Ignorance

According to Buddhism, reflecting on the reality of suffering never induces either perssimism or despair. It leads to the discovery of the root causes of our plight:desire, hatred and ignorance, and to a way of freeing our selves from them. By 'ignorance, we mean not understanding the true nature of peope and things. It gives rise to the other two poisons. When ignorance dissolves, desire and and hatred have no foundation and the source of our suffering has dried up. As a result, we experience a happiness that is spontaneously altruistic and that is no longer at the mercy of negative emotions.