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Development of the Teaching on
the Supreme Happiness
(Nibbāna)
Phramaha Surasak Prajantasen
Pali VII, Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies
Vice Dean of Faculty of Buddhism
► Q.
What is The Nibbana
The concept of Nibbana is found in Jainism,
Buddhism and Hinduism. In some schools of
Indian religions, Nibbaba is considered equivalent
to and used interchangeably with other terms such
as vimoksha, vimukti, kaivalya, apavarga, mukti,
nihsreyasa and nirvana.
► However, terms such as moksha and nirvana differ
and mean different states between various schools
of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.The term
nirvana is more common in Buddhism, while
moksha is more prevalent in Hinduism.
► A.
What is The Nibbana in Jainism
► A. It means liberation or salvation. It is a
blissful state of existence of a soul,
completely free from the karmic bondage,
free from saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and
death. A liberated soul is said to have
attained its true and pristine nature of
infinite bliss, infinite knowledge and infinite
perception. Such a soul is called siddha or
paramatman and considered as supreme
soul or God.
► Q.
► In
Jainism, it is the highest and the noblest
objective that a soul should strive to achieve. In
fact, it is the only objective that a person should
have; other objectives are contrary to the true
nature of soul. With right view, knowledge and
efforts all souls can attain this state. That is why
Jainism is also known as mokṣamārga or the “path
to liberation”.
► Moksha
in Hinduism also called vimoksha, vimukti
and mukti, means emancipation, liberation or
release. In the soteriological and eschatological
sense, it connotes freedom from saṃsāra, the
cycle of death and rebirth. In the epistemological
and psychological sense, moksha connotes
freedom, self-realization and self-knowledge.
► Q. What
is The Nibbana
► A. Nibbana is the earliest and most common term
used to describe the goal of the Buddhist path. It
has several meanings.The literal meaning is
"blowing out" or "quenching.“
► Within
the Buddhist tradition, this term has
commonly been interpreted as the extinction of
the "three fires", or "three poisons",passion,
(raga), aversion (dota) and ignorance
(moha).When these fires are extinguished, release
from the cycle of rebirth (samsara) is attained.
► Nibbāna
derives from the prefix ni- (‘out,’ ‘without,’
‘finished’ or ‘ended’), and vāna , (‘to blow,’ ‘to go,’
‘to move,’ or in another sense a ‘restraint’). It can
be used in relation to fire or burning, meaning
extinguishing, quenching,
► cooling, or coolness—but not extinction. In
reference to the mind, it means peaceful,
refreshed, and happy: an absence of agitation and
anxiety. Similarly, it refers to the end of
defilements: of greed, hatred and delusion. The
commentaries
► and sub-commentaries usually define Nibbāna as
the end of or escape from craving, which binds
people to repeated existence
► Nibbana
is the final extinguishing of all
desires and bonds and mental modifications
arising from them.
► It
is resting in total and uncoditional peace.
It a spiritual sense, it is liberation from evils
of impermanence, change and samsara and
te dissolution of the transmigrating
individual ego.
 We do not know what Nibbana is like. We may
speak about it metaphorically, but we cannot
really describe it, because in that state there is
no experience, no knowing and no knower and
observer either.
 In Buddhism, Nibbana is the highest and
ultimate goal. The Buddha emphatically
advised his follower to aim for Nibbana rather a
place in a higher world of gods. He state that
heavenly life was a great distraction for a monk
on path of salvation.
► The
Buddha did not encourage speculation by
the initiates on the condition of Nibbana,
because of the purely subjective nature of the
experience. But an understanding of Nibbana
was considered essential for the monks to
continue their practice on the Eightfold path.
► What
► Is
is the state of Nibbana
it a passing away into some void, into some
nothingness, into some state that is without a center
and without a boundary?
► If it is liberation, passing away or dying out, then into
what?
► What happens when a person attains Nibbana?
► Is Nibbana a kind of death from purely mental point
of view?
► There are some of the difficult question we try to
answer here..
