What Is Nibbana

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
SarathW
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by SarathW »

Hi Arijit
It appears to me what you experience was “Nama Rupa Paricheda Nana”.
It is the first stage of Vipassana meditaion.
I may be wrong.
By the way can you attain that level with will at any time as you wish?
:)
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
Sanjay PS
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by Sanjay PS »

reflection wrote:I think often instead of wondering what is nibbana, it is more useful to wonder: what are my attachments and how can I lessen them?

Do you feel attached to your experiences, feel the desire to recreate them? Then it may be better to work with that attachment instead of the experience itself.
A very wise post , full of wisdom and meaning .

Thank you ,

sanjay
The Path of Dhamma

The path of Dhamma is no picnic . It is a strenuous march steeply up the hill . If all the comrades desert you , Walk alone ! Walk alone ! with all the Thrill !!

U S.N. Goenka
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fivebells
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by fivebells »

Actually, this sounds like a fine experience to work on repeating.
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Mindstar
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by Mindstar »

As nobody has ever come back from Nibbana i guess we will never know exactly.

I`ve got my personal theory however that is related to science.
Especially on the idea that the energy levels in the universe never change.
Energy simply transforms into matter and matter back into energy, its the same thing in the end.
As a consequence you cannot simply disappear with no traces left.
Basically you have to transform back to the energy pool you have been initially created from into the state of the "uncreated".
An energy pool that is formless, informationless and "deathless".
In that way these buddhist terms actually make sense to me :rolleye:

Higher than lordship over all earth,
Higher than sojourning in heavens supreme,
Higher than empire over all the worlds,
Is Fruit of Entrance to the Dhamma Stream.
—Dhammapada
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tiltbillings
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by tiltbillings »

Mindstar wrote:As nobody has ever come back from Nibbana i guess we will never know exactly.
Nibbana is not a place to go to.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Mindstar
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by Mindstar »

tiltbillings wrote:
Mindstar wrote:As nobody has ever come back from Nibbana i guess we will never know exactly.
Nibbana is not a place to go to.
I do agree

Higher than lordship over all earth,
Higher than sojourning in heavens supreme,
Higher than empire over all the worlds,
Is Fruit of Entrance to the Dhamma Stream.
—Dhammapada
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tiltbillings
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by tiltbillings »

Mindstar wrote:As nobody has ever come back from Nibbana i guess we will never know exactly.

I`ve got my personal theory however that is related to science.
Especially on the idea that the energy levels in the universe never change.
Energy simply transforms into matter and matter back into energy, its the same thing in the end.
As a consequence you cannot simply disappear with no traces left.
Basically you have to transform back to the energy pool you have been initially created from into the state of the "uncreated".
An energy pool that is formless, informationless and "deathless".
If this were the case, then there is no need to do anything.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Modus.Ponens
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by Modus.Ponens »

Hey :)

I don't know why people jump to the conclusion that it is not nibbana. Not trying to start an argument; just saying that it's possible that it is a glimpse of nibbana.

Let me try to conciliate what venerable Pesala is saying with what other teachers teach. Ayya Khema taught that there were path moments and fruition moments. The path moments, she says, are like what venerable Pesala is describing: a cessation of perception and feeling. Acording to Bhante Gunaratana, a path moment occurs when you destroy a first fetter of the next level. It could be the fetter of belief in a self; or it could be doubt in the case of stream entry being your next level. It could also be sense desire in the case of once returning; and so on. Acording to Ayya Khema there is also a fruition moment: when you destroy all the fetters of the respective level of awakening. That fruition experience, she says, can be repeatedly experienced if the meditator wishes to. It would seem to me that what you are experiencing might be spontaneous fruition moments. It could be possible that you are a stream enterer and were reborn in this world already as a stream enterer.

Now, since you are also scientificaly inclined, I trust that you are mature enough not to be fooled by wishful thinking. Analyse what your experience is and, even if you reach an absolute certain conclusion, continue striving to the end of suffering.

A delicate problem here is that if it is true that you were a stream enterer when you were born, the criteria that the Buddha laid down for determining if a person is a stream enterer might not be a good way to judge that. If I recall correctly, the criteria are: no belief in a self; no attachment to rituals; and no doubt about the dhamma. This last criterion is difficult to evaluate in your hypothetical situation because if that's the case, then you didn't experience a before-doubt period and an after-doubt period.

Anyway I have no idea if it's a fruition moment or not. But, nevertheless, it's worth exploring that possibility. I mean, if there is a place on the internet where that kind of person would ask a question like that, it would be right here on dhamma wheel.

PS: I hope I'm not misrepresenting the teachings of the above teachers.
'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' - Jhana Sutta
Spiny Norman
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by Spiny Norman »

tiltbillings wrote:Nibbana is not a place to go to.
So is it a state of mind?
Buddha save me from new-agers!
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Mindstar
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by Mindstar »

tiltbillings wrote:If this were the case, then there is no need to do anything.
That is true, for an Arahat who has let go of all craving that leads to continued reappearance in the world there is nothing to do at all. :anjali:

Higher than lordship over all earth,
Higher than sojourning in heavens supreme,
Higher than empire over all the worlds,
Is Fruit of Entrance to the Dhamma Stream.
—Dhammapada
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Kare
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by Kare »

Once Venerable Sariputta was staying among the folk of Magadha at Nalaka village. Then the wanderer Jambukhadaka, paid a visit to him and asked, "You, Buddhists, utter the word of nibbana frequently. What is nibbana?" Venerable Sariputta replied, "The destruction of lust, the destruction of hatred, the destruction of delusion is called nibbana." "Is there any practice to attain nibbana?" Jambukhadaka added. "Yes, indeed, it can be attained through the practice of the noble path; right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration", Venerable Sariputta replied.(S. iv. 251)
Mettāya,
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greenjuice
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by greenjuice »

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:If you could hear, see, and smell, then you had not attained nibbāna, which is the cessation of feeling and perception.
Buddha does say that in the ninth jhana, that is- nirvana, there is no sanna, perception, but how Nirvana be "supreme happiness" if there is no feeling or perception in it? If one doesn't feel or percieve anything, how can one then experience happiness?
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Zom
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by Zom »

Buddha does say that in the ninth jhana, that is- nirvana, there is no sanna, perception, but how Nirvana be "supreme happiness" if there is no feeling or perception in it? If one doesn't feel or percieve anything, how can one then experience happiness?
This is because "experiencing" happiness (or whatever) is suffering, actually. That is how when there is no experience, this is supreme happiness. 8-)

And this is not a joke.
Take a look: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
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buddhismfordudes
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by buddhismfordudes »

Nibbana cannot be imagined or described.
Gerry Stribling
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Aloka
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Re: What Is Nibbana

Post by Aloka »

buddhismfordudes wrote:Nibbana cannot be imagined or described.

This is from "Nibbana" by Bhikkhu Bodhi:
The state of final deliverance is called "Nibbana" in Pali and "Nirvana" in Sanskrit. Nibbana literally means the extinguishing of a flame. The word "Nibbana" used by the Buddha means the extinguishing of the flame of craving, the extinguishing of the fires of greed, hatred and delusion.

http://www.beyondthenet.net/dhamma/nibbana.html
:anjali:
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