1At one time Venerable Sāriputta and Venerable Mahākoṭṭhita were staying near Benares, in the deer park at Isipatana. …

Mahākoṭṭhita said to Sāriputta:

“Reverend Sāriputta, they speak of this thing called ‘ignorance’. What is ignorance? And how is an ignorant person defined?”

2“Reverend, it’s when an uneducated ordinary person doesn’t truly understand form, which is liable to originate … liable to vanish … liable to originate and vanish, as form which is liable to originate and vanish.

They don’t truly understand feeling … perception … choices … consciousness, which is liable to originate … liable to vanish … liable to originate and vanish, as consciousness which is liable to originate and vanish.

This is called ignorance. And this is how an ignorant person is defined.”

1Ekaṁ samayaṁ āyasmā ca sāriputto āyasmā ca mahākoṭṭhiko bārāṇasiyaṁ vihāranti isipatane migadāye.

Atha kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko sāyanhasamayaṁ paṭisallānā vuṭṭhito … pe … ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā mahākoṭṭhiko āyasmantaṁ sāriputtaṁ etadavoca:

"‘avijjā, avijjā’ti, āvuso sāriputta, vuccati. Katamā nu kho, āvuso, avijjā; kittāvatā ca avijjāgato hotī"ti?

2"Idhāvuso assutavā puthujjano samudayadhammaṁ rūpaṁ ‘samudayadhammaṁ rūpan’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti; vayadhammaṁ rūpaṁ … pe … ‘samudayavayadhammaṁ rūpan’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.

Samudayadhammaṁ vedanāṁ … pe … vayadhammaṁ vedanāṁ … pe … ‘samudayavayadhammā vedanā’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti. Samudayadhammaṁ saññaṁ … pe … samudayadhamme saṅkhāre … pe … vayadhamme saṅkhāre … pe … samudayavayadhamme saṅkhāre ‘samudayavayadhammā saṅkhārā’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti. Samudayadhammaṁ viññāṇaṁ … pe … samudayavayadhammaṁ viññāṇaṁ ‘samudayavayadhammaṁ viññāṇan’ti yathābhūtaṁ nappajānāti.

Ayaṁ vuccati, āvuso, avijjā; ettāvatā ca avijjāgato hotī"ti.

Dutiyaṁ.