The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (305 page)

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Authors: John Bowker

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(Skt.)
or avijja
(P
li), Literally ‘non-knowledge’ or ignorance. A term in Indian religions which, in its broadest connotation, means that which keeps a person bound on the wheel of transmigration (
sa
s
ra
) due to his/her action (
karma
) and so is a condition of suffering (
du
kha
).
1.  Avidy
in Hinduism.
In the
Vedas
avidy
means ignorance of ritual and moral obligations and so implies absence of knowledge rather than an ontological condition of bondage. In the
Upani
ads
it comes to mean spiritual delusion and the non-knowledge of
Brahman
. In
S
khya
-
yoga
ignorance, which is the cause of bondage and suffering, is regarded as the non-discrimination of the individual self (
puru
a
) from matter (
prak
ti
) in which it appears to be entangled. For
Advaita
Ved
nta bondage is similarly due to beginningless ignorance which, in contrast to S
khya, is the creation of distinctions where none exist; in reality there being only Brahman. For
R
m
nuja's
Vi
i

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