Nirvana definition of the word. How to reach nirvana in everyday life

If you dream of bliss and peace, which are unattainable in real life, then you have only one option - to become a Buddha.

Ordinary person

"Buddha"- this is not a name, and even more so not the Sanskrit equivalent of the Russian word "god". "Buddha" denotes rank spiritual development. Therefore, anyone who can reach the state of nirvana has the right to call himself a Buddha.

From Sanskrit, “buddha” (the word comes from the same Indo-European root bud- as our “alarm clock”) is translated as “enlightened” or “awakened”. IN mass consciousness Buddha is associated primarily with Siddhartha Gautama (623-544 BC), mistakenly becoming another of his names. Siddhartha came from a North Indian princely family that ruled the land of the Shakya tribe. He was neither the first nor the last to achieve enlightenment. But it was Gautama who came up with the idea to save people from destructive ignorance by telling them about his mystical experience and explaining the laws of the universe. This is how Buddhism was born.

Tragedy as a way of life

Buddhists are keenly aware of the hostility of the world around them. For them, being in this world means experiencing suffering all the time. And they can be understood. Agree, you, too, are always missing something. If you get what you want, then you begin to be tormented by the fear of losing it. People are tormented by illnesses and psychological complexes, envy or indifference of loved ones. And any joy is sooner or later replaced by grief and failure. A real Buddhist is sure: a person will never be able to live happily on earth, because he was not created for this imperfect world. All his hopes for a brighter future are doomed to failure.

Keane will not be!

Buddhists believe that opposite beliefs stem from a misconception of one's own self. We Europeans are used to identifying it with our thoughts, feelings and sensations. And Buddhists consider this a mistake, because, in their opinion, there is no soul. Imagine the heroes of the film - they think, experience, love, etc. In fact, all this is nothing more than a play of light and shadow on a white screen. Our "I" is the same illusion, layered on the true human nature, which in this context acts as an uncut film. And herself human nature is an unnamed unconscious clot of energy, and its real abode is the world of nirvana (from the Sanskrit nir - "extinction"). Becoming a Buddha is an ambitious but well-founded goal. On the one hand, your "I" is placed in natural environment habitation - nirvana. On the other hand, you are leaving the circle of earthly rebirths, which (according to 3 million Buddhists) bring only new suffering. There is only one "but". You will have to work on yourself for 3000 rebirths. That is, lives.

Interesting fact. Siddhartha Gautama himself took 500 rebirths to reach nirvana. To an ordinary person they will need at least 3000. Too much. And some Buddhists agree with that. On Far East and in Tibet there are even special schools (Zen, Chan, etc.) that practice achieving nirvana in one lifetime. Their adepts, who can only be monks, concentrate not so much on Buddhist ethics (the first and second stages of spiritual development in classical Buddhism) as on meditation techniques (the third stage, see below). They are sure that special spells, coupled with complex methods of relaxation and concentration, are enough to go to nirvana in 50-60 years. However, even the great masters rarely succeed. By the way, you can comprehend Zen only with a professional teacher: many Europeans who tried to follow it on their own went crazy.

Step 1. "The right look." Get rid of your ignorance, understand that the essence of this world is suffering and any optimistic hopes are nothing more than self-deception.

Step 2. "The right intention." Clearly realize that in order to follow the path of the Buddha, you will have to sacrifice everything that usually gave (albeit illusory) pleasure.

Step 3. "The right thing to do." It is necessary to abstain from everything that causes pain to other beings. You can not kill, steal, fall into anger, trade in weapons, people and any living creatures, as well as eat them.

Step 4. "The right way of life." Resist your carnal desires. It is forbidden to eat and sleep enough, communicate with women and consume intoxicating drinks. Live only by honest work, do not maintain gambling dens and do not sell alcohol. From the money earned, spend on yourself exactly as much as is necessary to maintain life, and distribute the rest to those in need. To resist spiritual passions: pride, thirst for glory, envy and money-grubbing.

Step 5. "Correct speech." Watch your speech: do not lie, do not slander, do not swear, do not spread rumors and gossip.

Step 6. "Memory". Start mastering yoga techniques. First of all, develop the ability to concentrate. Concentrating on any subject, you need to bring yourself to a state where you can with eyes closed describe this subject in all details as accurately as if the eyes were open.

