The concept of nirvana is found in many teachings and beliefs. It means freedom from torment. In common usage, nirvana is a state where there are no passions, torment , and there is the highest happiness and peace. This is an unknown feeling of constant peace and joy.
Nirvana acts as a break in the chain of reincarnation. This is a stop of reincarnation, constant and indestructible peace. Nirvana is difficult to define. As for its understanding, there are constant discussions among scholars of Buddhism. In the understanding of Hindus and followers of Brahmanism, nirvana is a union with Brahma.
How can one achieve nirvana in Buddhism and what does it mean?
According to the Buddha's belief, despite the torment that permeates every stage of existence in Samsara, there is a state without torment, and it is possible to achieve it. It is a state of trance or nirvana. Entering this state in the teachings of the Buddha is designated by the term amata, that is, the achievement of the soul, which destroys the chain of karmic existence.
What is nirvana? By definition, this is a state of soul, freedom from worldly worries and attachments, complete enlightenment and knowledge of the Truth.
The Sutra Pitaka defines nirvana as chitta (liberated mind), which does not experience any feelings. Oazum is no longer identified with the phenomenon of life, it is constant, eternal, and therefore liberated. Nirvana is the end of ignorance (avidya), which plunges the mind into a constant chain of reincarnation, samsara (a life of dependence). In its precise designation, nirvana is not considered a precise place or state. She acts as the knowledge of Truth.
Nirvana is...
The very first link in the associative chain associated with this word is Kurt Cobain and the rock band he founded in 1988 with the “pleasant and beautiful” name “Nirvana” (in Kurt’s own words).
The choice was not easy: the newly formed team rushed for a long time between “Skid Row” and “Ted Ed Fred”, then the name “Pen Cap Chew” was considered, but when the closely related “Bliss” (“bliss, bliss”) was discussed, the name "Nirvana "
Perhaps this blue-eyed 21-year-old boy with a shock of straw embodied, at least in the name, his dream of what he was looking for in his short life, which ended so tragically after six years.
But during this time he managed to form an incredibly valuable and so rich heritage that it was more than enough for several generations of young people.
Now these people are you and me, those who grew up constantly listening to the extraordinary grunge compositions of Nirvana, those who admired the new presentation of rock based on the “dirty guitar sound.”
Since then, the rock movement has undergone the whirlpools of one fashion trend after another, but at least something of Cobain’s music was certainly present in them. Well, Kurt’s signature “loud/quiet” dynamics, generously flavored with depressive tints and noir outbursts, do not become outdated even now.
His song “The Smell of Youth” is still on the charts, and completely devoid of any beauty, “In the Womb” is still actively selling out, like a precious relic, having been released on “forty-five” records.
Cobain's inspired face smiles at us from millions of T-shirts and posters, and his sonorous name, better known as the “voice of a generation,” has deservedly joined the list of famous musicians from among those who passed away in their young years:
- John Lennon;
- Bob Marley;
- Janis Joplin;
- Ian Curtis;
- Jimi Hendrix;
- Dence Wilson;
- Jim Morrison;
- Keith Moon.
Nirvana, which received another name in most media of that time - “Flagship of Generation X” - became synonymous with a new style, mixed with motifs of garage rock, unsmooth metal and frankly harsh punk with rough and often hysterical vocals.
After Kurt's death, his group, which sparkled in the soiled firmament of show business like a clean and bright star, ceased to exist. The star has exploded, but its light still reaches those who need it. This means that the discography continues...
Yoga in the name of the One God
The methods which should bring the mystic into this ultimate reality, or at least enable him to contemplate it, are remarkably similar.
Firstly, asceticism. First of all, we must abandon the illusory reality that contains many distractions. To do this, natural needs are satisfied exactly as much as necessary in order to forget about them.
