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It is first important to understand why a person is not in nirvana.
Written language and math are sequential based. The first thing a child memorizes is how to sequence letters known as the alphabet. The next thing is a child learns how to sequence numbers known as counting. Spelling itself is based on arranging letters in the proper sequence. So the mind itself is conditioned to sequence and sequence is a left brain trait. So after one gets even a few years of education their right brain, random access, mind become veiled. So after the education ones mind is veiled like a crescent moon. Very strong left brain sequential thoughts and veiled right brain random access thoughts.
So one in nirvana simply broke this left brain heavy mindset and returned to sound mind.
Buddha became depressed left his family and he went out and starved for 39 or 43 days. That is what is known today as a suicide attempt.
What happens in this left brain extreme state is some aspects of the brain stop functioning properly so ones emotions, sense of time and most of all fear are greatly exaggerated.
The hypothalamus, amygdala and the cerebral cortex are relative to fear and emotions so when these stop functioning properly due to the education conditioning ones mind is full of fear so the remedy to this is to face ones fear and this tricks these aspects of the brain to start working properly again.
So Buddha did not eat and along the way it occurred to him he would die if he did not eat and he did not fear that and so he defeated his fear of death. This is why when Buddha was asked if he was the Messiah he simply replied "No I am just awake." He reached consciousness which means he negated the unsound state of mind the education caused.
Buddha could not tell people to go starve until you think you will die and then do not fear that because many people would die. Other words Buddha was lucky and accidentally did not die. So Buddha or the Buddhist religion has a method that is similar to defeating death but is not life threatening.
The point of this method is to defeat the shadow of death. One simply wants to trick this left brain state of mind into think it may die and then the person allows it and this left brain state of mind dies and one reverts back to sound mind. This unveils right brain and then one has extreme concentration, complexity and their sense of time is greatly reduced and of course all the emotions are working properly again so one does not suffer like they did with all of these strong emotions in their mind, like fear.
So the Buddhist tradition is for one to go to a dark place like a cemetery at night alone and mediate. Of course one with this strong fear is not going to be meditating they are going to be afraid and their mind will tell them the shadow of death is approaching and in that very second the minds tells one to run in fear that person does not run but submits to that perceived shadow of death and in about one month nirvana will kick in.
One should experiment with this approach and nothing is set in stone. Some may be able to watch a scary movie and then turn out the lights or go into the bathroom and look in the mirror and achieve the same effect. The point is to get your hypothalamus into a situation it tells you that you are going to die , it controls fight or flight response, and then you do not run and that tricks it to adjust back to normal functioning.
Avoid jumping into shark frenzies, this is a mental exercise , one only has to perceive the shadow of death not actual death. The moment your mind tells you to run because the shadow of death is coming and you do not run but allow it to come is the moment you reach nirvana, but it will not kick in for about a month and when it kicks in your entire perception is going to shift. It will hit you like a mac truck. It is a one second decision which means one has to apply self control for that one second and that is all it takes. Any other method other than this defeating ones fear of perceived death will only take much time and never guarantee one actually reaches nirvana. This ancient Buddhist method guarantee's one reaches nirvana and in one second. I am certain you understand the basic principle of this method so only question is, do you have enough self control to accomplish it?
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Comments
As for the OP I see where you are going, but for the Buddha the root of problems was not really fear as much as craving, ill-will and delusion. On another hand you begun your post saying our mind is conditioned by the way we use language. You could say that language is the source of much delusion, but it is hard to see through it, so in that point you are right on the money. I am SORRY about the joke, it was just too good to let it pass But I think its very valid that you are trying to take things into a new framework.
Just on a sidenote, cemetery meditatons can be quite peaceful.