Nirvana and non-existence?

David_2009

I'm hoping some people can help me understand something, I'm a bit confused about what Nirvana actually is, at first, from what I head people say, I thought it was about non-existence, and that you ceased to exist once you reached it, but, then, after asking a few more people (in different places), I got corrected, apparantly, you do still exist, but, you're free of all suffering, all characteristics (like gender, your likes, dislikes, etc), so, you're still you, but, not you, if that makes any sense?.

I was just wondering, have I understood that right, or am I completely misunderstanding what Nirvana is, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks .

David.

Valtiel

Nibbana is an internal state of peace. That's all. One is free from delusion, greed, and aversion. One is free from clinging, and thus free from dukkha. Dukkha is mental suffering/dis-ease.

No, attaining Nibbana does not mean you cease to exist; the Buddha lived a long life after attaining Nibbana. He still felt physical pain, got sick, aged, and eventually died just as everyone else does.

You're not free from all characteristics such as gender. Nibbana didn't make the Buddha's penis fall off and if one were to fail to acknowledge their physical gender then that would be delusion and clinging, which a buddha is free of.

You are free of clinging to things as I/self/mine. For example, um... a buddha wouldn't be hurt or offended if you told him "it" look liked a baby carrot.

Jeffrey

Nirvana is liberation from greed, ill-will, and delusion. I think in some cases 'peaceful nirvana' is spoken of as not the eventual goal. In that case only greed and ill will are uprooted but not delusion. Got that on wikipedia ie no reason to get in an argument

theuprising

o0Mundus-Vult-Decipi0o wrote: »

Nibbana is an internal state of peace. That's all. One is free from delusion, greed, and aversion. One is free from clinging, and thus free from dukkha. Dukkha is mental suffering/dis-ease.

No, attaining Nibbana does not mean you cease to exist; the Buddha lived a long life after attaining Nibbana. He still felt physical pain, got sick, aged, and eventually died just as everyone else does.

You're not free from all characteristics such as gender. Nibbana didn't make the Buddha's penis fall off and if one were to fail to acknowledge their physical gender then that would be delusion and clinging, which a buddha is free of.

You are free of clinging to things as I/self/mine. For example, um... a buddha wouldn't be hurt or offended if you told him "it" look liked a baby carrot.

I made many threads about this, and the answer is that even the buddha couldn't accurately describe this state, though it was stated that it was a permanent happiness, is desirable, and pleasant.

This may help:
http://www.enotalone.com/article/4091.html

Buddha said:
"The arahant who has been released from the five aggregates is deep, immeasurable like the mighty ocean. To say that he is reborn would not fit the case. To say that he is neither reborn nor not reborn would not fit the case."

To me that seems similar to becoming "everything" such as in hindu tradition though I know most here would disagree with me.

And correct me if I'm wrong but there is a distinguishing between Nirvana and Nibbana, and I think Nibbana is experienced after death, while Nirvana is a mind free of all kilesas.

Deshy

o0Mundus-Vult-Decipi0o wrote: »

Nibbana didn't make the Buddha's penis fall off ...

a buddha wouldn't be hurt or offended if you told him "it" look liked a baby carrot.

Lmao

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Valtiel

And correct me if I'm wrong but there is a distinguishing between Nirvana and Nibbana, and I think Nibbana is experienced after death, while Nirvana is a mind free of all kilesas.

Pah-tay-toh, pah-tah-toh.

Sanskrit, Pali.

Nibbana/nirvana is in the here-and-now.

I made many threads about this, and the answer is that even the buddha couldn't accurately describe this state

What do you mean he couldn't accurately describe it? Based on what?

David_2009

o0Mundus-Vult-Decipi0o wrote: »

Nibbana is an internal state of peace. That's all. One is free from delusion, greed, and aversion. One is free from clinging, and thus free from dukkha. Dukkha is mental suffering/dis-ease.

No, attaining Nibbana does not mean you cease to exist; the Buddha lived a long life after attaining Nibbana. He still felt physical pain, got sick, aged, and eventually died just as everyone else does.