Step 7. Diligence. It is necessary to identify yourself with any chosen subject. Using the technique of concentration, you need to feel your new essence with each cell of the body and assure yourself that the chosen object is you yourself. Then return to "reality" to be convinced of the "falsity" of the experienced sensations. This is how the understanding of the relativity of images and attitudes of consciousness comes, because now it is clear: it can represent anything.

Step 8. "Concentration". At the final stage of your spiritual growth, start meditating on the image of the Buddha or some Buddhist saint. First, study this image in all details, and then identify yourself with it. If the identification succeeds, you dissolve into nirvana.

Nirvana is not a cold and colorless darkness at all. Buddhists compare it to a calm sea that knows neither storms nor hurricanes. This is a state of freedom and a special transpersonal fullness of being.

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The term "nirvana" became synonymous with some kind of blissfully relaxed state, and in the sixties, in the same distorted understanding, it entered the lexicon of drug addicts. The notion of nirvana as euphoria is completely untrue. This concept is one of the most complex in Buddhism: even the Buddha Shakyamuni himself did not give him an exact definition.

Everyone has heard the expression "fall into nirvana". It usually means something incredibly pleasant, one might even say - the peak of pleasure, a state of complete and endless bliss. "Fall into nirvana" for any reason: from your favorite music, from tasty food, from enjoying the closeness of a loved one ... But in fact, the concept of nirvana as a source of euphoria is erroneous.

Nirvana (or nibbana) is indeed called in Buddhism the highest happiness, but happiness in this case should not be interpreted as a state of joyful excitement familiar to us in earthly life. In Buddhism, absolute happiness is understood as the absence of suffering, which we constantly experience in Samsara.

Of course, Buddha Shakyamuni talked about nirvana. He referred to it as a state of cessation of suffering, attachments and defilements of the mind. The fact is that he did not give this state a single "positive" definition, speaking only about what Not is nirvana. The well-known Soviet scholar and religious scholar Yevgeny Alekseevich Torchinov noted that the issue of nirvana was one of those about which the Buddha kept "noble silence." "The state of nirvana fundamentally goes beyond the realm of empirical knowledge and the language of description corresponding to it," he sums up.

In Buddhism, nirvana is described as something opposite to Samsara, which, in turn, is the world of attachments, passions, delusions, and the resulting suffering. Purified from attachments and delusions, the enlightened one passes into the state of nirvana and becomes liberated - not only from physical body, but also from desires, ideas, and consciousness in general. Unlike Brahmanism, in Buddhism, nirvana is not a blissful union with God, the absolute, because such a union would mean the continuation of the desire to live.

But does this mean that nirvana means complete non-existence? Not really. Although teachers and scholars of Buddhism are still arguing about the correct interpretation of this concept, most of them still agree that nirvana does not mean the complete disappearance of all life. It is spiritual peace, free from tension, conflict and passion. Some teachers interpret nirvana as follows: there is no life itself in it, as we understand it in Samsara (movements, thoughts, desires), but there is the energy of life, its potential. As if we had matches and dry wood, we would have the potential to start a fire, the latent possibility of a flame.

Everything mentioned above applies to great nirvana also called parinirvana or nirvana of abiding. Beings who have reached this state are in complete peace. In Buddhism, there is another type of nirvana - the nirvana of non-absence. The practitioners who have reached it renounce the state of complete rest and final departure to nirvana in order to help the living beings remaining in Samsara and guide other practitioners. Usually such beings with awakened consciousness are called Bodhisattvas. They managed to generate in their souls an incredibly strong compassion, Bodhichitta, and are ready to help anyone who turns to them for help. Bodhisattvas are mentioned in prayers and depicted as tankas. The most famous of them is Avalokiteshvara, "seeing and compassionate."

NIRVANA

NIRVANA

(Skt. nirvana, Pali nibbana - fading, fading, drying out, calming) - according to all schools of Buddhism, human existence, the implementation of which is tantamount to the final destruction of suffering, the exhaustion of the inflows of affected consciousness, the cessation of transmigration (samsara) and the operation of the mechanisms of the "law of karma". In Buddhist texts, N. and parinirvana are distinguished - full N., carried out only with the last disembodiment. If in the original and orthodox Buddhism N. can be achieved only by a monk who has acquired the highest and must go all the long way to it on his own, then in Mahayana (where N. acquires the Absolute) - by any person who draws strength to achieve it through the accumulation of merits and direct help buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Philosophy: encyclopedic Dictionary. - M.: Gardariki. Edited by A.A. Ivina. 2004 .

