Nirvana

Created January 1, 0001

Definition: To Extinguish, “blowing out” or “quenching” of the activities of the worldy mind and its related suffering.

Nirvana is the goal of the Buddhism path, and marks release from worldly Suffering and rebirths in saṃsāra Nirvana is not a place, but rather is a state of being beyond existence and non-existence. The early sutras speak of nirvana as “liberation” and “unbinding,” meaning no longer being bound to the cycle of birth and death or suffering (Dukkha)

Someone who reaches nirvana does not immediately disappear to a heavenly realm. Nirvana is better understood as a state of mind that humans can reach. It is a state of profound spiritual joy, without negative emotions and fears.

“… neither samsara nor nirvana is a place. Samsara is a process of creating places, even whole worlds, (this is called becoming) and then wandering through them (this is called birth). Nirvana is the end of this process.”

As one moves away from hate, greed, and ignorance, one can feel oneself “cooling down” INSIDE. Nibbana (“Nib“+”bäna“, where “bäna” means bonds) and thus Nibbana means break free of bonds that makes one bound to the 31 realms.