Understanding Nirvana

By N. A. de S. Amaratunga

What is meant by understanding Nirvana here is the ability to describe its nature using the words in the languages we use and certainly not its realization or attainment. As Nirvana has been interpreted in different ways by different scholars, both ancient and modern, it would be an interesting subject for readers to take up in a useful discussion. Nirvana is the ultimate religious experience in Buddhism. In this respect it is similar to the God in theistic religions but the similarity stops there. In theistic religions the ultimate religious experience is intimately bound with God and in order to reach the goal one is required to believe in God and lead a pious life and by the grace of God one could enter His kingdom which is the final goal. In Buddhist religious experience where the final goal is Nirvana there is no external factor, similar to God, involved in the process. The Buddha is not involved, he only shows the path and one has to go along the path by one’s own effort.

Nirvana could be understood in terms of the Four Noble Truths which could be a very simple way of looking at it. The first truth states that there is suffering in life, the second truth states that greed is the cause of suffering, the third says the solution is to get rid of greed and the fourth gives the method of getting rid of greed. The simplest explanation of Nirvana therefore could be the status of the mind which has spewed out greed, aversion and delusion.

Further insight into the matter could be gained by an examination of the method adopted to get rid of the defilements ‘loba, dvesha, moha’ and attain Nirvana. In this regard Buddhism analyses the psychology of attachment in relation to these defilements. These defilements could have three levels of existence; dormant level, awakened level and active level (Visuddimagga). A craving for acquisition of material wealth for instance, may be present in the mind in a dormant level unknown to the person. When the person observes acquisition of material wealth in the society around him the dormant craving would grow into the awakened level due to temptation and if it gains further in strength and grows into the active level the person may take action to acquire material wealth. This desire could become insatiable, with no limit to the craving for more and more material wealth. This person has developed an attachment to material wealth. Material wealth is characterized by impermanence and therefore could cause suffering. Buddhist Meditation attempts to eradicate the insatiable craving for material wealth or any other such craving in all their three levels of existence including the dormant level.

Buddha has shown how eradication of craving for material wealth could be done by the practice of moral life in three stages; ‘Seela, Samadhi, Prangna’ or virtue, concentration, and wisdom. First it attempts to control the physical manifestation (the third level) of the desire for material wealth by ‘Seela’. The practice of ‘Seela’ would enable the person to put a stop to the physical acquisition of material wealth, give it away as alms (dhana) and thus control the attachment to it. Next the awakened state (the second level) of this desire and the feeling of attachment to material wealth which exists in the mind is controlled by the practice of ‘Samadhi’. Then the attempt is made to eradicate the dormant state (the first level) of this desire harboured in the mind by achieving ‘Prangna’. Though the whole method consists of three steps, it is not practiced in sequential stages but in concurrence. Yet it must be said that one cannot develop ‘Samadhi’ without practicing ‘Seela’ and similarly ‘Prangna’ cannot be attempted in isolation without performing the other two practices. Further, unless the dormant level of a defilement which resides in the mind is rooted out the process is not complete and it could recur. This could be done only by insight meditation as described in ‘Sathipattana sutta’. All three defilements; ‘loba, dvesha, moha’ in their various forms could be got rid of by this method.

It is obvious that attaining Nirvana requires a huge effort as evident by the effort and time taken by the Buddha to achieve his goal. Of course, the Buddha had a lot of work to do as he had to find something that was not known before. Those who follow him know what it involves and the path they have to follow. It involves purification and cleansing of the mind and training of the mind to concentrate on ridding itself of defilements. The mind is trained to avoid grasping what is perceived by the senses and the mind and also to stop the influx of feelings of craving, aversion and delusion. When the mind is totally detached from what is perceived, it is not affected by the impermanent nature of the object, its decay and demise and as a result there is no suffering.

As mentioned earlier, attainment of Nirvana involves a ‘pragna’ or wisdom component. This is defined as gaining of a higher knowledge and this higher knowledge is defined as ‘knowledge of things as they actually are’ (‘yathabhutagnana’). Impermanence in itself is not a problem but it becomes a problem when it is considered as permanence. In higher knowledge the perception of reality is corrected and the realization dawns that the world and everything in it are characterized by impermanence, sorrow and non-self.

However, if we attempt to delve deeper into this matter, it becomes more complex particularly with regard to the nature of the person who has attained ‘Nirvana’. The question may be asked, how a person who has categorically changed the nature of his mind be different from other persons. In Buddhism the person is composed of the five aggregates; ‘rupa, vedana, sangna, sankara, vignana’. Four of these five are functions of the mind and as the mind has undergone change in Nirvana, what happens to these aggregates is important. Buddha who had attained Nirvana was asked whether he still is identified with these five aggregates or whether he is distinct and separate from them. Buddha’s answer was he is neither identified with nor distinct and separate from them (Samyuttanikaya). This answer resulted in the assertion that Nirvana and Buddha are beyond the realm of our world and they are therefore transcendental phenomena.

Those who argue against this idea say that what is meant by not being identified with the five aggregates is that there is no attachment to the five aggregates. Attachment to the five aggregates causes self-appropriation which manifests in three ways; “this I am”, “this is myself” and “this is mine”. Cessation of the three-fold appropriation is achieved by the opposite process of self-negation; “this I am not”, “this is not myself” and “this is not mine”. In Nirvana self-appropriation ceases completely.

There are other similar issues that make people wonder whether Nirvana is beyond this world. Buddha was asked by Vacchagotta where Thathagatha would be born after death. The answer was that the question does not apply. Then he was asked whether he would not be born. Again the answer was that the question would not apply. Then the question was asked whether he is both born and not born and when the answer was the same the question was asked whether he is neither born nor not born. The answer was similar (Majjimanikaya). When Vacchagotta appeared to be disappointed Buddha spoke about the burning flame that disappears when the fuel is burnt out. The question where did the flame go does not arise. Buddha said when craving, aversion and delusion are spewed out, ‘samsara’ and suffering are rooted out like the fire.

The controversy has not been settled and even contemporary scholars differ on this issue. Some (DJ Kalupahana, A Tillakaratne) seem to hold the view that Nirvana and Thathgatha are not transcendental while others (KN Jayathilake, Bikkhu Bodhi) think they are to some degree above the realm of our world.

The relevance of the above discussion is that lay people like us, instead of getting into controversy about Buddhism and Nirvana, should attempt to mould our lives according to the reality that the Dhamma teaches us, the reality of impermanence and try to be as less grasping as possible which is the lesson that Nirvana teaches us.