In sramanic thought, Nirvana (Sanskrit: , Nirvāṇa; Tamil:; Pali: Nibbāna; Prakrit: Thai: นิพพาน, Nípphaan) is the state of being free from suffering. It is an important concept in Buddhism and Jainism.
"Nibbāna" is a Pāli word that means "blowing out" — that is, blowing out the fires of greed, hatred, and delusion.
Nirvana in Buddhism
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The Buddha described nirvana as the perfect peace of the state of mind that is free from craving, anger and other afflictive states (kilesas). The subject is at peace with the world, has compassion for all and gives up obsessions and fixations. This peace is achieved when the existing volitional formations are pacified, and the conditions for the production of new ones are eradicated. In Nibbana the root causes of craving and aversion have been extinguished such that one is no longer subject to human suffering (dukkha) or further states of rebirths in samsara.
The Pali Canon also contains other perspectives on nirvana; for one, it is linked to seeing the empty nature of phenomena. It is also presented as a radical reordering of consciousness and unleashing of awareness. Scholar Herbert Guenther states that with nirvana "the ideal personality, the true human being" becomes reality.
The Buddha in the Dhammapada says of nirvana that it is "the highest happiness". This happiness is an enduring, transcendental happiness integral to the calmness attained through enlightenment or bodhi, rather than the happiness derived from impermanent things. The knowledge accompanying nirvana is expressed through the word bodhi
.
The Buddha explains nirvana as "the unconditioned" (asankhata) mind, a mind that has come to a point of perfect lucidity and clarity due to the cessation of the production of volitional formations. This is described by the Buddha as "deathlessness" (Pali: amata or amaravati) and as the highest spiritual attainment, the natural result that accrues to one who lives a life of virtuous conduct and practice in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path. Such a life engenders increasing control over the generation of karma (Skt; Pali, kamma). It produces wholesome karma with positive results and finally allows the cessation of the origination of karma altogether with the attainment of nibbana. Otherwise, beings forever wander through the impermanent and suffering-generating realms of desire, form, and formlessness, collectively termed samsara.
Each liberated individual produces no new karma, but preserves a particular individual personality which is the result of the traces of his or her karmic heritage. The very fact that there is a psycho-physical substrate during the remainder of an arahant's lifetime shows the continuing effect of karma.
While nirvana is "unconditioned", it is not "uncaused" or "independent." The stance of the early scriptures is that attaining nibbana in either the current or some future birth depends on effort, and is not pre-determined. Furthermore, salvation according to the Pali Nikayas is not the recognition of a pre-existing or eternal perfection, but is the attainment of something that is hitherto unattained. This is also the orthodox Yogacara position, and that of Buddhaghosa.
See also: Dependent arising#Dependent arising of enlightenment
Etymology
Nirvana is a compound of the prefix ni[r]- (ni, nis, nih) which means "out, away from, without", and the root vâ[na] (Pali. vâti) which can be translated as "blowing" as in "blowing of the wind", and also as "smelling, etc".
The Abhidharma-mahavibhāsa-sāstra, a Sarvastivādin commentary, 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 karma."
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" (raga, dvesa, avidya) or "three characteristics of existence" (impermanence, anitya; unsatisfactoriness, dukkha, soullessness, anàtman).
Vāna, meaning "weaving", + nir, meaning "knot" = "freedom from the knot of the distressful thread of karma."
"Nibbāna" is a Pāli word that means "blowing out" — that is, blowing out the fires of greed, hatred, and delusion.
Nirvana in Buddhism
Part of a series onBuddhism
Portal of Buddhism
History of Buddhism
Timeline - Buddhist councils
Major figures
Gautama BuddhaDisciples · Later Buddhists
Dharma or concepts
Four Noble TruthsNoble Eightfold PathThree marks of existenceDependent originationSaṃsāra · NirvāṇaSkandha · CosmologyKarma · Rebirth
Practices and attainment
Buddhahood · Bodhisattva4 stages of enlightenmentWisdom · MeditationSmaran · Precepts · PāramitāsThree Jewels · MonasticsLaity
Countries and regions
Schools
Theravāda · MahāyānaVajrayāna · Zen
Texts
Chinese canon · Pali canonTibetan canon
Related topicsOutline of Buddhism
Comparative studiesCultural elements
This box: view • talk • edit
The Buddha described nirvana as the perfect peace of the state of mind that is free from craving, anger and other afflictive states (kilesas). The subject is at peace with the world, has compassion for all and gives up obsessions and fixations. This peace is achieved when the existing volitional formations are pacified, and the conditions for the production of new ones are eradicated. In Nibbana the root causes of craving and aversion have been extinguished such that one is no longer subject to human suffering (dukkha) or further states of rebirths in samsara.
The Pali Canon also contains other perspectives on nirvana; for one, it is linked to seeing the empty nature of phenomena. It is also presented as a radical reordering of consciousness and unleashing of awareness. Scholar Herbert Guenther states that with nirvana "the ideal personality, the true human being" becomes reality.
The Buddha in the Dhammapada says of nirvana that it is "the highest happiness". This happiness is an enduring, transcendental happiness integral to the calmness attained through enlightenment or bodhi, rather than the happiness derived from impermanent things. The knowledge accompanying nirvana is expressed through the word bodhi
.The Buddha explains nirvana as "the unconditioned" (asankhata) mind, a mind that has come to a point of perfect lucidity and clarity due to the cessation of the production of volitional formations. This is described by the Buddha as "deathlessness" (Pali: amata or amaravati) and as the highest spiritual attainment, the natural result that accrues to one who lives a life of virtuous conduct and practice in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path. Such a life engenders increasing control over the generation of karma (Skt; Pali, kamma). It produces wholesome karma with positive results and finally allows the cessation of the origination of karma altogether with the attainment of nibbana. Otherwise, beings forever wander through the impermanent and suffering-generating realms of desire, form, and formlessness, collectively termed samsara.
Each liberated individual produces no new karma, but preserves a particular individual personality which is the result of the traces of his or her karmic heritage. The very fact that there is a psycho-physical substrate during the remainder of an arahant's lifetime shows the continuing effect of karma.
While nirvana is "unconditioned", it is not "uncaused" or "independent." The stance of the early scriptures is that attaining nibbana in either the current or some future birth depends on effort, and is not pre-determined. Furthermore, salvation according to the Pali Nikayas is not the recognition of a pre-existing or eternal perfection, but is the attainment of something that is hitherto unattained. This is also the orthodox Yogacara position, and that of Buddhaghosa.
See also: Dependent arising#Dependent arising of enlightenment
Etymology
Nirvana is a compound of the prefix ni[r]- (ni, nis, nih) which means "out, away from, without", and the root vâ[na] (Pali. vâti) which can be translated as "blowing" as in "blowing of the wind", and also as "smelling, etc".
The Abhidharma-mahavibhāsa-sāstra, a Sarvastivādin commentary, 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 karma."
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" (raga, dvesa, avidya) or "three characteristics of existence" (impermanence, anitya; unsatisfactoriness, dukkha, soullessness, anàtman).
Vāna, meaning "weaving", + nir, meaning "knot" = "freedom from the knot of the distressful thread of karma."
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In sramanic thought, Nirvana is the state of being free from suffering. It is an important concept in Buddhism and Jainism.
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