Nosaj
Thinker
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2007
- Messages
- 172
JetLeg,
This is a very common misconception that most people with little knowledge of the Pali Canon have in regard to Theravada. It never ceases to amaze me that the majority of people who discuss subjects such as Buddhism, especially Theravada, have very little knowledge of the actual subject. I certainly do not mind critiques and debates about what the Buddha taught, or of specific schools such as Theravada, but it is difficult to have a decent conversation when nobody really has a correct understanding of either. The trouble is, I do not have the time to systematically go through each and ever misconception and correct them; however, I will try to give a short explanation here.
So, what exactly is Nibbana? The Third Noble Truth focuses on the cessation of suffering. The cessation of suffering is Nibbana. According to Nyanatiloka Thera’s Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines, Nibbana literally means “extinction, to cease blowing, to become extinguished.” Nibbana is the state of final deliverance, the extinction of craving (AN 10.60), the extinguishing of lust, the extinguishing of hatred, and the extinguishing of delusion (SN 38.1). Nibbana is without a cause, unborn, unmade, and therefore, it is unconditional. Nibbana lies outside of the world as we know it, outside of conditioned existence, outside of space and time, and as such, it lies beyond cause and effect. Furthermore, as Piyadassi Thera echoes in The Buddha’s Ancient Path, all things conventional or subjective are relative, however, Nibbana being neither conventional nor subjective has no relativities, and thus in a sense, absolute (73). The Buddha himself makes clear that the deliverance found within this truth is unshakable (MN 140), and at one point he even declares that, "Reality, monks, is a name for Nibbana" (SN 4.195).
In one instance, the Buddha gives an almost unbelievable and yet incredible description of Nibbana, clearly describing it as being beyond the world of common experience. The Buddha declares that, “Nibbana is that base where there is neither earth, nor water, nor heat, nor air; neither the base of the infinity of space, nor the base of the infinity of consciousness, nor the base of nothingness, nor the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception; neither this world nor another; neither sun nor moon. Here there is no coming, no going, no standing still; no passing away and no being reborn. It is not established, not moving, without support. Just this is the end of suffering” (Ud 8.1).
In addition, the Buddha described two elements of Nibbana. The Nibbana element with residue remaining is the destruction of lust, hatred, and delusion attained by a Noble One (arahant) while still alive, with the residue itself being a reference to the five aggregates. The Nibbana element without residue remaining is the final passing away of a Noble One in which “all that is felt, not being delighted, will become cool right here” (Iti 44). As for the fate of a Noble One after death, the Buddha refused to answer in terms of existence, nonexistence, both, or neither. While reason might suggest that since the five aggregates are the constituents of subjective experience that cease with the full attainment of Nibbana, Nibbana must be a state of nonexistence, a state of nothingness. Bhikkhu Bodhi, however, points out that, “… no text in the Nikayas ever states this. To the contrary, the Nikayas consistently refer to Nibbana by terms that refer to actualities. It is an element (dhatu), a base (ayatana), a reality (dhamma), a state (pada), and so on” (In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon 319).
Jason
This is a very common misconception that most people with little knowledge of the Pali Canon have in regard to Theravada. It never ceases to amaze me that the majority of people who discuss subjects such as Buddhism, especially Theravada, have very little knowledge of the actual subject. I certainly do not mind critiques and debates about what the Buddha taught, or of specific schools such as Theravada, but it is difficult to have a decent conversation when nobody really has a correct understanding of either. The trouble is, I do not have the time to systematically go through each and ever misconception and correct them; however, I will try to give a short explanation here.
So, what exactly is Nibbana? The Third Noble Truth focuses on the cessation of suffering. The cessation of suffering is Nibbana. According to Nyanatiloka Thera’s Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines, Nibbana literally means “extinction, to cease blowing, to become extinguished.” Nibbana is the state of final deliverance, the extinction of craving (AN 10.60), the extinguishing of lust, the extinguishing of hatred, and the extinguishing of delusion (SN 38.1). Nibbana is without a cause, unborn, unmade, and therefore, it is unconditional. Nibbana lies outside of the world as we know it, outside of conditioned existence, outside of space and time, and as such, it lies beyond cause and effect. Furthermore, as Piyadassi Thera echoes in The Buddha’s Ancient Path, all things conventional or subjective are relative, however, Nibbana being neither conventional nor subjective has no relativities, and thus in a sense, absolute (73). The Buddha himself makes clear that the deliverance found within this truth is unshakable (MN 140), and at one point he even declares that, "Reality, monks, is a name for Nibbana" (SN 4.195).
In one instance, the Buddha gives an almost unbelievable and yet incredible description of Nibbana, clearly describing it as being beyond the world of common experience. The Buddha declares that, “Nibbana is that base where there is neither earth, nor water, nor heat, nor air; neither the base of the infinity of space, nor the base of the infinity of consciousness, nor the base of nothingness, nor the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception; neither this world nor another; neither sun nor moon. Here there is no coming, no going, no standing still; no passing away and no being reborn. It is not established, not moving, without support. Just this is the end of suffering” (Ud 8.1).
In addition, the Buddha described two elements of Nibbana. The Nibbana element with residue remaining is the destruction of lust, hatred, and delusion attained by a Noble One (arahant) while still alive, with the residue itself being a reference to the five aggregates. The Nibbana element without residue remaining is the final passing away of a Noble One in which “all that is felt, not being delighted, will become cool right here” (Iti 44). As for the fate of a Noble One after death, the Buddha refused to answer in terms of existence, nonexistence, both, or neither. While reason might suggest that since the five aggregates are the constituents of subjective experience that cease with the full attainment of Nibbana, Nibbana must be a state of nonexistence, a state of nothingness. Bhikkhu Bodhi, however, points out that, “… no text in the Nikayas ever states this. To the contrary, the Nikayas consistently refer to Nibbana by terms that refer to actualities. It is an element (dhatu), a base (ayatana), a reality (dhamma), a state (pada), and so on” (In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon 319).
Jason