NIRVANA

(Sanskrit, lit. - cooling, fading, fading), one of center. concepts ind. religion and philosophy. Received special in Buddhism, where it means the highest in general, the ultimate human. aspirations, speaking, on the one hand, as ethical and practical. , with how center. the concept of role playing. philosophy.

Buddhist texts do not define N., replacing it with numerous. descriptions and epithets, in kryh N. is depicted as the opposite of everything that can be, and therefore as incomprehensible and inexpressible. N., speaking primarily as an ethical. ideal appears as psychological. state of completion internal being in the face of external being, absolute detachment from it. This state signifies negatively the absence of desires, positively a kind of inseparable fusion of intellect and feelings. will, which appears from the intellectual side as true, from the moral-emotional side - as morality. perfection, with strong-willed - like abs. unconnectedness, and in general can be characterized as internal harmony, coherence of all available abilities that make it unnecessary ext. activity. At the same time, this does not mean “I”, but, on the contrary, the disclosure of its real non-existence, because harmony implies the absence of conflict with others, the establishment of shun yi (in particular, the absence of confrontation between subject and object). N. is a determinant. escape from ordinary people. values (good, good), from the goal in general and the establishment of their values: with internal sides are peace (bliss - as opposed to happiness as a sensation of movement), with external - condition abs. independence, freedom, which in Buddhism means not overcoming the world, but over it. Since the very "life" and "death" are removed, the debate about whether N. eternal life or destruction, are rendered meaningless.

In the course of the development of Buddhism, ideas about N. as a abs. reality, attempts are being made to ontologize the psychological. states. In this regard, hi-nayana is characterized by vibe-hashiki, according to which N. in the role abs. reality appears as a kind of motionless, unchanging, one-of-a-kind element - dharmadhatu; in the Mahayana, N. is identified with the dharmakaya - cosmic. the body of the Buddha. Although the concept of N. in Buddhism is based on all religions in the conditioned and unconditioned world, and, moreover, although the concept of N. is in line with the mystical. ideas about achieving the perfect state of the soul, building a “kingdom not of this world within us”, a feature of the Buddhist idea of ​​​​N., which distinguishes it from the Brahminist-Hindu concept of moksha, and from the ideas of Manichaeism, Sufism, Christ. mysticism, is abs. its unconnectedness with the idea of ​​a transcendent god, the assertion of the postulate of the immanence of the absolute to the world.

Vallee Poussin L. de la, Nirvana, P., 1925; Steherbatskу T h., The conception of Buddhist Nirvana, Leningrad, 1927; Welbon G. R., The Buddhist Nirvana and its Western interpreters, Chi.-L., 1908 ; Joliansson E., The psychology of Nirvana, N.Y., 1970 ;

Philosophical encyclopedic dictionary. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. Ch. editors: L. F. Ilyichev, P. N. Fedoseev, S. M. Kovalev, V. G. Panov. 1983 .

NIRVANA

(Skt. - termination, in Pali - nibbana)

a state of detachment achieved during life due to the renunciation of earthly aspirations. This state makes it impossible to be born after death. According to the teachings of the Brahmins, nirvana means the communion of the individual spirit with the absolute (Brahman). In Buddhist philosophy, nirvana is understood as that incomprehensible state of bliss, in which all the factors of being that determine the individual are finally eliminated. Supporters of the later Mahayana understand by nirvana not a complete cessation of existence, but a state of holiness in which malice has been eradicated and has ceased to function. karma and which has become a boon for all beings forever. see also Indian philosophy.

Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary. 2010 .