The early Sufis practiced zuhd - renunciation of the earthly world of illusions and decay, to which the human ego with its passions belongs, and practices of self-control, which were compared to training. The ascetic lifestyle of Christians and their commitment to work are well known. The Kabbalistic tree of life - Etz Chaim - shows the path of asceticism as a direct path to God. The most famous Kabbalistic book, the Zohar (or Book of Radiance), describes the contemplative life of hermits and mystics in the desert. True, Jewish mysticism, unlike other traditions, made an exception in asceticism for sexual relations, since it saw in them a symbolic expression of the sacred marriage of the King and Shekhinah - divine glory (or divine presence).
In addition to ascetic detachment and mental self-discipline (including through the practice of silence), the mystic is required to have perfect balance, reminiscent of the ataraxia of the Cynics and Stoics, indifference to “praise and slander,” perfect altruism and the ability for perfect concentration, which was achieved through contemplation, with the help of rhythmic breathing or body movements, repetition of prayer or the name of God - until the mind reaches one-pointedness (called samadi in Buddhism).
Nirvana in Buddhism
Knowing the difficult fate of Cobain, we can assume that he quite consciously and naturally chose this name for his group. He wanted to have something that he had never had either in childhood or in adult life - not so much special bliss, but at least basic human happiness and banal peace.
And “Buddhist” nirvana promises just this. In Buddhism, all life is seen as a constantly rotating wheel, neither the beginning nor the end of which can be determined.
This endless cycle of suffering and improvement is called samsara , and its embodiment is called bhavacakra (circle of existence).
And in this circle, each soul necessarily goes through many rebirths, the essence of which changes depending on the karma earned ” in the current life .
And this continuous movement never stops: even when a person dies, his soul moves to a new body and passes through all segments of the circle of torment again, but in its next life.
However, if everything is so fatal, then what is the meaning of life? Should we accept these patterns without complaint, or while we live, can we try to change something, improve karma?
Philosophers, scientists and sages in Buddhism say that the most natural desire of any person is serenity. No less characteristic of humans is the desire for infinity and bliss.
The goal of every soul is to break the circle of samsara (that is, get rid of suffering) and achieve nirvana .
But what does this mean? How to find freedom from the burdens of this world?
Consciousness and awareness
Consciousness refers to the property of being aware - of understanding what is happening and one’s state, which is associated with thinking abilities. But if thinking disappears, what remains? A person will perceive, but will stop analyzing.
For him, it’s as if the past and future are erased, leaving only the present, what is happening at the current moment. If there are no thoughts, then there are no expectations, experiences, or aspirations. At the same time, a person gains the ability to see his ego, the thinking self and distinguish his spiritual part, monad, essence, spirit, observing the soul from the outside.
Nirvana - what is this concept and what is its essence?
As soon as a European hears the word “nirvana”, he imagines nothing more than heavenly bliss - such an abstract pleasure, pure entertainment. However, for the followers of the Buddha, this concept has a completely different meaning, including meaningfulness and philosophical overtones.
Translated from Sanskrit, nirvana means “ cessation, deliverance, extinction .” It is worth mentioning right away that the understanding of this meaning is completely different between the West and the East.
Thus, when a European hears the word “fading,” he will imagine an inglorious and empty eclipse, oblivion, fading, or disappearance. Buddhists, on the other hand, put a deeper content into this definition, which in its underlying meaning implies liberation .
This is the essence of enlightenment, when a person throws off the painful shackles of the world. He is no longer concerned with problems, passions, needs, responsibilities. A person in a state of nirvana is freed from sorrows, suffering, all kinds of troubles and the inevitable struggles of life. That is, he gains complete spiritual freedom.
To achieve nirvana means to plunge into a state of serenity.
No sage has yet been able to give a more unambiguous and precise definition of the concept of “nirvana”. Even Shakyamuni Buddha himself, the only one who managed to break the circle of samsara and achieve enlightenment, only briefly touched on this topic. He never specified what nirvana was, and when asked, he gave somewhat generalized ideas.
It is important to note the close connection of this term with ancient Eastern philosophy. The concept of nirvana is central to the teachings of Buddhism.
