ISSN NO.: 2321-290X
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SHRINKHLA : VOL-1 * ISSUE-2 *OCTOBER-2013
The Buddhist Concept of Nirvana
Abstract
Jyotsna Kumari
H.O.D.Philosophy,
K.B.College,Bermo;
V.B.U. Hazaribag,
Jharkhand
What is called Moksha in Indian Philosophy, is referred to as
Nirvana in Budhist philosophy. A person who has attained „liberation‟ is
called „Aharta’ . Mahatma Buddha attained Nirvana at the age of thirtyfive years. After attaining „Nirvana‟ he did not remain inactive. He
travelled from one place to another with the purpose of removing
sorrows and sufferings of the people. He also sent his disciples to
different places to preach his philosophy. He believed that, “the boat that
we use for rescue from storm and high tides should be preserved and
made available to others as well.”
The Four Noble Truths are regarded as the central doctrine of the
Buddhist tradition, and are said to provide a conceptual framework for all
of Buddhist thought. These four truths explain the nature of „dukkha‟ (
suffering, anxiety, stress and dissatisfaction), its causes, and how it can
be overcome. Buddha taught these four noble truths in his teaching
after he attained enlightenment. Buddha compared these four truths to
the footprints of an elephant: just as the footprints of all the other
animals can fit within the footprint of an elephant, in the same way, all of
the teachings of the Buddha are contained within the teachings on the
four noble truths.
The four noble truths are:
The truth of dukkha (suffering, anxiety, dissatisfaction)
The truth of the origin of dukkha
The truth of the cessation of dukkha
The truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha
Keywords: Nirvana; Moksha ;Dukkha; Purusharthas;Noble Truths
Introduction
In Indian religionsMoksha is the liberation from Samsara, the
cycle of death and rebirth."Moksha" means "liberation",or "eternal freedom
from social and natural programming. It is the liberation from rebirth or
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“Samsara”. This liberation can be attained while one is on earth„Jivanmukti’
or eschatologically „Karmamukti’The idea of samsara was perceived as that
human life was bondage to a repeated process of rebirth. This idea was
incorporated into Buddhism and Jainism, and eventually also into
Hinduism. By release from this cycle, the suffering involved in this cycle is
also ended.The body and mind are temporary and subject to change and
Moksha is dissociation from them and therefore, realisation of our true
identity.
In Buddhism the concept of liberation is called “Nirvana”.
“Nirvana” is referred to as "the highest happiness" and is the goal of the
Theravada(Buddhist path). In the „Mahayana’("Great Vehicle") it is seen as
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the effect of becoming a fully enlightened Buddha or „Samyaksambuddha‟.
Nirvana is the supreme state free from suffering and individual existence. It
is a state Buddhists refer to as "Enlightenment". It is the ultimate goal of all
Buddhists. The attainment of nirvana breaks the otherwise endless rebirth
cycle of reincarnation. Buddhists also consider nirvana as freedom from all
3
worldly concerns such as greed, hate, and ignorance.
Today in this scientifically and technologically developed world,
though there are many amenities, for easy living and pleasure, people are
physically and mentally highly dissatisfied and lack a feeling of security.
Satisfaction and security are experience of the mind. Safety can refer to
freedom from physical danger. When the mind is satisfied that the person
is free of physical danger, the mind produces an experience of safety or
security. When one does not feel mentally secure, one is unhappy. In
society most people feel insecure. They are always in a state of fear and
dread.Buddha said "Mind is the forerunner and mental states are mind
4
made".
Historically speaking, around the first millennium, new religious
movements spread along the Ganges River valley in India which promoted
the view that human life is a state of bondage to a recurring process of
rebirth. These movements spurred the eventual development of the major
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ISSN NO.: 2321-290X
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SHRINKHLA : VOL-1 * ISSUE-2 *OCTOBER-2013
The Four Noble Truths are regarded as the
central doctrine of the Buddhist tradition, and are said
to provide a conceptual framework for all of Buddhist
thought. These four truths explain the nature of
„dukkha‟(suffering, anxiety, stress and dissatisfaction),
its causes, and how it can be overcome.Buddha
taught these four noble truths in his teaching after he
attained enlightenment.Buddha compared these four
truths to the footprints of an elephant: just as the
footprints of all the other animals can fit within the
footprint of an elephant, in the same way, all of the
teachings of the Buddha are contained within the
teachings on the four noble truths.
The four noble truths are:
1. The truth of dukkha (suffering, anxiety,
dissatisfaction)
2. The truth of the origin of dukkha
3. The truth of the cessation of dukkha
4. The truth of the path leading to the cessation of
dukkha.
