifferent feeling and one thinks that by having indifferent feeling one is calm. No, not at all. There can be moha-mula-citta or lobha-mula-citta with indifferent feeling. As soon as seeing has arisen there is attachment with indifferent feeling, but the attachment is very subtle. Before the Buddha’s enlightenment there were wise people who understood the danger of subtle attachment after seeing or hearing. They developed calm since they did not have the understanding of the development of satipathana. People who listened after the Buddha’s enlightenment to his teachings with right understanding knew that the most beneficial way of mental development is to be aware and study any reality which is conditioned and which appears. They knew that this is the way which leads not just to temporary freedom from defilements, but to their eradication.”