Chapter 35 Chapter 33 Nirvana Silence

Although this world is suffering, there is also happiness to be found; even though there is something real, you should also seek non-existence; although this world is hot and troubled, there is also a cool place; although the three worlds are like fire, there is also the city of Nirvana; The most perfect state; although there are living beings, there are also non-living places. ——"Jataka Stories" Nirvana is the complete achievement of the Dharma People may be able to talk about such profound teachings in a clear and descriptive way, and they may be able to use gorgeous and beautiful words to write a comprehensive book to explain the tranquility and profoundness of Nirvana.However, Nirvana is not something written or printed, nor can it be grasped purely intellectually. Nirvana is a transcendent fruit attainable only through inner wisdom.

A purely rational understanding of Nirvana is impossible because logical reasoning cannot relate to it.Although the logic of the Buddha's teachings is flawless, Nirvana, the ultimate goal of Buddhism, is beyond the realm of logic.However, through the introspection of the positive and negative aspects of life, such a logical conclusion will be drawn - in the face of the existence of conditioned dharmas, there must be unconditioned dharmas that end suffering and have no birth and death. In the commentary of the Jataka story, it is recorded that in the previous life of Sakyamuni Buddha, when he was a good and wise immortal, he once meditated like this:

"Although this world is suffering, there is happiness to be found; even though there is something real, you should seek non-existence; although this world is hot and troubled, there is also a cool pool; although the three worlds are like fire, there is also the city of Nirvana; There is a perfect state; although there are living beings, there is also a non-living place." (1) Definition of Nirvana: In Pali, Nirvana (nibbana, Sanskrit: Nirvava) is composed of two words NI and VANA. NI is a negative participle; VANA is wave or desire, which is the link between this life and the afterlife. (2)

"Nirvana, which is freedom from (NI) so-called greed and desire." As long as sentient beings are bound by greed and attachment, they will create new karma, and this karma will definitely be manifested in the endless cycle of life and death.When all forms of craving are eliminated, the regenerative forces of karma cease to function, and the person is freed from the cycle of birth and death and attains Nirvana.Liberation in Buddhism is freedom from endless life and death, not just freedom from sin and hell. Nirvana is also interpreted as the extinguishment of the three fires of greed, hatred and delusion

"The three worlds are like a pit of fire," said the Buddha. "What fire ignites this pit of fire? It is ignited by greed, anger, and delusion, by birth, old age, death, sorrow, sorrow, pain, lamentation, and despair." On the one hand, Nirvana can be interpreted as the extinguishment of these poisonous fires.However, this nirvana must not be mistaken for just the extinguishing of this poisonous fire, which does not mean that it is gone.Here, the extinguishment of the poisonous fire itself is the attainment of Nirvana. Nirvana is nothingness? Saying that Nirvana is nothingness is just because people have not been able to conceive it in terms of the five faculties. This is as illogical as saying that the lamp does not exist for a blind person who cannot see it.In a popular fable, a fish, which lives in water all day long, argues with a tortoise and triumphantly concludes that land does not exist, because it gets no answers.

Long, long ago, there was a fish who lived on water all his life and knew nothing but water.One day, he swam to the pond where he played all day long, and here he met his best friend, a tortoise who had just returned from an outing on land. "Hi, Mr. Tortoise," said the fish, "Long time no see. Where have you been?" "Oh, I just came back from a land tour," said the turtle. "Land!" cried the fish. "You mean land. What is land? There is no land. I have never seen it. So there is no land." "Okay. You can think so if you like, no one wants to stop you. But no matter what you say, I went there." said the turtle calmly.

"Why, speak wisely, and tell me what the land you speak of is like. It's all wet?" "No, not wet," said the turtle. "Is it nice, clean and cool in there?" asked the fish. "No, it's not pretty, it's not clean, it's not cool," replied the turtle. "Is it transparent there? Can the light go through?" "No, it is opaque, and the light cannot pass through it arbitrarily." "It's so soft and shape-changing that I can flap my wings and go head-on?" "No, it's not soft and mutable in there, you can't swim in it."

"Does it flow like a stream?" "No, it doesn't flow like a brook there." — "Where will there be foam-colored waves?" asked the fish again, impatient with the series of "no". "No," replied the Turtle, "I never saw a wave go up there." "Look," said the fish triumphantly, "I've said long ago that the land you're talking about doesn't exist. I asked you just now, and you answered it. There's nothing there, no. Wet is not cool, unknown is not soft, not like a stream and has no waves. If it is not any of these, what else is there? Don’t say any more.”

"Well, well," said the tortoise, "if you insist stubbornly that there is no land, I will have you to think so. But whoever knows both land and water will take you for a foolish fish." .Because what you think you don’t understand doesn’t exist.” Saying that, the tortoise turned around, left the fish in the small pool behind him, crawled towards the land, and started a new journey. (3) From this philosophical story, we can clearly see that the tortoise, who is familiar with land and water, cannot tell the characteristics of land, and it is impossible for fish to imagine land, because it only lives in water.In the same way, Arhats who freely come and go between the world and the world cannot accurately explain the law of the world to the world in the language of the world, and it is impossible for the worldly people to realize the law of the world according to the wisdom of the world.