Buddha taught on the four noble truths
repeatedly throughout his lifetime, continually
expanding and clarifying his meaning.
1. The truth of dukkha(Suffering)
Suffering comes in many forms. Three
obvious kinds of suffering correspond to the first three
sights the Buddha saw on his first journey outside his
palace: old age, sickness and death. The problem of
suffering goes much deeper. Life is not ideal and it
frequently fails to live up to our expectations.Human
beings are subject to desires and cravings, but even
when we are able to satisfy these desires, the
satisfaction is only temporary. Pleasure does not last;
or if it does, it becomes monotonous.Even when we
are not suffering from outward causes like illness or
bereavement, we are unfulfilled, unsatisfied. This is
the truth of suffering.
2.The truth of the origin of dukkha
Buddha preached that the root of all suffering
is desire „Tanha’(a term in Pali which means craving
or misplaced desire).This comes in three forms, which
he described as the „Three Roots of Evil‟, or the
„Three Fires‟, or the „Three Poisons‟. These three
ultimate causes of suffering are „greed and
desire‟;„ignorance or delusion‟; and „hatred and
destructive urges‟.
3. The truth of the cessation of dukkha
Buddha explained that the way to extinguish
desire, which causes suffering, is to liberate oneself
from attachment.If the cause of life‟s suffering is those
inclinations which tend to continue or increase
separativeness, then its cure lies in the overcoming of
such cravings. If we can be released from the narrow
limits of self-interest into the vast expanse of universal
life, we will be free of our torment.The overcoming of
desire is through substitution of the personal wants
with divine inclinations.
4.The truth of the path leading to the cessation of
dukkha.
The final Noble Truth is the Buddha's
prescription for the end of suffering. This is a set of
principles called the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold
Path is also called the Middle Wayas it avoids both
indulgence and severe asceticism, neither of which
religions of Buddhism, Jainism, and subsequently
Hinduism. These and many other religious traditions
offered differing conceptions of bondage and
diverging paths to Moksha.
Some forms of Buddhism and the monistic
theologies of Hinduism like AdvaitaVedanta, consider
both the mundane world and human entrapment
within it to be a web of illusion. Its penetration requires
both mental training through meditative techniques
and the attainment of liberating insight. In this case,
the passage from bondage to liberation is not a real
transition but an epistemological transformation that
permits one to see the truly real behind the fog of
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ignorance.
Indian religions consider thePurusharthasas
the mainstay of their philosophy.The concept of
Purushartha basically indicates different valuesto be
realized in human life through human efforts. There
are four Purusharthas or aims of life as
Propounded by Manu. They areDharma
(virtue), Artha (wealth), Kama (pleasure), and Moksha
(liberation).One can find the reference of these
Purusharthas
in
various
texts
of
Indian
Philosophy.Moksha means to get „rid off‟ or„release‟.
It is commonly understood asliberation. In BhagavadGita, Moksha is mentioned as“the supreme tranquility
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and the highest bliss” . It isdelight in the self,
contentment with the self, self-satisfactionand selffulfillment. It is the highest endof life, attainable only
by the individual himself, withthe help and guidance of
dharma. Moksha as the lastend signifies that its
attainment is possible after fulfilling the obligations of
the other three. It is astate of non-action. It is not that
on death Moksha isattained. Being the ultimate value
of man‟s social existence, the purusharthaof Moksha
is an end in itself.Beyond that, man has nothing to
attain. It is the stagewhere man‟s cravings cease and
along with thatceases the need for attainment and
fulfillment. It isrealization and living of the truth namely
AhamBrahma,Asmi and Tat TvamAsi. In other words
it iswaking up of human consciousness at the
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highestlevel of reality i.e., Paramarthik Satta. The
liberatedperson neither acts nor causes others to act.
He maywork for the good of humanity without
moralobligation. But he has no duties to perform. It
istotal destruction of egoism. We can call Moksha as
asublime goal. It can be known through
mysticalexperience. Many saints like Tukaram
andKabir havetalked about it and ultimately we all
have to aim at itand only then we will be able to come
out of thecycle of birth and death.
‘Moksha’ and‘Nirvana’are one and the same.
What is called Moksha in Indian Philosophy, is
referred to as Nirvana in Budhist philosophy. A
person who has attained „liberation‟ is called „Aharta’ .
Mahatma Buddha attained Nirvana at the age of
thirty-five years. After attaining „Nirvana‟ he did not
remain inactive. He travelled from one place to
another with the purpose of removing sorrows and
sufferings of the people. He also sent his disciples to
different places to preach his philosophy. He believed
that, “the boat that we use for rescue from storm and
high tides should be preserved and made available to
8
others as well.”