Second point: nirvana is the opposite of samsara.
The human soul lives one life after another. She goes through death many times, is reborn many times, but can never get out of the vicious circle.
However, this is possible:
if a person, regardless of status, is pious, virtuous and merciful, in a new life he will be able to first move to an improved segment of the wheel of samsara , and then, in some other new life, achieve enlightenment.
Thus, we can summarize that it is on the desire for this kind of paradise that the adherents of Buddhism base their entire understanding of the universe. The desire to achieve this blissful (enlightened) state supports the moral and ethical standards of society.
Who can achieve enlightenment?
The soul achieving enlightenment is a wrong approach to the definition of nirvana in Buddhist teachings. The true path to the state of nirvana is liberation from the illusion of self, not from suffering. Proponents of the doctrine compare enlightenment to the extinction of a fire jumping from wick to wick. And, if the flame disappears, it is not known where it burns in the present time.
Nirvana is a state of happiness, consciousness without an object, liberation from all dependencies, accessible to everyone. Enlightenment does not refer to a subjective state, but combines the possibilities of the subjective and objective.
Varieties of Nirvana
Since the civilized world still does not have a specific definition for the state of bliss, the sages imagine their “paradise” in different ways. So, we can talk about different types of nirvana:
- mental (or temporary) - a state of short-term peace, insight that a person achieves, but only for a certain time;
- vital - means enlightenment, which is achieved only during life. After death, the circle of samsara is simply interrupted, and the soul does not fall into another segment of the circle, but completely disappears;
- eternal - a state that a person can achieve only after death.
People who are not versed in Eastern philosophy perceive nirvana as receiving pleasure and experiencing exclusively pleasant emotions.
For Buddhists and adherents of Jainism, plunging into nirvana means achieving a special state in which the frailties of life (anxiety, troubles, worries, all kinds of experiences and suffering) are completely absent.
Hence the simple question: is it possible to achieve nirvana at will?
Great Nothing
For the mystic, regardless of tradition, God or the highest reality is always fundamentally indefinable, and any attempts to convey the ineffable with words are a failure.
One of the paradoxes of mystical experience is that God, who is the Neoplatonic absolute completeness of the One and the source of all things, ultimately in his very depths turns into the “great Nothing”, “neither this nor that” of the ancient Indian treatises of the Upanishads, “the baseless eye of eternity ", according to the Russian religious philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev.
The Pali Canon, one of the main bodies of Buddhist texts, does not contain any positive description of nirvana. In response to a question about her, the Buddha famously maintained a “noble silence.” The Buddha also uses the metaphor of an extinguished fire: just as an extinguished fire cannot be described as having “gone somewhere,” so one who has achieved nirvana cannot be described in terms of positive statements.
Another metaphor - the deep ocean - is given somewhere nearby to show that, paradoxically, it is not complete non-existence that is meant, but rather the fullness of being.
The Trinity Christian God arises from the “Eternal Nothing,” the 16th-century German mystic Jacob Boehme believed: “The greatest treasure for the soul is to move from Something to that Nothing from which all things can be born.”
The representative of “intoxicated” Sufism, Aby Yazid al-Bistami, said: “I looked closely at Him with the gaze of truth and said: “Who is this?” He replied: “This is not Me and not not-I. There is no God but Me."
A favorite metaphor of the 15th century Kabbalists was the expression “the depths of Nothingness,” containing the idea of a hidden God who remains eternally incomprehensible. But this Nothing, from which everything came, according to David ben Abraham ha-Lavan, a 14th-century kabbalist, is infinitely more real than any reality. And Buddha Gautama would agree with the last statement.
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be happy
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Career coach Christina Taliaferro says most of her clients feel stressed watching the news. However, it’s not even about the news: in the lives of each of us there are things - sort of rotten eggs that suck all the emotional energy out of us. Whether it's a toxic relationship with your parents or constant power struggles at work. You must understand what these eggs play in your life and how to get rid of them, even if they seem very insignificant.
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