Part 3 - Ignorance: The First Mistake
(Avijjā — Misunderstanding Reality)
Ignorance is not stupidity.
It is simply not seeing things as they actually are.
It is the mind’s habit of:
- assuming permanence in what constantly changes
- assuming comfort in what inevitably hurts
- assuming a self where none exists
Ignorance believes:
“There is a solid ‘me’ inside this experience
and the world must protect or please that ‘me.’”
This is the first mistake—
and the root of every mistake that follows.
What exactly does ignorance fail to see?
Three truths that are always present:
1️⃣ Everything changes (anicca)
2️⃣ Nothing can be fully controlled (dukkha)
3️⃣ Nothing can be owned as “me” (anattā)
When we fail to see these clearly,
we begin a lifelong project
of trying to make the unstable… stable,
the uncontrollable… controllable,
and the ownerless… “mine.”
It never works.
But ignorance never gives up.
Ignorance creates the “I” that must suffer
Ignorance whispers:
- “I must keep what I love.”
- “I must fix what I hate.”
- “I must protect myself.”
- “I must become someone worthwhile.”
This “I” becomes the center of every struggle.
Not because it is real,
but because we believe it is real.
Ignorance is not darkness.
It is delusion.
The entire cycle of suffering begins here
From ignorance rises:
➡ distorted interpretations
➡ craving
➡ clinging
➡ identity
➡ fear
➡ loss
➡ suffering
Ignorance is the gate
through which the “self” sneaks into experience
and claims ownership of everything.
Why this matters
If ignorance starts the cycle,
then wisdom ends it.
We do not need to destroy the world.
We only need to see clearly:
- what is happening
- how it is happening
- and what is adding unnecessary pain
The moment ignorance stops believing in “I,”
the cycle loses its foundation.
One sentence summary of Part 3
The first mistake is believing
that there is a solid “me”
inside this changing experience.
All suffering begins there.