This concludes the investigation of the Citta. At this level, the Citta is forever freed from birth and existence, completely cut off from all forms of ignorance and craving. The state where “ignorance conditions mental formations” comes to a complete end. It is replaced by the fading away and cessation of all conditioned phenomena, bringing the entire mass of suffering to an end.
When ignorance is destroyed, the conditioned phenomena that create suffering are also destroyed. They no longer remain within the knowing nature of the Citta. Conditioned phenomena, such as thoughts that belong to the aggregates, still continue functioning naturally, but they no longer produce suffering. Free from mental defilements, they simply serve as ordinary mental activities. Consciousness still arises, but it does so naturally and peacefully without creating suffering. The sense organs and sense contact also continue according to their own natural conditions. They no longer disturb the Citta because it has fully completed its task. This is the complete ending of all suffering.
When ignorance and all mental defilements are extinguished, they are extinguished within the Citta itself. The destruction of ignorance is also the destruction of the cycle of birth and death. Both exist only within the Citta, because ignorance-filled craving is the true cause of birth, aging, sickness, and death. Once ignorance completely breaks apart and separates forever from the Citta, total cessation is achieved. The Citta then becomes completely free, vast, boundless, and supremely empty. Nothing limits or obstructs it anymore. All contradictions disappear. When the Citta knows, it knows only truth; when it sees, it sees only truth. This is true emptiness.
There are many levels of emptiness. Deep concentration meditation is one level. In deep samādhi, the body and thinking mind temporarily disappear from awareness, making the Citta seem empty. But this emptiness lasts only as long as the meditation lasts. At the beginning stages of wisdom practice, the Citta can permanently separate itself from the physical body, but it still remains connected to feeling, memory, thought, and consciousness. At that stage, the Citta is empty of bodily forms, but not empty of mental activity. Wisdom can then clearly see that the body is not oneself, allowing attachment to the body to end forever. Yet attachment to the mental activities still remains. By continuing the investigation, the Citta gradually lets go of these mental factors as well. Then only a powerful radiance and a profound mental emptiness remain. This is the great power of genuine ignorance. By continuing to apply full mindfulness and wisdom, ignorance is finally destroyed within the Citta. Once everything contaminating the Citta is removed, genuine emptiness is attained. This emptiness is complete and permanent, requiring no further effort to maintain. This is true and absolute freedom.
The difference between the emptiness of the ignorance-filled Citta and the emptiness of the pure Citta can be compared to a person standing in an empty room. While standing there admiring the emptiness, the person forgets about himself. Because he sees nothing else in the room, he focuses only on the emptiness and ignores the fact that he himself is still occupying the room. As long as someone remains inside, the room is not truly empty. Only when he leaves does the room become genuinely empty. In the same way, when the Citta lets go of all phenomena, it may appear completely empty. But the one admiring the emptiness still remains. The sense of self, which is the essence of ignorance, is still hidden within the knowing nature of the Citta. This is the genuine ignorance. The self itself is the final obstacle. Once it completely dissolves and disappears, nothing remains to obstruct emptiness. The outer world is empty, and the inside of the Citta is empty as well. True emptiness occurs only when every trace of conventional reality disappears from the Citta.
The destruction of ignorance is unlike the ending of anything previously investigated. Earlier investigations ended with a gradual understanding of their true nature. But the radiance of ignorance disappears instantly, like a flash of lightning. It suddenly flips over and vanishes completely. Only after it disappears does one realize that it was the true ignorance all along. What remains afterward is entirely unique and absolutely pure. Although it has never been experienced before, there is no room for doubt. Everything that could create doubt vanished together with ignorance. This is the end of all burdens.
Every idea about oneself or one’s true essence actually refers to this genuine ignorance. It is this self that knows, understands, shines, and feels happy. The feelings of “I” and “mine” exist here. Everything is done for its sake. But once this ignorance finally disintegrates, the personal point of view also disappears. Actions still happen, but they are no longer done for anyone.
It is like a pot whose bottom has fallen out. No matter how much water is poured into it, nothing remains inside. Thoughts and ideas still arise and cease naturally as functions of the aggregates, but nothing sticks to the Citta because the container that once held them—ignorance—has been destroyed. A thought arises one moment and disappears the next. Since nothing contains it and nobody claims ownership of it, the thought simply vanishes. The nature that knows this complete emptiness is fully content within itself. This is true absolute purity, completely free from all burdens.
The true nature of the Citta is so thoroughly hidden by ignorance that its incredible purity is never seen. The deception of ignorance is so skillfully disguised that meditators who reach this stage are easily fooled. They become deeply fascinated by what seems to be the Citta’s true magnificence. They treasure it so much that they feel they must protect it at all costs, believing that this radiant wonder is their real self.
Genuine ignorance is a single focal point containing many extraordinary and subtle qualities hidden inside it. These qualities contaminate the Citta in the same way a tiny poisoned bait can kill an animal. Since there are no good worldly comparisons for these hidden contaminations, only a brief explanation can be given. They include a radiance so magnificent that it appears complete and perfect; a happiness so exceptional that it seems beyond all conventional reality; a feeling of invulnerability that seems untouchable; and a strong attachment to this radiant state, cherishing it as something supremely precious.
The ignorance-filled Citta appears to possess every virtue. It is bright, fearless, deeply contented, and its knowing quality seems limitless. Yet despite understanding countless things, it still does not understand itself. This is the fundamental ignorance hidden within genuine ignorance. The moment this knowing nature turns back and investigates itself, ignorance instantly disintegrates. Its destruction reveals the true nature of the Citta and the true nature of Dhamma. Ignorance alone had hidden this truth.
Meditators who are not highly skilled in wisdom will struggle to escape genuine ignorance because ordinary ignorance and genuine ignorance are very different. Ordinary ignorance contains many different forms of delusion, both internal and external. It is like a tree with leaves, branches, twigs, and a trunk. Genuine ignorance, however, is like a tree that has already been cut down and stripped of its branches. Through persistent wisdom, the many outward expressions of ignorance are gradually removed one by one until everything converges into a single point within the Citta. At that stage, ignorance no longer has the many activities it once controlled. What remains at that point is the genuine ignorance itself.
The branches of ignorance are countless and varied. All other mental defilements are merely its offshoots. By focusing only on the branches, we overlook the root. Because of this, when we finally encounter genuine ignorance, we fail to recognize it. It is like a vine that spreads far across the ground with countless tangled branches. We must follow the vine all the way back to its source until we find the main stem. There we discover the root. Once the root is pulled out, the entire plant dies.
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