NIRVANA

(Skt. - nirvāna, Pali - nibbāna, literally - extinction) - one of the main. concepts of the Buddhist and Jain religions, means the goal of the "path of liberation" and the completion of religions. life, some higher holiness. Buddhist Canons. works describe N .: "There is where there is no earth, no water, no fire, no air, no place in space, and there is neither perception nor non-perception, neither this world, nor the other world, nor both together, nor the sun There is no movement, no rest, no origination, no annihilation. It does not move, it does not stand, it is not based on anything. It is, in truth, the end of suffering." Together with the concepts of suffering, the path of liberation from suffering, karma, the doctrine of N. forms the basis of the Buddhist religion. In this regard, in the doctrine of N., it is important to note the features characteristic of any religion. representations: division into "earthly world" and "unearthly", "this world" and "that world", "conditioned world" and "unconditioned". The existence of the "unconditioned" world is not proven anywhere. One of the designations for "that world" is N. Buddhists distinguish between two kinds of people: ordinary and "saints", belonging to two completely different planes of existence - "worldly" and "otherworldly". A person becomes "holy" upon entering the "path", i.e. when he breaks away from everything "earthly", breaks ties with "conditioned" things and strives only for N.

N. seems "inconceivable", "incomprehensible", in the world does not even remotely resemble her, and no reasoning brings her closer. All notions about N. are false notions. "Saint" comprehends it in himself, the rest of the people must believe him. N. is described only in opposition to the three signs of all conditioned things. N. is immortality in changeable, impermanent things. N. - the cessation of suffering as opposed to a world full of excitement and suffering. N. is a refuge, liberation, deliverance, the end of the world. N. is achieved by the saint after lengthy. the development of the five virtues (faith, courage, attention, concentration and wisdom) and through the "three doors of liberation": emptiness (shunyata), absence of signs (animitta), absence of desires (apranihita). Once these "three doors of liberation" are understood, the higher teaching presents no more difficulties and everything becomes self-evident.

Different schools give different meanings to these three terms. The Theravadin and Sarvastivadin schools attempt to explain emptiness, N., and the entire teaching of the Buddha. The whole world appears to be composed of separate dharmas, replacing each other and "conditioned". N., in contrast to them, refers to "unconditioned" dharmas. The Mahayana schools reject all attempts at a rational explanation of N. Emptiness, featurelessness and desirelessness are not subjects of discussion, but the three objects of concentration (samadhi), and only then are they "doors of liberation." N. is transcendent, incomprehensible logical. thought. Perhaps unity. positive the epithet N. is "", therefore it is logical that in late Buddhism N. becomes indistinguishable from heavenly paradise.

Lit.: Vallée Poussin L. de la, Nirvana, P., 1925; Stcherbatsky Th., The conception of Buddhist nirvana, Leningrad, 1927; Sangharakshita B., A survey of Buddhism, Bangalore, ; Conze E., Buddhist thought in India. Three phases of Buddhist philosophy, L., .

I. Kutasova. Moscow.

Philosophical Encyclopedia. In 5 volumes - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia. Edited by F. V. Konstantinov. 1960-1970 .

NIRVANA

NIRVANA (Skt. nirvana, Pali nibbаna - extinction, extinction) - in Indian religious (Ajivika, Jainism, etc.) the highest goal of all living beings; one of key concepts Buddhism, denoting the state achieved by the Buddha as a result of the knowledge of the four noble truths and the passage of the eight stages of dhyana (meditation). The state of nirvana involves the complete eradication of affects and egocentric attachments (kleshas, ​​ashaya), which “nourish” rebirths (samsara, karma), so its onset is often compared to the extinction of fire due to the depletion of fuel reserves. In the texts, nirvana is often described in purely negative terms as the absence of some fundamental properties of samsaric existence - primarily duhkha.

In the Buddha's attitude to nirvana, one can see something specific to the level of the audience. He sought to ensure that nirvana not only served as a contrast to the habitual practice of his listeners, but also seemed to them an attractive goal. It is unlikely that most of the followers of the Buddha would have been inspired by the ideal of nothingness (this is how many European thinkers interpreted nirvana, who see Buddhism as a form of nihilism), so for them He speaks of bliss, for the more “advanced” - of the cessation of consciousness. Nirvana does not necessarily entail physical. The death of an arhat who has already experienced nirvana is called parinirvana (higher nirvana). It is believed that those who have reached it completely disappear from all existences, worlds and times, therefore, bodhisattvas, concerned about the welfare of other beings, postpone their final departure in order to help them alleviate their fate.

In the Mahayana, nirvana is identified with sunyata (emptiness), dharma-kaya (the immutable essence of the Buddha) and dharma-dhatu (ultimate reality). Nirvana is here not the result of a process (otherwise it would be another transitory state), but the highest eternal truth, which is implicitly contained in empirical existence (the identities of nirvana and samsara).

