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'' ( Sanskrit: निर्वाण; Pali: निब्बान 'Nibbāna'; Vietnamese: ''Niết bàn''; Chinese: 涅槃; Mandarin Pinyin: ''nièpán'', Cantonese: ''nihppùhn''; Japanese: ; Korean: 열반, ''yeolbhan''; Thai: ''nibpan'' นิพพาน); Tibetan ''mya-ngan-las-'das-pa''; Mongolian ɣ''asalang-aca nögcigsen''), is a Sanskrit word that literally means "to cease blowing" (as when a candle flame ceases to flicker) and/or ''extinguishing'' (that is, of the passions).
It is a state that is free from any mind-contaminants (''kilesa'') such as lust, anger or craving; a state of perfect peace unobstructed by psychological conditioning (''sankhara''). All forms of craving are extinguished such that one is no longer subject to human suffering (''dukkha'') or further states of rebirths in the samsara. The Buddha in the Dhammapada says of that it is "the highest happiness". This is not the sense-based happiness of everyday life, nor the concept of happiness as interpreted by Western culture, but rather an enduring, transcendental happiness integral to the calmness attained through enlightenment or ''bodhi''. The knowledge accompanying nirvana is expressed through the word ''bodhi''.
The Buddha describes the abiding in as "deathlessness" (Pali: amata or amaravati) or "the unconditioned" and as the highest spiritual attainment, the natural result that accrues to one who lives a life of virtuous conduct and practise in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path. Such a life dissolves the causes for future becoming (Skt, ''karma''; Pali, ''kamma'') that otherwise keep beings forever wandering through the impermanent and suffering-generating realms of desire, form, and formlessness, termed ''samsara''.

Contents

Overview

and

in Buddhist commentaries

in the Sūtra

Paths to in the Pali canon

Quotations

See also

Notes

External links

Overview

The Buddha agrees that though Nirvana should be the ultimate goal for all samsaric existences, the attainment of it is difficult to comprehend as it is beyond that outlined in any human experience. In ''Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta'' he likens it to the cessation and extinguishing of a fire where the materials for sustenance has been removed:
:"Profound, Vaccha, is this phenomenon, hard to see, hard to realize, tranquil, refined, beyond the scope of conjecture, subtle, to-be-experienced by the wise."
:"'the liberated mind (citta) that no longer clings' means Nibbāna" (Majjhima Nikaya 2-Att. 4.68).

"There is that dimension where there is neither earth, nor water, nor fire, nor wind; neither dimension of the infinitude of space, nor dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, nor dimension of nothingness, nor dimension of neither perception nor non-perception; neither this world, nor the next world, nor sun, nor moon. And there, I say, there is neither coming, nor going, nor stasis; neither passing away nor arising: without stance, without foundation, without support [mental object]. This, just this, is the end of stress."

When a person who has realized dies, his death is referred as his '', his ''fully passing away'', as his life was his last link to the cycle of death and rebirth ('samsara'), and he will not be reborn again. Buddhism holds that the ultimate goal and end of samsaric existence (of ever "becoming" and "dying" and never truly being) is realization of ; what happens to a person after his cannot be explained adequately, as it is outside of all conceivable experience of this world.;)

and

In Mahāyāna Buddhism, calling the "opposite" of or implying that it is apart from is doctrinally problematic. According to early Mahāyāna Buddhism, they can be considered to be two aspects of the same perceived reality. By the time of Nāgārjuna, there are teachings of the identity of and . However, even here it is assumed that the natural man suffers from at the very least a confusion regarding the nature of .
The Theravāda school makes the antithesis of and Nibbāna the starting point of the entire quest for deliverance. Even more, it treats this antithesis as determinative of the final goal, which is precisely the transcendence of and the attainment of liberation in Nibbāna. Where Theravada differs significantly from the Mahāyāna schools, which also start with the duality of and , is in not regarding this polarity as a mere preparatory lesson tailored for those with blunt faculties, to be eventually superseded by some higher realization of non-duality. From the standpoint of the Pāli Suttas, even for the Buddha and the Arahants suffering and its cessation, and Nibbāna, remain distinct.
In the experience of all, is a state which all six bases (Eye, Ear, Nose, Tongue, Body and Mind) cannot feel.
It is probably best to understand the relationship between and in terms of the Buddha while on earth. Buddha was both in saṃsāra while having attained to Nirvāṇa so that he was seen by all, and simultaneously free from .

in Buddhist commentaries

Sarvastivādin commentary, Abhidharma-mahavibhāsa-sāstra, gives the complete context of the possible meanings from its Sanskrit roots:

★ Vāna, implying the path of rebirth, + nir, meaning leaving off' or "being away from the path of rebirth."

★ Vāna, meaning 'stench', + nir, meaning "freedom": "freedom from the stench of distressing kamma."

★ Vāna, meaning "dense forests", + nir, meaning "to get rid of" = "to be permanently rid of the dense forest of the five aggregates" (panca skandha), or the "three roots of greed, hate and delusion" (lobha, dosa, moha) or "three characteristics of existence" (impermanence, anitya; unsatisfactoriness, dukkha, soullessness, anàtma).

