Who can attain nirvana?

Floating_Abu

Ajahn Chah: Let your aim be nibbana

FairyFeller

Citta said:

You're alright you are.

I love that phrase, there's just something warm and friendly about it. You can almost feel the arm of the person saying it around your shoulder as you read it.

jll

you should say many burmese monks 'says that vippasanna is the only way.......
because the vipassana thing is a uniquely burmese phenomenon.

if you are interested in the details, let me know.


.

rohit said:

Many Buddhist monks says that vippasanna is the only way to nibbana/nirvana. I always think that whether a married person attain nirvana? Married person may have lots of worries about life partner or worry about offsprings future in this case he/she may not have stable mind.
Other hand i believe that being monk may not be a best idea because one may lost interest by living life without having means to earn. Though some monk may work to earn money to fulfill basic needs(it is good idea).

Even i came to know through Dalai Lama's speech that next birth or existence depends on thoughts or mind we have at the time of death. what you think what is necessary to be able to attain nirvana i.e to escape from being reborn again to avoid sufferings.

jll

while it is true that your last thought before death determines
your future, your last thought is conditioned
by how you lived your life.

swaydam

"Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars."

Lazy_eye

Jeffrey said:

That's a good question on turning away. I can't very well dodge it because it's what my Lama teaches. An example of turning away is happening with me right now. Will I mess up the explanation? What will people think of me?

@Jeffrey, thank you for not turning away from this question. Your reply was great, provided many good things to ponder. I was particularly struck by what you said about opening up to the fatigue or boredom that sets in when a chosen activity loses its lustre. I know this situation well -- and have also found through personal experience that it's precisely at such times when the deepest engagement can result, if one pushes through the habitual reaction.

upekka

Citta said:

I


just one problem with this little scenario. When enlightenment happens ..' you ' wont be there......."

there is nothing to be afraid of

Enlightened does not mean it is your last breath

one could live after the Enlightenment

what happen is he who Enlightened would never be born again

misecmisc1

Citta said:

It would be possible to add a short description of the Dzogchen position, but as that does not restrict itself to the Buddhist view , it may not be appropriate here.

@Citta: Can you please tell about what is the Dzogchen position on Nirvana. i guess Dzogchen tells as its goal to realize the pure, still, radiant natural nature of mind - but i am not sure about this thing, so asking what does Dzogchen tell about its goal. thanks in advance.

Citta

upekka said:

Citta said:

I


just one problem with this little scenario. When enlightenment happens ..' you ' wont be there......."

there is nothing to be afraid of

Enlightened does not mean it is your last breath

one could live after the Enlightenment

what happen is he who Enlightened would never be born again

I suggest that reflecting a little more on Trungpa's words might be in order.
I suspect that you missed his point.

Citta

misecmisc1 said:

Citta said:

It would be possible to add a short description of the Dzogchen position, but as that does not restrict itself to the Buddhist view , it may not be appropriate here.

@Citta: Can you please tell about what is the Dzogchen position on Nirvana. i guess Dzogchen tells as its goal to realize the pure, still, radiant natural nature of mind - but i am not sure about this thing, so asking what does Dzogchen tell about its goal. thanks in advance.

" Many Dzogchen practitioners use a Buddhist platform. But Dzogchen is not Buddhist per se.
The aim of Dzogchen is to rest beyond Nirvana and Samsara and all duality. It is to rest in the great peace of the natural mind. "

Chogyal Namkhai Norbu.

In order to rest in this way we need to be introduced to natural mind by a teacher who dwells in that state.
That in essence is the Dzogchen path.

Sabre

Nirvana is a synonym for without attachments. We could wonder whether we could be without all attachments, but I think it is more fruitful to wonder what attachments are most prominent in our lives right now, and work on those. So to ask: why do I suffer? What am I attached to right now? Am I attached to sensual enjoyment, money, possessions, our health, body, life, control, consciousness, etc.? Those I think are the better questions because they encourage specific practice and gradually will lead to nirvana. I think inevitably, if we keep doing it honestly. This is an insight practice in its own right.

rohit

@swaydam said:
"Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars."
@Florian said:
I read it like you at first frederica. Words are tricky things.

Going back the OP's question, the orthodox view would be that everybody can reach Nirvana. Often I read that everybody will reach it, whether they like it or not, but there seem to be different views on this. The issue is complicated by the idea that Nirvana and Samsara are one.

One view I've come across, in an amazing text called 'The Light of Truth', author's name temporarily fogotten, is that if we do not become a 'true man' in our lifetime, then our identity will evaporate on our death and be broken down into raw material for other uses, whereas the realised being will maintain their integrity. I have no comment to make on this, but it seems to make a certain sense.

Hello, I had practiced some sort of anapana for little bit of time when i was 14 yrs old. And did yoga asana practice for some years.

I find some sense in that author, you have mentioned. I am just starting anapana and vipassana seriously to practice it regularly from now..

federica

old thread. Start a new one.