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Parinirvana(final nirvana) in the afterlife. Souls that
have achieved „parinirvana‟ are free of the cycle of
reincarnation. However, Buddha never specified what
parinirvana was like. In Buddhist thought, it is beyond
normal human comprehension.
The implication of Nirvana is that it is
freedom from whatever binds you, from the burning
passion of desire, jealousy, and ignorance. Once
these are totally overcome, a state of bliss is
achieved, and the cycle of birth and death along with
all karmic debts are settled.
References :
1. Sharma, Arvind (2000), Classical Hindu Thought:
An Introduction, Oxford University Press. Steven
2. Collins. Nirvana: Concept, Imagery, Narrative
(Cambridge University Press; 2010) Kawamura,
3. Bodhisattva Doctrine in Buddhism, Wilfrid Laurier
University Press, 1981.
4. AcharyaBuddharakkhita, The Buddha's Path of
Wisdom- The Dhammapada (translated from the
Pali), Bhikkhu Bodhi, 1996
5. Patrick
OlivellePresuppositions
of
India’s
Philosophies (1963). "moksha". Encyclopædia
Britannica. .
6. Chatterjee, Satischandra; Datta, Dhirendramohan
(1984). An Introduction to Indian Philosophy
(Eighth Reprint Edition ed.). Calcutta: University
of Calcutta.
7. Sharma, Arvind (2000), Classical Hindu Thought:
An Introduction, Oxford University Press
8. KashiNathUpadhyaya, Early Buddhism and the
Bhagavadgita.MotilalBanarsidass Publ., 1998
9. Snelling, John. The Buddhist Handbook: A
Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching,
Practice, and History. Rochester: Inner
Traditions, 1991.
the Buddha had found helpful in his search for
enlightenment.
1. Right Understanding - Sammaditthi- Complete or
Perfect Vision, also translated as right view or
understanding. It implies visualising of the nature
of reality and the path of transformation.
2. Right Intention - Sammasan kappa-Perfected
Emotion or Aspiration, also translated as right
thought or attitude. It means liberating emotional
intelligence in one‟s life and acting from love and
compassion
3. Right Speech - Sammavaca-Perfected or whole
Speech. Clear, truthful, uplifting and non-harmful
communication is its essence.
4. Right Action - Sammakammanta-Integral Action.
An ethical foundation for life based on the principle
of non-exploitation of oneself and others
5. Right
Livelihood
Sammaajiva-Proper
Livelihood.This is a livelihood based on correct
action the ethical principal of non-exploitation. This
is the basis of an ideal society.
6. Right Effort - Sammavayama-Complete or Full
Effort, Energy or Vitality. It means consciously
directing our life energy to the transformative path
of creative and healing action that fosters
wholeness and therefore there is conscious
evolution.
7. Right Mindfulness - Samma sati Complete or
Thorough Awareness..Right mindfulness is the
controlled and perfected faculty of cognition. It is
the mental ability to see things as they are, with
clear consciousness.
8. Right Concentration - SammaSamadhi-Full,
Integral or Holistic Samadhi. Samadhi literally
means to be fixed, absorbed in or established at
one point, thus the first level of meaning is
concentration when the mind is fixed on a single
object. The second level of meaning goes further
and represents the establishment, not just of the
mind, but also of the whole being in various levels
or modes of consciousness and awareness. This
is Samadhi in the sense of enlightenment .
The Buddha described the Eightfold Path as
a means to enlightenment, like a raft for crossing a
river. Once one has reached the opposite shore, one
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no longer needs the raft and can leave it behind.
In Buddhism, attaining this state of
enlightenment is called „Nirvana’. The word is Sanskrit
for "to extinguish." In this case, it means to extinguish
ignorance, hatred and earthly suffering. The term is
most closely associated with Buddhism, though it's
applied to a same concept in Hinduism.A primary aim
of Buddhism is to break free of the wheel of samsara,
and to reach a new level called Nirvana.By achieving
nirvana,one can escape samsara, the cycle of
reincarnation that characterizes both Hinduism and
Buddhism. In each life, a soul is punished or rewarded
based on its past actions, or karma, from the current
life as well as earlier lives (which also include lives as
animals.When one achieves nirvana, he
stops
accumulating bad karma because one has
transcended it. One then spends the rest of his life
and sometimes future lives "working off" the bad
karma that had already accumulated. Once you have
fully escaped the karmic cycle, you achieve
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