► When
the Arhat passes away, he attaint the
realm where there is nothing, “neither arising,
nor passing away, neither standing still nor
being born, nor dying”.
►
It is Nibbana, which is unborn, without
source, uncreated and unformed real into
which escape is possible for the beings through
cessation of craving.
► We
are not sure whether Nibbana is a state of
bliss or not, unlike in Hinduism where we are
explicitly told that Self-realization leads to
experience of unbound bliss (Brhamanada).
► We are also not sure what happens when an
Arhat who has attained Nibbana passes away.
► Does
he continue to exists or cease to texist?
► The Buddha did not encourage any speculaton
on this and did not reveal anything about it,
because in his opinion such knowledge in no
way would contribute to the absence of
passion, sorrow or attainment of Nibbana.
► Another
question regarding Nibbana that is
difficult to answer is whether an Arhat who has
attained Nibbana would remain continuously
in that state while he still remains in this world,
or moves in and out of it from time to time.
► We are not sure, what happens when an Arhat
remains alive in this world. We do not know
whether his mind becomes empty all the time
or intermittently. We also do not know in what
manner and condition he continues to remain
engaged with the outside the world.
► While
he may experience higher states of
consciousness (jhana) in mediation, he may
still vacillates between the duality of
perception and complete absorbtion. Since his
sense remain active, he may still experience
some form of individually.
► We are not sure, what happens when he leaves
this world. We do not know whether he ceases
to exists at tall of exists in some manner. Even
the Buddha did not provide us with a clear
answer.
► Probably in
order to resole this confusion, the
followers of Mahayana Buddhism proposed te
concept of Bodhisattavas deferring their
salvation for the welfare of the people.
► These Bodhisattavas are beings of great merit
who can attain Nibbana at will. But because of
their unbound compassion, they sacrifice their
own liberation and work of the liberation of
others.
Developent of Nibbana in Buddhist Scriptures :
This is peace, this is exquisite – the resolution of
all fabrications, the relinquishment of all
acquuisitions, the ending of craving, dissassion,
cessation; Nibbana. Anguttara Nikaya III, 32
There is no fire like passion,
No loss like anger,
No pain like the aggregates,
No ease other than peace.
Hunger : the foremost illness.
Fabrications: the foremost pain.
For one knowing this truth
As it actually is,
Unbinding is the foremost ease.
Freedom from illness : the foremost good fortune.
Contentment: the foremost wealth.
Trust: the foremost kinship.
Unbinding : the foremost ease. Dhammapada 202-205
.
There is that dimension where there is neither earth, nor
water, nor fire, no wind, neither dimension of the infinitude of
space, nor dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, nor
dimension of nothingness, nor dimension of neither perception
nor non-perception; neither this world, nor the next world, nor
sun, nor moon.
And there, I say, there is neither coming, nor going, nor
stasis; neither away nor arising: without stance, without
foundation, without support (mental subject). Thus, just this,
is the end of stress. Udana VIII.1
There is, monks, an unborn – unbecome- unmadeunfabricated. If there were not that unborn –unbecomeunmade- unfabricated, there would not be the case that
emancipation from the born-become-made-fabricated would
be discerned. But precisely because there is an unbornunbecome-unmade-unfabricated, emancipation from the bornbecome-made-fabricated is discerned. Udana VIII.3
►
►
►
Monks, for a disciple of noble ones who is consummate in
view, an individual who has broken through (to streamentry), the suffering and stress that is totally ended and
extinguished is far greater.
That which remains in the state of having at most seven
remaining lifetimes is next to nothing: its not a hundredth,
a thousandth, a one hundred-thousandth, when compared
with the previous mass of suffering.
That’s how great the benefit is of breaking through to the
Dhamma, momks. That’s how great the benefit is of
obtaining the Dhamma eye. Samyutta Nikaya XIII.1
►
►
Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is
nothing further for this world. Samyutta Nikaya XXII. 59
Some are born in the human wormb,
evildoers in hell,
those on the good course go to heaven
while those without effluent :
totally unbound. Dhammapada 126.