You're not free from all characteristics such as gender. Nibbana didn't make the Buddha's penis fall off and if one were to fail to acknowledge their physical gender then that would be delusion and clinging, which a buddha is free of.

You are free of clinging to things as I/self/mine. For example, um... a buddha wouldn't be hurt or offended if you told him "it" look liked a baby carrot.

Thanks for that explanation, it helps a bit, although, I knew the Buddha taught others till he was 80 and then died, but, what I meant by ceased to exist was, after he died, was that it?, do you just not exist anymore, or do you exist in outside of time and space, free from all suffering and karma, and limitations?.

Thanks again to you, and everyone else for replying .

Valtiel

Thanks for that explanation, it helps a bit, although, I knew the Buddha taught others till he was 80 and then died, but, what I meant by ceased to exist was, after he died, was that it?, do you just not exist anymore, or do you exist in outside of time and space

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.072.than.html

free from all suffering and karma, and limitations?.

I'm not sure what you mean by "limitations." It also sounds like your questions are presupposing an eternal "self." But what's important is that you can be free of suffering and transcend kamma in the here-and-now. The Buddha said: "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

pegembara

When one awakens, it is seen that the whole process of ego mind has blinded them from seeing what has always been before us, as us. All the words drop away, the “me” is seen through, and it is not a matter of "I am one with reality", there is just This. It cannot be named because it is seen beyond the abstraction of language, concepts, such as something or nothing, living or dying, being or not being, which are all just ideas. No idea is real.
Enlightenment is never a conclusion. To come to a conclusion one must see it in regard to the past as ideas about how all this works and comes together. Enlightenment has no past. Nor does it have a future. It is what Is, the Suchness of Life Itself. Now, for one to conclude this is true, it is not worth the empty thoughts we have about anything.

If you come to understand the ego process and see how it functions in you and all of those around you, you will be far closer to awakening than by merely going to some teacher who may or may not know what is true. Not only that, you will become far freer in your day to day living. All your relationships will be understood more clearly. You will understand when things fall apart what the basic cause is. Every day becomes many lessons on what is not real, what causes you to suffer, what keeps you from letting go and truly loving the people, animals, and all of life.

theuprising

pegembara wrote: »

I still don't understand... why speak in riddles... what is this nirvana, I must KNOW what it is not just know that it is the presupposed end goal. If I don't know what it is, how do I know its the end goal and not just some god realm and the real "end" is further down the rabbit hole, if there is one at all...

Valtiel

What riddle do you speak of?

Deshy

theuprising wrote: »

I still don't understand... why speak in riddles... what is this nirvana, I must KNOW what it is not just know that it is the presupposed end goal. If I don't know what it is, how do I know its the end goal and not just some god realm and the real "end" is further down the rabbit hole, if there is one at all...

Nirvana is when you get the wisdom of the three truths: non-self, suffering and impermanence. It's not this day-to-day understanding that we have that things are impermanent as in people die etc. It's a ground-breaking insight into the nature of things which arise and eventually pass away and that there is no solid entity called a self which is constant and how this "impermanence" causes us suffering because we delusively get attached to things.

If you want to find out sit down and meditate. I don't know a better way to see this for yourself.
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BrotherBob

Dear,

Please see this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odWIPhj-ivo

Shalom and Hugs

BrotherBob

Dear David,

You may also study 'Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche – Madhyamakavatara – 1996'

Downloadable at:

http://www.siddharthasintent.org/teachings/publications/madhyamika-commentary.html

I like page(s) around page 44.

But you may search the document also for Nirvana as a keyword.

Shalom and Hugs

Palzang

There is no mystery, uprising. Nirvana looks just like samsara, but you're different. You no longer look at it from the reference point of "I". Or any reference point at all, actually.

Palzang

hermitwin

* Nirvana
To cease blowing. Nirvana is the ultimate goal of Buddhism, the third noble truth. In nirvana, the suffering and the desire that causes suffering have come to an end, as has the cycle of birth and death. Sometimes nirvana is referred to by the Buddha as 'unborn' and 'unconditioned', in contrast to the phenomenal world we experience in our unenlightened state.