Nirvana
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In Buddhism, Nirvana, literally quenching or extinguishment, is the state of perfect peace free from suffering and reincarnation, reached by not wanting more than you have. Meaning happiness and peace, it is every Buddhist's goal. The Buddha described it as:
“the far shore, the subtle, the very difficult to see, the unaging, the stable, the undisintegrating, the unmanifest, the unproliferated, the peaceful, the deathless, the sublime, the auspicious, the secure, the destruction of craving, the wonderful, the amazing, the unailing, the unailing state, the unafflicted, dispassion, purity, freedom, the unadhesive, the island, the shelter, the asylum, the refuge...” (SN 43:14)
There are two stages of nirvana: sopadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa, "nirvana with remainder", and nir-upadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa, "nirvana without remainder". The former being the state of a living arhat, while the latter being entered after death.
Related pages
[change | change source]Other websites
[change | change source]- Nibbana Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine - excerpts from the Pali Tripitaka defining Nirvana
- "Nirvana Sutra": full English translation of the "Nirvana Sutra" and appreciation of its teachings.
- Buddha - A Hero's Journey to Nirvana
- Salvation Versus Liberation, A Buddhist View of Paradise Worlds
- In-depth explanation of Nibbana according to the Pali Canon Archived 2006-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
- Explanation of Nibbana according to dmc
- Mind Like Fire Unbound - a discussion of fire imagery as used in the Buddha's time
- A Buddhist practice based on the four stages of the Buddha's enlightenment that led him to Nirvana
- Nirvana - Encyclopedia of Spiritual Knowledge.
