nirvana

what does nirvana translate to?

• blown out - extinguished - extinct

• the three poisons of the mind: hatred, greed and ignorance

what concepts in samsara no longer apply in nirvana?

craving and ignorance = suffering

how long did the buddha meditate under the body tree?

• 46 days

what path did the buddha follow to achieve enlightenment?

• eightfold path or middle way

what is ineffability, why does nirvana have it?

• we have no prior experience of nirvana and therefore it is difficult to explain

what was Denise Cush’s example of nirvana?

• it is like trying to describe colour to a blind person, they have no prior experience of colour so it is impossible to describe it fully

what are two different arguments of nirvana?

• Theravada - nirvana is a permanent state, once it has been reached we cannot return to samsara

• Mahayana - when we reach nirvana we can return to help those who are still suffering in samsara as its the most compassionate thing to do

what is the law of paticcasamuppada?

• it translates to ‘dependent origin’

• everything is dependent on something else, yet nirvana just exists, it isn’t dependent on anything

what does the parable of the raft distinguish between samsara and nirvana?

• the sea is dangerous - full of suffering = samsara

• the land is safety = nirvana

what is the symbol of a lotus flower?

• it illustrates the achievement of nirvana, they grow in muddy water, dirty water (samsara) and it grows above this and blooms (nirvana) - symbolises that we too can achieve this

for Theravada buddhists how should we live life in order to achieve nirvana?

• we should leed a monastic life, following the buddhas dharma exactly (upaya) - arhat ideal

for mahayana buddhists, how should we live life in order to achieve nirvana?

• we should use punna too follow the buddhas dharma, not following it precisely but applying teachings is an everyday context - the bodhisattva ideal

what is nirvana with remainder?

• achieved enlightenment but within samara, they no longer suffer mental anguish

what is pari - nirvana?

• you achieve nirvana at death

what is an example of a bodhisattva?

• the Dali llama

• how does nagaseena explain that nirvana can’t be caused?

• the example of the mountains - just because we haven’t been to the top doesn’t mean we don’t exist

what does the simile of wind illustrate to king Melinda?

• we can’t touch, feel, draw or describe wind, we must experience it - this illustrates to the ineffability of nirvana