ma rig pa - Ignorance
This presentation of the twelve links of dependent origination is from HH Dalai Lama's book The Meaning of Life (from a Buddhist Perspective).
The first link is ma rig pa - ignorance, in Sanskrit avidya. Note the ma, it's a negation of rig pa, awareness.
In other words, to not be ignorant is to be aware. To know exactly how things are, and will work, and with this there's no way any causes leading to suffering are created. But for those who are not aware, this will happen, so it's the starting point of the 12-point chain.
In the Wheel of Life this is represented by the image of an old man, blind and hobbling around with a cane, not knowing how things really are. This situation will then be the cause for the following link...
The first link is ma rig pa - ignorance, in Sanskrit avidya. Note the ma, it's a negation of rig pa, awareness.In other words, to not be ignorant is to be aware. To know exactly how things are, and will work, and with this there's no way any causes leading to suffering are created. But for those who are not aware, this will happen, so it's the starting point of the 12-point chain.
In the Wheel of Life this is represented by the image of an old man, blind and hobbling around with a cane, not knowing how things really are. This situation will then be the cause for the following link...