V. G. Lysenko

New Philosophical Encyclopedia: In 4 vols. M.: Thought. Edited by V. S. Stepin. 2001 .

See what "NIRVANA" is in other dictionaries:

- (ind.: peace, bliss). In Buddhism: sacred self-forgetfulness by immersing the spirit in nothingness; removal from all vain; nirvana or nirvena: the fusion of the Buddha with the highest being. Dictionary foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Nirvana- (Sanskrit, Pali - nibbana - sozbe soz (literally) "tіrshіlіk etudі toқtatu", "оshu", "sоnu") - үndі dіni philosophialyқ oyynyn negіzgі categorialarynyң bіrі. Kundelikti azap kasiretke toly baқytsyz bolmystan arylyp, karma zaңynyn negіzіnde kaita… … Philosophical terminderdin sozdigі

- (Skt. nirvâna, Pali nibbâna, lit. "extinction"), in the Buddhist religious mythological system, one of the basic concepts, denotes the highest state of consciousness, opposite to samsara, when there are no rebirths and transitions from one sphere ... Encyclopedia of mythology

- (inosk.) Complete calm. Wed A modern person, if he is not a Buddhist in his soul and does not set Nirvana as the ideal of existence, can only dream of a stable balance ... a bowl of suffering and joy, a point of happiness ... Serg. Pechorin. Love and… … Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

Extinguish) ( books.). Buddhists have a blissful state of the soul, freed from the suffering of personal existence.

| Death, non-existence poet.).

Dive into nirvana unfold) - trans. surrender to a state of complete rest.

Beginnings of Modern Natural Science. Thesaurus

(Sanskrit - cessation) - a state of detachment, achieved during life due to the rejection of earthly aspirations. This condition makes it impossible to be born again after death. According to the teachings of the Brahmins, nirvana means the communion of the individual spirit with the absolute (Brahman).

Culturology. Dictionary-reference

(Skt.- fading) - the central concept of Buddhism, meaning the highest state, the goal of human aspirations. Nirvana is a special psychological state of the fullness of inner being, the absence of desires, perfect satisfaction, absolute detachment from outside world.

Bhagavad Gita. Explanatory dictionary of terms

Nirvana

"windlessness", "breathlessness". The concept of Nirvana is very extensible - from the meaning of simply "non-existence" to the meaning of "detachment from any manifestation of the world", the deepest introversion, the ecstasy of Existence-Knowledge-Bliss.

Dictionary-Encyclopedia of Buddhism and Tibet

(Skt.), nibbana (Pali). In letters. sense means the absence of a web of desires (vana) connecting one life to another. The transition to the state of N. is most often compared to a flame that gradually dies out as the fuel runs out: passion (lobha), hatred (dosa), delusions (moha).

V. I. Kornev

Philosophical Dictionary (Comte-Sponville)

Nirvana

♦ Nirvana

In Buddhism, the name of the absolute or salvation; it is relativity itself (samsara), impermanence itself (anicca), when the barriers erected by dissatisfaction, mind and expectation of anything disappear. The ego is fading away (in Sanskrit, the word "nirvana" means "extinguishing"); everything remains, and besides everything there is nothing. The concept of nirvana means approximately the same as the concept of ataraxia in Epicurus and the concept of bliss in Spinoza, although it is considered in a different plane. Nirvana is the experience of eternity here and now.

Lem's world - dictionary and guide

bliss, in Buddhism - the final blissful state, the goal of existence:

* "Nomen omen! Amo, Amas, Amat, isn't it? Ars amandi [the art of love (lat.)] - not some kind of prana, tao, nirvana, gelatinous bliss, indifferent idleness and narcissism, but sensuality in its purest form , the world as an emotional attachment of molecules, already at the birth of economic and businesslike. - Repetition *

encyclopedic Dictionary

(Sanskrit - fading), the central concept of Buddhism and Jainism, meaning the highest state, the goal of human aspirations. In Buddhism - the psychological state of the fullness of inner being, the absence of desires, perfect satisfaction and self-sufficiency, absolute detachment from the outside world; in the course of the development of Buddhism, along with the ethical and psychological concept of nirvana, the idea of ​​it as an absolute also arises. In Jainism - the perfect state of the soul, freed from the fetters of matter, the endless game of birth and death (samsara).