If Nirvana is nothingness, then it must be consistent with space.Nirvana and space are both eternal and unchanging.Nirvana is eternal because there is nothing inside, and space is boundless and timeless.So, to put it simply, the difference between nirvana and space is that space is nothing, while nirvana is existence. When talking about the existence of different worlds, the Buddha specifically mentioned the realm of emptiness. In fact, Nirvana, as the fruit of a spiritual realization, proves beyond doubt that Nirvana is not nothing.If Nirvana were nothingness, surely the Buddha would not have used the following words to describe it: Unbounded (anaota), Inaction (asamkhata), Inconceivable (anupameya), Perfection (anuttara), Supreme (para), Ultimate (para), The perfect refuge (parayana), tranquility (tana), peace (khema), happiness (siva), one truth (kevala), nothingness (anataya), indestructibility (akkhara), absolute tranquility (v6suddho), exit The world (lokuttara), immortality (amah), liberation (mutti), happiness (santi).

"Bhikkhus, the state of non-birth, non-dependent origination, non-fabricated, and non-action does exist. Monks, if there is no such state of non-birth, non-dependent origination, non-fabricated, and non-active state, then you will not be able to emerge from birth, dependent origination, fabrication, and conditioned Liberation. Just because there is a state of non-birth, non-dependence, non-fabrication, and non-action (4), you can be liberated from the law of birth, interdependence, fabrication, and conditionedness.” The Book of Benshi says: "The law of birth, existence, creation, and harmony is not eternal, and all have change. The five aggregates of impermanence are the source of all diseases, nourishing the body with food, not a place of pleasure, leaving this place to go to the other shore, rational, eternal, no birth and no creation, No suffering without outflows, end all afflictions, get rid of suffering and find happiness.” (5) Therefore, Nirvana in Buddhism is neither non-existence nor annihilation. It can be clearly said that it is not a thing, and it cannot be fully and accurately stated in secular terms. It can only be proved by itself. Nirvana with surplus and Nirvana without remainder Numerous scriptures expounded on Nirvana with surplus and Nirvana without remainder at length. (6) In fact, these two are not two, they are actually the same, and they have different names because they were acquired during life or after death. If the student has enough practice, he can achieve Nirvana in this life.Buddhism does not say anywhere that Nirvana can only be realized in the next life, so Buddhist Nirvana is different from the eternal heaven that non-Buddhists can only enter in later generations. This life is to prove Nirvana with surplus Nirvana; after the Arhat is destroyed, he realizes Ultimate Nirvana, the existence of no material residue, which is called Nirvana without residue.In the Sutra, the Buddha declared: "Bhikkhus, there are two kinds of nirvana. What are the two? There is support and no support. From this, all monks, get rid of afflictions in the body, do everything, abandon attachments, obtain the holy fruit, smash the shackles of life, and know what you have obtained. Liberation, this person is an Arhat. The five faculties still exist. Only because the five faculties are not empty, so he has the experience of suffering and happiness, and the elimination of greed, hatred, and ignorance is called dependent Nirvana." "Bhikkhu, please wait for the Nirvana without Remnant? From this, you will cut off your afflictions, and... you will be liberated by knowing yourself. This life is cool and there will be no more pleasant feelings. This is called Nirvana without Residue." "Seeing the Tao without attachment indicates two nirvana, one is the existence of this life, the flow is cut off but there is support, no support is the future, stop all flow, know the law of non-action, stop the flow of mind and liberate, those who understand the Dharma deeply, get rid of the ultimate. "(7) [Note] (1) Warren, "Buddhism in Translation", p. 6. (2) See Venerable Nalanda, Abhidhamma Handbook, p. 317; Philosophical Outline, p. 168. (3) It is derived from the pamphlet of Bhikkhu Jalachera, The Four Noble Truths. (4) According to Liu Shu, these four nouns are used as synonyms. Non-birth (Ajata) means not born of cause and condition (hetupaccaya), and beginningless (abhuta willing to be non-existent) means unborn, because there is no birth from cause and condition, so it is not created by anything (akata).Existence and arising are characteristics of conditioned phenomena, such as mind and materiality, but Nirvana is unconditioned and therefore unconditioned (asamkhata).See Wood Ward? Poems of Moral Upliftment, p. 98, As It Says, p. 142. (5) Wood Ward, "As It Says", p. 142. (6) Sa=same, Upadi=aggregation, that is, heart color, Sesa=preservation.The five aggregates are called Upadi because they hold fast to desire and ignorance. (7) Wood Ward, "As It Says", p. 144.