★ Vāna, meaning "weaving", + nir, meaning "knot" = "freedom from the knot of the distressful thread of kamma."

in the Sūtra

The nature of assumes a differently aspected Mahāyāna focus in the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra or Nirvana Sutra, which alleges to be the final of all Mahāyāna sutras, delivered - the sutra indicates - by the Buddha on his last day of life on earth. Here, as well as in a number of related "tathagatagarbha" sutras, in which the Tathagatagarbha is equated with the Buddha's eternal Self or eternal nature, is spoken of by the Mahāyāna Buddha in very "cataphatic", positive terms. , or "Great ", is indicated to be the sphere or domain ('vishaya') of the True Self. It is seen as the state which constitutes the attainment of what is "Eternal, the Self, Bliss, and the Pure". '' ("Great ") thus becomes equivalent to the ineffable, unshakeable, blissful, all-pervading and deathless Selfhood of the Buddha himself - a mystery which no words can adequately reach and which, according to the '' Sutra'', can only be fully known by an Awakened Being - a perfect Buddha - directly.
The Buddha of the '' Sutra'' gives the following definition of the attributes of , which includes the ultimate reality of the Self (not to be confused with the "worldly ego" of the five skandhas):

"The attributes of are eightfold. What are these eight? Cessation (''nirodha''), loveliness/wholesomeness (''subha''), Truth (''satya''), Reality (''tattva''), eternity (''nitya''), bliss (''sukha''), the Self (''atman''), and complete purity (''parisuddhi''): that is ."

He further states: "Non-Self is (the cycle of rebirth); the Self (atman) is ."
An important facet of in general is that it is not something that comes about from a concatenation of causes, that springs into existence as a result of an act of creation or an agglomeration of causative factors: it was never created; it always was, is and will be. But due to the moral and mental darkness of ordinary, samsarically benighted sentient beings, it remains hidden from unawakened perception. The Buddha of the insists on its eternal nature and affirms its identity with the enduring, blissful Self, saying:

It is not the case that the inherent nature of did not primordially exist but now exists. If the inherent nature of did not primordially exist but does now exist, then it would not be free from taints ('āsravas') nor would it be eternally ('nitya') present in nature. Regardless of whether there are Buddhas or not, its intrinsic nature and attributes are eternally present ... Because of the obscuring darkness of the mental afflictions ('kileśas'), beings do not see it. The Tathāgata, endowed with omniscient awareness ('sarvajñā-jñāna'), lights the lamp of insight with his skill-in-means ('upāya-kauśalya') and causes Bodhisattvas to perceive the Eternal, Bliss, the Self, and the Pure of .

Vitally, according to these Mahāyāna teachings, any being who has reached is not blotted out or extinguished: there is the extinction of the impermanent and suffering-prone "worldly self" or ego, comprised of the five changeful skandhas, but not of the immortal "supramundane" Self of the indwelling Buddha Principle [''Buddha-dhatu'']. Spiritual death for such a -ed being becomes an utter impossibility. The Buddha states in the "" (Tibetan version): " is deathless ... Those who have passed into are deathless. I say that anybody who is endowed with careful assiduity is not compounded and, even though they involve themselves in compounded things, they do not age, they do not die, they do not perish."

Paths to in the Pali canon

In the Visuddhimagga, Ch. I, v. 6 (Buddhaghosa & , 1999, pp. 6-7), Buddhaghosa identifies various options within the Pali canon for pursuing a path to ,^[1] including:
# by insight (''vipassana'') alone (see Dh. 277)^[2]
# by jhana and understanding (see Dh. 372)^[3]
# by deeds, vision and righteousness (see MN iii.262)^[4]
# by virtue, consciousness and understanding (7SN i.13)^[5]
# by virtue, understanding, concentration and effort (see SN i.53)^[6]
# by the four foundations of mindfulness (see Satipatthana Sutta, DN ii.290)^[7]
Depending on one's analysis, each of these options could be seen as a reframing of the Buddha's Threefold Training of virtue, mental development^[8] and wisdom.

Quotations

★ Gautama Buddha:

★
★ " is the highest happiness." [Dp 204]

★
★ "Where there is nothing; where naught is grasped, there is the Isle of No-Beyond. do I call it -- the utter extinction of aging and dying."