Ozhegov's dictionary

NIRV A ON THE, s, and. In Buddhism and some other religions: a blissful state of detachment from life, liberation from life's worries and aspirations. Dive into nirvana (trans.: surrender to a state of complete rest; obsolete and bookish).

Dictionary of Efremova

1. and.
   1. A blissful state of detachment from life, liberation from worldly worries and aspirations (in Buddhism and some other religions).
   2. The dwelling place of souls in this state.
   3. trans. A state of peace, bliss.

Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

(Skt. Nirvana - extinction, disappearance, redemption, then already bliss) - among Buddhists and Jains (see) the last, perfect, highest state human soul, characterized by absolute calmness, the absence of any passions and egoistic movements. Theoretically speaking, such a state could be achieved not only in afterlife but also in earthly existence. In reality, however, two types of N. are distinguished among Buddhists: 1) secondary, or incomplete, N. and 2) final, or absolute. The first can be achieved by everyone arhat(believers who have entered the fourth branch of the path to salvation) while still alive. This kind of . same with state jivanmukti (jî vanmakti - redemption in life), which is taught by the followers of Vedanta. It is commonly defined in Pali by the epithet upadisesa(Skt. upadhi ç esha - having a remnant of the lower layer). The second, or final, absolute N. (Skt. nir ûpadhiç esha, Pal. anupadisesa), or parinirvana, can only be attained after death. In this state, all suffering ceases, absolutely and forever. IN last sense N. can be interpreted as a highly blissful and eternal state. Logically, it follows from this that such a state must be accompanied by a complete absence of consciousness. But this consequence was not admitted by everyone, and, apparently, in the Buddhist church itself, there was ambiguity and disagreement on this score. In practice, N. is usually understood by Buddhists as a happy death, without fear of rebirth again. This definitely contradicts the news that the Buddha defeated Mara - death: but Buddhism finds a way out of this contradiction, arguing that the Buddha defeated not physical death itself, but low fear death, showing that death is the highest bliss. The concept of N. is also found in other Indian religious sects, with different shades in meaning and other names. Another term for the concept H. - nirvti(Paliysk . nibbuti ).

The literature on the issue of N. is very large, which is explained by the main meaning of this concept in the field of Buddhism. Special studies and reasoning: M. Müller, "On the original Meaning of N." ("Budbhism and Buddhist Pilgrims", 1857); his, "The introduclion to Buddhaphosha's Parables" (1869); Barthélé my Saint-Hilaire, "Sur le N. Bouddhique" (2nd edition of Le Bouddha et sa Religion, 1862); article by Childers" a "Nibb â nam", in his "Dictionary of the P â li Language" (L., 1876, p. 265); J. D. Alwis, "Buddhist N." (Colombo, 1871); Foucaux, in Revue Bibliograph." June 15, 1874. O. Frankfurter, "Buddhist. N." and "Noble Eightfold Path" ("Journ. of the R. Asiat. Soc." 1880, vol. XII).

S. B-h.

Nirvana... The meaning of the word has become synonymous with a relaxed, blissful state. This is a term whose distorted interpretation has entered the lexicon of people suffering from drug addiction. The idea of ​​it as euphoria is not really true. The concept of "nirvana" is one of the most complex in Buddhism. Even the famous Buddha Shakyamuni could not give him an exact definition.

Everyone at least once heard the expression "go to nirvana." What does it mean? Usually, this phrase means some incredibly pleasant state filled with endless bliss, even, one might say, the peak of pleasure. It is believed that you can fall into nirvana for any reason, for example, from listening to your favorite music, from eating delicious food, from being close to your loved one. In fact, this opinion is erroneous. So what is nirvana and what is it for? Let's try to figure it out.

Mentions of Nirvana

Of course, Buddha Shakyamuni himself spoke about nirvana (the literal translation of the name is “the sage, the awakened Shakya family”) - the founder of Buddhism, the legendary spiritual teacher. He referred to it as a state of cessation of suffering, obscurations and attachments of the mind. The thing is that Shakyamuni did not characterize the state of nirvana even once as positive. He spoke only about what it is not.

A well-known Soviet religious scholar, Torchinov Evgeny Alekseevich, expressed a certain opinion regarding the Buddha and nirvana. The scientist concluded that the sage in relation to nirvana kept a noble silence. Torchinov summarized: "Nirvana is a state that goes fundamentally beyond the boundaries of empirical knowledge and the language that describes it."

