The Two Root Causes (Continued from Yesterday)

So, in the forward cycle, avijjā (ignorance) is the leader and taṇhā (craving) is the follower. In the reverse cycle, taṇhā is the leader and avijjā is the follower. In truth, they are inseparable. If one exists, both exist (sahajāta - co-arisen). Because these two root causes work together in unison, striving for the perpetuation of saṃsāra, the Most Venerable Mogok Sayadaw placed them at the very center, the hub, of the great wheel. Yesterday, it was explained that the Buddha taught to abandon the forward cycle in order to refute uccheda-diṭṭhi (the view of annihilation) and to abandon the reverse cycle in order to refute sassata-diṭṭhi (the view of eternalism). It is clear that we now need to further explain, in connection with the word diṭṭhi (view), the following: How many types of diṭṭhi are there? Why is it necessary to abandon diṭṭhi? How significant is the difference between having and not having diṭṭhi? How can one assess which diṭṭhi is present in one's own mind? Only...