A Mind in Ignorance
Another two states of mind – the mind in ignorance and the mind not in ignorance. The most fundamental, critical point here is that where ever there is that inherent tendency towards clinging, towards “I making” and “mine making”, there is ignorance. At a coarser level, we can call it pride. That is fairly coarse and can be easily identified. But actually at the root of it is this tendency towards holding on to things. So it is called, the literal translation of the defilement is called the inherent tendency towards “I making” and “mine making.” Another word for it is conceit.
So the action is conceiving. If ever you conceive something, then there is at that time ignorance. So if there is no conceiving, there is no ignorance to be found. “Conceiving” is completely uprooted only in the mind of the Arahant. He has come to the end of his birth and that mind is free of ignorance. This conceiving is the biggest disease. Which ever way you conceive, it all becomes otherwise. I told you about the viparinamaya, the otherwiseness of things. When the Buddha investigated the world, he said which ever way you conceive, it all becomes otherwise. As long as there is some tendency towards conceiving, there will always arise some form of suffering, some torment. When there is no conceiving whatsoever, at that time you have come to the complete end of suffering. That is the end of all suffering.
