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Nirvana
The
ultimate goal of Buddhism (the third Noble
Truth) is to achieve the state of Nivana. This is the cessation of the cycle
of dependent origination (the Buddhist equivalent of
what Hinduism calls Moksha)
Nirvana
means "extinguish" because desire and suffering have been extinguished
and so too has the [illusion of] a self. Nirvana is...
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the
blissful state of non-suffering, the end of suffering, even while we
continue to live the life during which we achieve this state. One who has
achieved this state is called an Arhant, an enlightened one.
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the
cessation of desire and attachment and, thus, the cessation suffering caused
by that desire and attachment.
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the
end of the chain of cause and effect which results in the "us" of
today, of this life, becoming the "us" of tomorrow, or the next
life.
Buddhism
seeks to break the chain at the point of desire.
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Thus
we can be aware (sensation) of experiences ("Mindfulness") without
desiring, grasping and becoming attached to what we encounter.
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While
Jainism attempts to avoid experiences (contact with objects of sensation)
through asceticism, Buddhist practice embraces experience but then lets it
go rather than holding on to it.
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Without
attachment to transitory things of this life one does not suffer loss when
one experience passes on to another.
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Having
achieved this goal, the chain is broken and, upon death, the enlightened one
enters the state of parinirvana. The language is misleading because
there really is no self which "enters" and once entering there
certainly is not even the illusion of a self remaining. Rather: there is
the experience of parinirvana - eternal bliss through cessation of all
transitory states of being. In essence, the "experience" of
parinirvana is a total lack of experiences (which are the basis of
existence and ultimately lead to suffering).
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Nirvana
is the cessation of desire and attachment and, since it is desire and
attachment (especially our desire to continue to exist) that lead to
continued experience of existence, once Nirvana is achieved, paranirvana
follows as the cessation of individual existence.
Ultimately,
it is impossible to clearly explain the state of nirvana and paranirvana to one
who has not yet achieved it and it is not necessary to explain it to one who has
so achieved it. The Buddha avoided saying too much about nirvana. Rather, he
encouraged his followers to seek answers for themselves, through direct personal
experience:
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A
popular saying is: "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!"
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Buddha’s
religion was not to be one of turning to him for salvation. Rather,
salvation is found in applying his teachings (the Dharma) in one’s own
life and thus becoming a Buddha (enlightened one) oneself.
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In
his final sermon Buddha instructed his disciples to "be ye lamps unto
yourselves." those who "hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Seek
salvation alone in the truth. Look not for assistance to any one besides
yourselves... It is they who shall reach the very topmost height." (Mahaparinibbana
Suttanta) (quoted in: Teachings of the
Compassionate Buddha, E. A. Burtt, ed, pp. 49 & 50)
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