Dependent Arising and Ignorance

This paper explores the connections between dependent arising (rten ‘brel) and ignorance (ma rig pa), particularly in the work of the 15th century philosopher Je Tsongkhapa. Three distinct philosophical claims are often made about dependent arising and ignorance: (1) dependent arising is a framework for explaining the connection between ignorance and suffering, (2) dependent arising is an object of ignorance, and (3) dependent arising is a remedy for ignorance. I will draw on the work of Tsongkhapa, particularly in his “In Praise of Dependent Arising” and The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, to work out how these three claims about dependent arising and ignorance hang together. I conclude with some reflections on the deceiving simplicity of dependent arising: why is dependent arising so predictably ignored even as it is so seemingly obvious?