Delusion (Pāli: Moha)

An ordinary worldling can be distinguished from a person of Wisdom or a saint
thus: The ordinary worldling is deluded whilst the person of Wisdom or a saint is not deluded. One is considered deluded if one accepts the knowledge of conventional truth (sammuti sacca; saṃvṛti satya) as the knowledge of the ultimate Truth (Pal. paramattha Sacca; Sans. paramārtha Satya). Whoever beholds only the multiplicity of forms or phenomena of the empirical world perceives only the appearance. The appearance is only the conventional truth. Multiplicity is therefore illusive. Multiplicity is merely the shadow of ultimate Truth. Whoever discerns intuitively the eternal Truth of Unity as the ultimate Truth is not deluded. He is truly wise or discerning with the Dhamma eye. The

manifest of multiplicity is the result of false mental conceptualization as the mind is directed by a false self. When an ignorant worldling has developed right view (sammā diṭṭhi), the True Self will be manifested. The pure consciousness is True Self. The development of Wisdom (Paññā) of insight (vipassanā) into the ultimate Truth of Insubstantiality (Anattā ) or Non-duality (Advaita) obliterates delusion. Self or ego-directed mind of the ordinary consciousness can not discern Insubstantiality, Non-duality or Unity.

 The metaphor of rope and snake helps distinguish delusion from Wisdom: When one mistakes a rope to be a snake at night, one is said to be deluded by illusion. Illusion conceals Truth. When light dawns, he realizes that it is only a rope not a snake. This illustrates the notion of normal self-awakening. Therefore, ‘Delusion’ is the distorted view of the Truth or Reality. ‘Delusion’ can also be defined as a false belief or delusive belief known as wrong view (micchā diṭṭhi) in contrast with right view (sammā diṭṭhi) of the true nature of all phenomena.

In Buddhist perspective and,in fact, in all major esoteric religions, such as Upaniṣads, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, the superimposition of illusive Self (Attā) or Ego (Ahạmkāra) is a ‘Delusion’. Whoever superimposes a false Self or Ego onto one’s human personality perceives the multiplicity of the empirical world which is, in actuality, a cosmic illusion (māyā). All esoteric religions posits that the multiplicity or appearance is an illusion like a dream, magic, mirage, echo, the reflected moon in the water and so forth. The deluded mind creates the false vision of multiplicity. The empirical world, experienced by the ordinary worldling, is merely the reflection of deluded thoughts or false mental constructs.

 From Buddhist perspective, whoever superimposes self or ego-identity upon the six sense faculties or the five aggregates is deluded. The six sense faculties are the six sense organs of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. The five Aggregates (Pañcakkhandhā) are form, feelings, perceptions, volitions or dispositions and consciousness. The grasping or clinging (upādāna) upon the six sense faculties or five aggregates is viewed as the Buddhist concept of Delusion which evokes greed (lobha) and hatred (dosa). Greed and hatred, rooted in Delusion, create the offshoots of other unwholesome emotions, such as conflict, anger, friction, tension, ill-will disharmony, disputation and so forth.

This false mind of self or ego-grasping upon our mind and body leads to the arising of attachment and aversion. Attachment and aversion are not only the cause of vexation and suffering but also they entangle one to the bondage of transmigration - the incessant cycle of rebirth. It is only through self-enlightenment, activated by self-awakening from the slumber of ignorance, that Delusion can be eliminated. One is said to be self-awakened when one has developed the Wisdom of Insight (Vipassanā) into the Three Universal Characteristics of the five aggregates. Wisdom is developed from treading on the Buddha’s expounded path of the fourth item Four Noble Truths (Cattāri Ariya Saccāni) – the Noble Eight-fold Path.

The Three universal Characteristics are Impermanence (Anicca), Suffering (Dukkha) and Insubstantiality or Selflessness (Anattā). Their intuitive discernment requires the intuitive apprehension of principle of Dependent Co-arising (Paṭiccasamuppāda). Dependent Co-arising strictly corresponds to the ultimate Truth of Unity or Non-duality. Nothing in the empirical world exists as an independent or separate self-contained entity. All phenomena are interrelated and interdependent. They are all dependently co-arisen constituting a Unity or Wholeness.

The Four Noble Truths are the First Noble Truth of Suffering (Dukkha), the Second Noble Truth of the Cause (Samudaya) of Suffering, The Third Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (Dukkhanirodha) and the Fourth Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering (Magga). Only the intuitive apprehension of Insubstantiality, Unity or Non-duality in terms of Dependent Co-arising consummates the Noble Eight-fold Path formulated in the Fourth Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering.

In conclusion, in fact all esoteric religions, including Buddhism, of course, promulgates that the illusion of the world conceals us from perceiving the absolute Truth. Consequently, we perceive the world with an ego or self superimposed by our wrong worldview. This impedes liberation. The elimination of Delusion corresponds with the annihilation of illusive self or ego falsely constructed by our own ignorance. Destruction of ignorance eradicates Delusion. Obliteration of delusion develops the Wisdom of Insight into the eternal Truth of Insubstantiality, Non-duality or Unity. In Unity, multiplicity vanishes. In multiplicity, Truth is veiled. When the Truth is concealed by multiplicity, one is deluded and goes astray from the holy path.

Having obliterated Delusion, the Enlightened One acts with both Wisdom and compassion. The delivered One is characterized by the manifest of the four sublime state of Brahmavihāras. the Brahmaviharas are boundless loving-kindness (mettā), boundless compassion (karuṇā), bondless appreciative joy (muditā) and most importantly, boundless equanimity (upekkhā). The boundless or non-discriminative radiation of the first three sublime virtues is made possible by the boundless virtue of equanimity.  From the perspective of monotheism, such Man of maximal excellence is able to love his or her neighbours like himself or herself and most significantly, he or she can also love his or her enemies. The ability to love one’s neighbours like oneself and also the enemies which assail him or her implicates that his self or ego has been eradicated. All esoteric religions teach the same first principle of obliterating self or ego in order for a believer or an adherent to be saved or liberated from inceccesant suffering !

In Buddhism, the Man of maximal excellence emerges as an Arahant, Paccekabuddha, a Bodhisattva or Buddha. The status of the Perfect man is contigent upon the degree of profoundity of self-awakening to the absolute Truth of Insubstantiality, Non-duality or Unity.

In Christianity, when the saved believer is not deluded by self or ego, the Holy Spirit of God or Jesus indwells in the heart of the Christian saint. The saved Christian is said to be born of God. In Islam, the undeluded Perfect Man is designated as ‘al-Insān al-Kāmil. In Hinduism, the undeluded Perfect Man is labelled as ‘Brahman’. In Taoist appellation, the undeluded Man is the ‘Man of Tao’. In Confucianism, a ‘Jun-zi’ is said to have emerged. Though the designations may be dissimilar, these religious saints are identical in their Wisdom and Love - they live in Truth with supreme Wisdom and conduct without delusion. They are the true gifts to the world.