NIRVANA / NIBBANA

Nibbana / Nirvana is the cessation from dukkha as outlined in the third Noble Truth The existence of Nirvana is not the result of logical argument but the experience of an enlightened mind As Nirvana is utterly different from dependent origination, it is by definition ineffable Descriptions of Nirvana tend to be either apophatic or poetic

Apophatic descriptions (This means a description stating what something is not) In the Fire Sermon The Buddha describes Nibbana as that which quenches dukkha and tanha. It is therefore the state of not being reborn and being free from karma. It is beyond death, not physical, beyond mystical experience, beyond mind and body. It is a lack of attachment, hatred and delusion. It is also unconditional (apatittica)

Poetic descriptions It is variously described as the ‘further shore’ and ‘an island amidst the flood’ (i.e. a refuge from danger), a ‘cave of shelter’ (a refuge from the heat of the sun) and the highest bliss.

The problem Each of the two states in which Nirvana is experienced poses us a problem

Nirvana before death? Is the Arahat who has experienced Nibbana free from all desires? The Buddhist answer is that a person affected by past kamma is still able to be detached from it. For example, they may experience the pain of anger but still be mentally free from its effects, which would otherwise cause them to act (and cause further kamma).

Nirvana beyond death? Disciples frequently asked the Buddha, ‘What experiences Nibbana?’ If Nibbana means extinguishing of all desire, in what way does the person having the experience exist? The Buddha considered the four possibilities (‘He is’, ‘He is not’, ‘He is and he is not’, ‘He neither is nor is not’) to be speculative questions to which there is no answer! Speculations such as these fail to tackle the question that really matters, dukkha. In addition, the question is being asked by people who still think of themselves as having a self. Finally, if the state of Nibbana is ineffable, so too is the new conscious state

How is Nirvana to be achieved How is Nirvana to be achieved? There is much discussion as to whether it is a process achieved over a period of time or a sudden flash of enlightenment. The story of the Buddha’s life can be interpreted to advocate both. His experience of Nibbana was achieved through meditation. There are many ways in which meditation can be performed, from reciting a mantra to focusing on an object, contemplation of the Three Jewels or the Four Measureless States, or control of breathing. In this way the mind is able to pass thought he eight levels of trance or Jhanas.

How is Nirvana to be achieved How is Nirvana to be achieved? Regarding the Jhanas – the first four concentrate on ‘The sphere of pure form’ whereas the last four concentrate on ‘The sphere of formlessness’. Although there must be a willingness to achieve Nibbana, this is different from other forms of desire, which generate kamma. At the stage of the eighth Jhana even willingness has to give way to what is termed as ‘Touching Nibbana with the Body’.

Conclusions Like all religious experience it is extremely difficult to know whether enlightenment is an actual phenomenon. The Buddha himself often encountered scepticism. Some modern western psychologists believe that meditative states can be explained simply in terms of altered brain states, wish fulfilment or neurosis. In the end, the only real test of the validity of the Buddhist path is whether it actually makes a difference to daily life. Matters of rebirth and Nibbana cannot be analysed scientifically or philosophically because they are first and foremost items of faith.