1At Sāvatthī. Then a certain bhikkhu approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:

"Venerable sir, it is said, ‘ignorance, ignorance.’ What now, venerable sir, is ignorance, and in what way is one immersed in ignorance?"

"Here, bhikkhu, the uninstructed worldling does not understand form, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation.

He does not understand feeling … perception … volitional formations … consciousness, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation. sn.iii.163

This is called ignorance, and in this way one is immersed in ignorance."

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami … pe … ekamantaṁ nisinno kho so bhikkhu bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:

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

"Idha, bhikkhu, assutavā puthujjano rūpaṁ nappajānāti, rūpasamudayaṁ nappajānāti, rūpanirodhaṁ nappajānāti, rūpanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadāṁ nappajānāti;

vedanāṁ nappajānāti … saññaṁ … saṅkhāre nappajānāti … pe … viññāṇanirodhagāminiṁ paṭipadāṁ nappajānāti.

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

Paṭhamaṁ.