Knowledge of Illusion, without higher spiritual knowledge. The state of knowledge of the gross-conscious soul. (1a) See also Maya. (1b) The state of original ignorance, or the infinite unconsciousness of the soul, "not knowing", is described in The Nothing and The Everything, pages 307–317. (Ka 2123 )
Sanskrit word is Avidya. Literally, it means darkness without illumination. Actually it refers to illusion without englightenment, i.e., the illusory phenomena for realities. Avidya is the first or the last of the Twelve Nidanas. Ignorance, karma and desire are the three forces that cause reincarnation.
There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Jp: mumyo. The inability to comprehend the Buddha’s wisdom. Because of their ignorance sentient beings are unable to comprehend Amida Buddha’s wisdom and compassion and thus harbour doubts towards him and his teaching. Thus in Shin Buddhism ignorance is seen to be synonymous with doubt. Ignorance is the fundamental cause of the cycle of birth and death (Sanskrit: samsara).
(Skt: avidya; Tib: ma-rig-pa) Literally, "not seeing" that which exists, or the way in which things exist. There are basically two kinds, ignorance of karma and ignorance of ultimate truth. The fundamental delusion from which all others spring. The first of the twelve links of dependent origination.