★
★ "There is, monks, an unborn -- unbecome -- unmade -- unfabricated. If there were not that unborn -- unbecome -- unmade -- unfabricated, there would not be the case that emancipation from the born -- become -- made -- fabricated would be discerned. But precisely because there is an unborn -- unbecome -- unmade -- unfabricated, emancipation from the born -- become -- made -- fabricated is discerned." [Udana VIII.3]

★
★ This said: ‘the liberated mind/will (citta) which does not cling’ means Nibbāna” [MN2-Att. 4.68]

★
★ “'The subjugation of becoming means '; this means the subjugation of the five aggregates means .” [SN-Att. 2.123]

★
★ "Parinibbuto thitatto" -" is to be fixed in the Soul" [Sn 372]

★ Said immediately after the physical death of Gotama Buddha wherein his mind (citta) is ==the essence of liberation:

★
★ [DN 2.157] “No longer with (subsists by) in-breath nor out-breath, so is him (Gotama) who is steadfast in mind (citta), inherently quelled from all desires the mighty sage has passed beyond. With mind (citta) limitless (Brahman) he no longer bears sensations; illumined and unbound (nibbana), his mind (citta) is definitely (ahu) liberated.”

★
★ [SN 3.45] “The mind (citta) being so liberated and arisen from defilements, one is fixed in the Soul as liberation, one is quelled in fixation upon the Soul. Quelled in the Soul one is unshakable. So being unshakable, the very Soul is thoroughly unbound ().”

★ Sutta Nipāta, tr. Rune Johansson:

★
★

★
★

★
★ Like a flame that has been blown out by a strong wind goes to rest and cannot be defined, just so the sage who is freed from name and body goes to rest and cannot be defined.
For him who has gone to rest there is no measure by means of which one could describe him; that is not for him. When all (dharmas) have gone, all signs of recognition have also gone.^[9]

★ Venerable Sariputta:

★
★ The destruction of greed, hatred and delusion is .

See also

★ Ataraxia

★ Baqaa

★ Bhagavad Gita

★ Dzogchen

★ Hinduism

★ Jainism

★ Moksha

★ Parinirvana

★ Satori

★ Void (Buddhism)

★ Voidism

★ Zen

Notes

1. A number of the suttas referenced below as well as Buddhaghosa himself refer not explicitly to but to "the path of purification" (Pali: ''Visuddhimagga''). In Visuddhimagga, Ch. I, v. 5, Buddhaghosa notes: "Herein, ''purification'' should be understood as nibbana, which being devoid of all stains, is utterly pure" (Buddhaghosa & , 1999, p. 6).
2. See Buddharakkhita (1996a). In the Paramattha-mañjūsā (the Visuddhimagga commentary), vv. 9-10, it adds the following caveat regarding this option of "insight alone":
:The words 'insight alone' are meant to exclude, not virtue, etc., but serenity (i.e., jhana), ... [as typically reflected] in the pair, serenity and insight.... [T]he word 'alone' actually excludes only that concentration with distinction [of jhanic absorption]; for concentration is classed as both access [or momentary] and absorption.... Taking this stanza as the teaching for one whose vehicle is insight does not imply that there is no concentration; for no insight comes about with momentary concentration. And again, insight should be understood as the three contemplations of impermanence, pain and not-self [see ''tilakkhana'']; not contemplation of impermanence alone (Buddhaghosa & , 1999, p. 750, ''n''. 3).
3. See Buddharakkhita (1996b).
4. See Thanissaro (2003). Verse 262 of this sutta is translated by Thanissaro as:
:Action, clear-knowing, & mental qualities,
:virtue, the highest [way of] life:
: through this are mortals purified,
: not through clan or wealth.
5. The option expressed by SN i.13 is the basis for the entire rest of the Visuddhimagga's exposition. It is the very first paragraph of the Visuddhimagga and states:
:When a wise man, established well in virtue,
:Develops consciousness and understanding,
:Then as a bhikku ardent and sagacious
:He succeeds in disentangling this tangle. (Buddhaghosa & , 1999, p. 1)
In the Visuddhimagga, Ch. I, verse 2, Buddhaghosa comments that ''this tangle'' refers to "the network of craving." In verse 7, Buddhaghosa states that ''develops consciousness and understanding'' means "develops both concentration and insight." (Buddhaghosa & , 1999, pp. 1, 7)
6. Buddhaghosa & (1999), p. 7, translate SN i.53 as:
:He who is possessed of constant virtue,
:Who has understanding, and is concentrated,
:Who is strenuous and diligent as well,
:Will cross the flood so difficult to cross.
7. See Thanissaro (2000). Verse 290 of this sutta is translated by Thanissaro as:
:The Blessed One said this: "This is the direct path for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow & lamentation, for the disappearance of pain & distress, for the attainment of the right method, & for the realization of Unbinding — in other words, the four frames of reference....
8. In the Nikayas mental development generally suggests the attainment of jhanic absorption; however, as indicated above in the note regarding the "insight alone" option, in some contexts it can refer to attaining "access" or "momentary" concentration without full absorption.
9. The Buddha's use of the metaphor of the extinguished flame should not be taken either in the sense of the Vedas, where fire is immortal, or the modern sense, where an extinguished fire ceases to exist. Instead he discusses a situation beyond questions of existence or non-existence. See [1]

External links

★ Nibbana - more excerpts from the Pali Tripitaka defining Nibbana

★ "Nirvana Sutra": full English translation of the "Nirvana Sutra" and appreciation of its teachings.

★ Nirvana - from Encyclopedia of Spiritual Knowledge.