►
The Vimuttimagga which was written as a book of practical
instruction with brevity in its style, refers to Nibbana just
for confirming the description in the Nikaya.
►
Thus, Nibbana is spoken of as the destruction of all
activity, the abandoning of all defilements, the eradication
of craving, the becoming stainless and tranquil.
The Visuddhimagga, Nibbana has peace as its
characteristic. Its function is immorality, or its function is to
comfort. Its manifestation is signlessness, or nonconceptualization. All this may be regarded as the difinition
of Nibbana.
► Buddhaghosa has rejected the assertion that Nibbana is
non-existent or mythical.
►
► The
Abhidhammatthasangaha which is regarded
as an epitome of the entire Abhidhamma-pitaka
speaks of Nibbana as trancendent (lokuttala) that
is, beyond the worl of mind and body or five
aggregates.
► Its to be realised by the intuitive wisdom of the
fFour Paths of Sainthood; it becomes then an
object of the Paths and Fruits.
► Its called Nibbana because it’s a departure
(nikkhantatta) from that craving which is call vana,
lusting.
► Nibbana
in the modern Interpretation
► A. Nibbana is Annihilation
► B Nibbana is Indescribable
► C Nibbana is a Positive return to the
Absolute
► D Nibbana is an ethical state
► E Nibbana is consists in more that one
aspect
A. Nibbana is Annihilation
► The
leading scholars in this direction are Childers,
Burnouf, D’Alwis and few others.
► Childer’s opinion, Nibbana like a state of tranguility
and bliss are applicable only to Arhanship. And
finally, he claims that the original teaching of the
Buddha is that annihilation, and that to suppose
that the Buddhist Nibbana is the same as that of
Hinduism is to suppose that Buddha on such a
crucial question replied upon borrowing from the
creed he wished to subvert.
B. Nibbana is indescribable
► Nibbana
as a mystical state which is indescribale
seems to be generally accepted and considerably
supported by some scholars.
► Max Muller shows that Nibbana can be seen at
three levels viz : 1. as the entrance of the soul into
rest for ever. 2 as a paradise for an ordinary man
and 3. as a philosophical myth grounded on the
ambiguity of the term Nibbana itself.
► As such, Nibbana is a mystical experience: it is
inefferable or indescribable.
C. Nibbana is a positive returns to the Absolute
► Its
represented by some scholars who understand
the concept of Nibbana either as Absolute or as
Godhead or as eternal and pure Consciousnessthe Divine Principla, the Ultimate Source of all
existence.
► Mrs. Rhys David’s belief that the goal of early
Buddhism is no Nibbana. She does not think that
original Buddhism is world-negating or atheistic,
much less, souless.
C. Nibbana is a positive returns to the Absolute
► She
insists that the original goal of Buddhism was
not Nibbana but Attha, the well or aim. The
evidence found by her is King Bimbisara’s address
to village headman on ‘attha’ to be instructed by
the Buddha.
► She finds that this ‘attha’ has been replaced by
samboda (enlightenment), abhinnana
(knowledge), upasama(quite) and Nibbana.
► She claimed that the Buddha accepted the spiritual
environment of his time: the Brahman-Atman
equation.
D. Nibbana is an ethical state
► Its
scientifically based on the descriptions given to
the state of a person who has attained Nibbana
which is a psychological fact. The conclusion
arrived at is not metaphysical but ethical and
psychical.
► Johansson who tried to describe Nibbana as
psychological fact. He sees Citta as distinguished
from Vinnana with the core of personality, the
empirical, functional self, the whole Buddhist
system is to purity this Citta.
D. Nibbana is an ethical state
► According
to him, when Nibbana is reached, the
knowledge arises that the citta is free from all
defilement, and thus Nibbana is the state of citta
created when the obsessions and other
imperections have ultimately disappeared and
have been replaced by understanding, peace and
health.
► He comes to the conclusion that the Nibbana of
the Nikaya is then a transformed state of
personality and consciousness.