What is nirvana in Buddhism?

Nirvana, or nibbana, is considered the highest happiness in Buddhism. But in this case, it should not be interpreted as a joyful excitement, familiar to us in earthly existence. By absolute happiness, Buddhists mean the absence of suffering that a person constantly experiences in Samsara. This term denotes the cycle of life, limited by karma.

In Buddhism, nirvana is described as something indefinite, the opposite of samsara. She, in turn, is considered the world of delusions, passions, attachments, and hence the resulting suffering. If one purifies oneself of the listed factors, then the “enlightened one” can fully experience what nirvana is and become liberated both from the physical body and from ideas, desires and consciousness in general. In Buddhism, this state is not considered an absolute, union with God, since in this case it would mean the continuation of the passion for life.

Peace or nonexistence?

Does the above mean that nirvana is a state of complete non-existence? This is not entirely true. Despite the fact that researchers and teachers of Buddhism still argue about the correct interpretation of the concept of "nirvana", most of them agree that this is not a state that means the complete disappearance of all life. In their understanding, this is just peace of mind, freedom from passions, conflicts and tension. Some of the teachers interpret nirvana as follows - it does not have life itself (desires, thoughts, movements), which is implied in Samsara, but its potential, energy is present. It's about the same as if there were dry firewood and matches, then there would be a potential for kindling a flame, a hidden possibility of fire.

Another type of nirvana in Buddhism

Everything that was said above refers to the nirvana of stay, or, as it is also called, the great one. Those who manage to achieve this state are in complete peace.

Also in Buddhism, there is another version of this concept - the nirvana of non-absence. The practices by which it is achieved give up the state of complete rest in order to help individuals who are in Samsara and guide other practitioners. Usually such people with consciousness in the stage of awakening are called only bodhisattvas. What is nirvana for them? This is the ability to generate compassion in one's own soul to an incredibly large degree and to help everyone who turns to them for any help.

Bodhisattvas: display in culture

Bodhisattvas are mentioned in prayers and depicted on different types thang (traditional Tibetan patterns on fabric). The most famous of all in existence is the compassionate and seeing Avalokiteshvara. According to legend, at the moment when this bodhisattva was able to achieve enlightenment, he saw how much suffering those who remained in Samsara experienced. Avalokiteshvara was so amazed by this sight that his head was torn into eleven pieces by the pain. But other enlightened ones were able to help him. They collected and brought the head to its original state. From that time on, Avalokiteshvara began to teach others how to achieve nirvana. In this way, he helped them get rid of excruciating suffering.

Achieving the Enlightened State

Can everyone reach nirvana Living being? It is difficult to answer this question. If this were achievable, then suffering would disappear as a concept altogether. The Buddha said that he was not able to relieve everyone completely from suffering with such ease as removing a thorn from a leg. And it is not in his power to wash away bad karma from everyone as simply as dirt is washed off with water. He only offered to release from suffering, indicating the right path. Presumably, such a path is very long for everyone and can last, undergoing hundreds and even thousands of rebirths until a person purifies his karma and completely frees his mind from the obscurations that torment him. However, according to the teachers of Buddhism, any living being has the nature of the Buddha, and therefore the possibility of achieving enlightenment.

What is nirvana and the opinion of esotericists

Most esotericists know what nirvana is and somehow understand the meaning of this concept. It is generally accepted that this is the goal of most Buddhists. But some of the young esotericists do not attribute nirvana to Buddhism and call by this term some states from current life. Thus, they mislead many people. Therefore, it should be noted what nirvana is and what it really is not.

1. This is the place of existence for some representatives of humanity after death. This opinion is shared by a small number of people who have achieved liberation, that is, a state that is not quite correctly called enlightenment, and who have decided to leave Samsara on their own.
2. Nirvana - what does this concept mean? It is an exclusively Buddhist term. Outside of this culture, nirvana has no meaning. It is not a trance, not a state of happiness or bliss. In essence, nirvana cannot be accessed by living people.

Questionable opinions about nirvana

Many skeptics claim that everything we hear and know about nirvana, apart from the above, is fantasy and speculation. Buddhism claims that the whole life of a person and his state after death, all rebirths are the Great Wheel of Samsara. Even bodhisattvas are in it. That is, if a person is alive, then he is in Samsara - no options. Those who left it do not return - this postulate is a fundamental concept in Buddhism. For this reason, any living person does not, in principle, have reliable information about nirvana and cannot know anything about it. Since this concept is absolutely ephemeral, there is not a single proof of its existence. Thus, we can conclude that our knowledge of nirvana cannot be verified.

