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Tuesday 26 May 2020

Is genuine avijjā the bright radiant light that we see without eyes?

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

23 September 2023

Question:  Is genuine avijjā the bright radiant light that we see without eyes?

Than Ajahn:  No, this is the level of practice when you have passed beyond the anāgāmī level. Then, you will experience the luminosity of avijjā. At that stage, the mind becomes very luminous. This luminosity is caused by avijjā. 

When you first get there, you might think that it was nibbāna. You might be deceived to think that you have reached nibbāna because of this luminosity. But if you are careful, if you keep watching it, you’ll find that this luminosity is still impermanent. It can vary. It can change. It can become brighter or become less bright. And if you are attached to this brightness, you’ll still have dukkha. 

So, you have to know that you shouldn’t fall into the trap of being attached to this brightness. You have to treat it like any other phenomena. They are impermanent. They can harm you. You can’t control them. All you have to do is to leave them alone. Once you leave them alone, eventually they’ll disappear.

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Question:  Is genuine avijjā a manifestation of our breath? 

Than Ajahn:  No. Avijjā is (currently) the one that controls your actions, your thoughts. You think money is good for you. You think marriage is good for you. This is avijjā working. That’s why you need Dhamma or wisdom to re-educate your mind, to get rid of your ignorance.

“Dhamma in English, May 16, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

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