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| Sunday, 11 May 2003 |
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Vesak Poya falls on May 15 : Nibbana - the highest spiritual experience by ARYADASA RATNASINGHE "The extinction of lust (lobha), of hatred (dosa) and of delusion (moha) is Nibbana." - Samyutta Nikaya. Buddhists all over the world are familiar with the word Nirvana, which
is the Sanskrit version of the Pali word Nibbana. Buddhism explains In Hindu philosophy, Nirvana means the same. The word has been derived from Ni (a negative particle) and vana (as craving). So long as man is bound by craving, or attached to the world of desire, he continues to accumulate kamma (actions volitional), which materialises in one form or another, in the eternal cycle of births and deaths (samsara). The Buddha said: "The whole world is in flames. By what fire is it kindled? By the fire of lust, hatred and delusion and by the fire of birth, old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair, it is kindled". Nibbana, in one sense, may be interpreted to mean the extinction of these flames or the blowing off. It is the aspiration of every Buddhist to attain the blissful and sublime state of Nibbana ceasing rebirth. Unless one attains Nibbana, the cycle of rebirth will follow. It is the lokuttara dhamma (supermundane doctrine) to be realised through intuitive wisdom, which covers a very wide field, including understanding, knowledge and insight. When a person attains Nibbana in this life itself, with body remaining, it is known as Sopadisesa Nibbana Dhatu, and when an Arhant (sint) attains Parinibbana (the passing away), after the dissolution of the body, without any remainder of physical existence, it is known as Anupadisesa Nibbana Dhatu. On different occasions, Buddha had described Nibbana to mean Ananta (infinite), Asamkhata (unconditioned), Anupameya (incomparable), Anuttara (supreme), Parayana (highest refuge), Khema (security), Kevala (unique), Analaya (abodeless), Akkhara (imperishable), Visuddha (absolute purity), Amata (immortality), Mutti (emancipation), and in brahminical philosophy, the terms used are Accuta (immutable), Nicca (eternal), Santa (tranquil), Anikita (healthy), Nirupaddava (safe), Abhaya (undisturbed), Sata (agreeable), Panita (excellent) Suci (pure) and Sitala (calmness). When craving, in whatever form, is eradicated, the reproduction of kamma ceases to operate, leading to Nibbana. It must be said that Nibbana is not something one can perceive with the five sense faculties, namely, cakkhu (eye), sota (ear), ghana (nose), jivha (tongue) and kayo (body). When Nibbana is realised, vatthudhamma (one of the mental objects) proves that there is nothing void. In the Milindapanha (questions by king Milinda), Ven. Nagasena says: "As medicine puts an end to sickness and nourishes like nectar, Nibbana ends all suffering and nourishes by giving peace. No one can say definitely what Nibbana is because it cannot be explained in conventional terms. However, it can be awakened through wisdom. It is the third Noble Truth (the truth of the cessation of suffering) discovered by the Buddha for the realisation of Nibbana. When the Buddha was questioned as to the nature of Nibbana by those who had not attained Enlightenment, he was perplexed. How does one explain the colour green and the beautiful shades of green found in the forest, to a person who cannot see? How does one explain the exquisite beauty of classical music to a person who cannot hear. The Buddha set in motion the Wheel of Dhamma (Dhammacakka) for one purpose. All of his teachings centered around this purpose, i.e., the destruction of suffering to which man is earthly bound. In the Udana, Buddha speaks of Nibbana thus: "There is, bhikkus, an unborn (ajata), unoriginated (abhuta), unmade (akata) and non-conditioned state (asamkhata) which every Buddhist must try to understand and follow the path with strenuous effort and complete faith. In contradistinction to samsara (the cycle of births and deaths), Nibbana is eternal, desirable and happy. The following beautiful parable aptly illustrates the fleeting nature of life and its alluring pleasures. A man was forcing his way through a thick forest beset with thorns and stones. Suddenly, to his utter consternation, an elephant appeared and gave chase. The man took to his heels through fear and, seeing a well, he ran to hide in it. But to his horror, he saw a viper at the bottom of the well. However, as there was no other means of escape, he jumped into the well, and clung to a thorny creeper that was growing in it. Looking up, he saw two mice, one white and one black, gnawing the creeper. Over his face there was a beehive from which occasional drops of honey trickled. The man, foolishly unminded of the precarious position, began to taste the honey greedily. A kind person volunteered to show him the path of escape. But, the greedy man begged to be excused till he had enjoyed himself. In this story, the thorny path is samsara, the ocean of life. The elephant resembles death. The viper, the old age. The creeper is the birth. The two mice are night and day. The drops of honey correspond to the fleeting nature of pleasures. The man is the so-called being. The kind person refers to the Buddha. The concept of Nibbana is the crowning point in Buddhist thought and practice. It is the highest bliss and there is no individuality in it. In the Ariyapariyesana Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya, we find Buddha's first utterance about Nibbana, which is profound, hard to comprehend, serene, excellent, beyond dialectic, abstruse, and only to be realised by the wise, i.e., Gambhiro duddasa duranubodho santo panito atakkavacaro nipuno pandita vedaniyo." Nibbana is just the highest spiritual experience possible in consciousness in the highest state of ecstasy, when it attains to the trance called sannavedayita-nirodha (cessation of consciousness and sensation). Thus it is to be seen that Nibbana, the ideal, requires spiritual exercise and contemplation for its realisation. The Buddha addressing his 60 disciples said: "The doors to the deathless are opened. Now I shall turn the Wheel of the Great Law. There I shall beat the drum of deathlessness in this world where people are groping in the dark (ignorance)." |
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Nibbana as the departure from craving, which is tanha, and it is the chief
cause of suffering in this world. Hence the Buddha said: Tanhaya jayati
soko. It is of three kinds, viz: kama tanha (craving for sensual
pleasures), bhava tanha (craving for existence) and vibhava tanha (craving
for non-existence). Craving is the eighth link in the formula of dependent
origination (Paticca Samuppada).