What is the truth about nirvana?

Nirvana is the abstract, speculative antithesis for Samsara, which is known and can even be explored. These two concepts are still not considered antonyms. If those who live permanently in Samsara suffer from time to time, then in nirvana - no one ever. It may be true, but it has not been proven by anything, it is just an assumption.

It is believed that the Buddha said that nirvana is a world without suffering, a state of complete harmony and the like. Or maybe such a conclusion did not sound? In the codes of his sayings (sutras) there are the words "I heard that." There is only one goal here - not to make these aphorisms immutable true, which is not disputed (by dogmas). A person is given the opportunity to doubt the accuracy of the statements, because the narrator could misunderstand or forget something from what he heard.

Looking for answers

Such an approach of the Buddha to the sutras could presumably incline Buddhists to independently search for an answer to the question: "Nirvana - what is it?", to a rational, skeptical perception of ideas in Buddhism. Subsequently, they can be checked repeatedly. But after all, such an approach is unacceptable for nirvana - a person is not able to penetrate beyond the limits of possible understanding and see what is happening there. You have to either fantasize, or complete this useless exercise completely.

If you look, for a Buddhist, nirvana is a kind of filter, an obstacle. Those who wish to get into it cannot do so, since the fact of striving for it is the essence of the manifestation of restless desires and mind. In this case, a person is in Samsara, but not in nirvana. The entrance to it is closed for him. In the same way, the desire to break out of Samsara is a sign of confusion and closes the gate to nirvana.

Is it possible to make contact with the inhabitants of nirvana?

Alternatively, one could (theoretically) use the services of a medium and try to communicate with someone who is in nirvana. But its inhabitants, in fact, should not even have the desire, much less any reason to answer questions, even if they are asked by a bodhisattva. Their desires and mind should have been calm for a long time. Even if it were possible to get into nirvana, then asking a question to those in it is a problematic task. There is a law of resonance - in order to reach them, you must completely calm your desires and mind. Accordingly, the inclination to ask a question is also suppressed. In general, this is impossible.

And yet, most Buddhists are eager to learn how to reach nirvana. This is the purpose of their practices. It is clear that nirvana is incomparable with anything and has no common features with a paradise inherent in the religion of the Christians, or another kind of rewarding existence after death. This is not part of Samsara.

Nirvana - goal or inevitability?

From the entire Buddhist theory of nirvana, we can conclude that after a person leaves Samsara, he simply has nowhere to go. Therefore, after liberation from the Great Wheel, there is only one road - to nirvana. Therefore, it makes no sense to want to get into it as such. After all, sooner or later everyone should be in nirvana. And this is despite the fact that it will take some quite a long time to be able to leave Samsara.

It also makes no sense to want to understand what nirvana is. After all, it will be possible to feel everything when you already get into it. And the desire to know as much as possible about it is a manifestation of confusion and prevents the coming of enlightenment.

Conscious rejection of nirvana

Refuse it of their own free will people - bodhisattvas. They achieve liberation, but still prefer to remain in the wheel of Samsara. But at the same time, a bodhisattva can change his mind and go into nirvana. For example, Shakyamuni was a bodhisattva during his lifetime. And after he died, he became a Buddha and moved into nirvana.

For the most part, the idea of ​​such a refusal is the desire to help every living being achieve liberation. But to some, this explanation seems dubious. In this case, one question arises - if the bodhisattva was not yet in nirvana (since he is alive, and it is inaccessible to him), how can he know what is happening there?

Nirvana in music

For some, the term "nirvana" means an uplifted state, akin to enlightenment. There are also people who consider it a place of final peace. But millions of music fans understand this word only as the name of the famous band. The Nirvana group completely turned the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe status of rock stars in the 90s of the 20th century. She was one of the unique representatives of the underground on the stage. Nirvana also found its fans among punks, moshers, thrashers, fans of alternative rock music and the traditional mainstream. It was the name that was one of the problems when creating the group. After many options were offered, bandleader Kurt Cobain settled on Nirvana as something good, as opposed to the usual rock, evil labels.