Before putting an insight into Nirvana, let us become thoroughly familiar with Buddhism and what message it propagates. Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to an Insight into what the true nature of life is. It is a religion which is followed by about 300 million people around the world. But for some people, it is more than a religion. They take it for the way of life. The word Buddhism derives its origin from the word budhi which means to awaken(Buddhism What is Buddhism ). The origin of Buddhism dates back about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha was enlightened at the age of 35. Buddhism propagates a very simple message. It teaches leading a life full of moral values, being mindful and developing wisdom needed for every aspect of life. Along with these, it teaches how to lead a happy life. That is why Buddhism has become popular in many countries of the world(Buddhism).
The next question that comes to ones mind is who the Buddha was. Siddhartha Gautama was born of royal parents in Lumbini, presently located in Nepal, in 563 BC. At the age of 29, he came to realize that the materialistic pleasures were not of any meaning. He spent his life meditating and teaching the philosophies of life. Finally, he was enlightened at the age of 35. He taught many things but the concepts of Buddhism can be summarized by the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight Path( which emphasizes on being moral and mindful). The first truth is that life is full of suffering, pain and disease. Buddhism explains how to avoid suffering and how to lead a happy life. The second truth states that suffering is caused due to desire and hatred. The third noble truth is that suffering can be overcome and true happiness can be obtained. It alludes the ideology of Nirvana. The fourth noble truth is that the eight fold path is the way of ending the suffering. Buddhism depends more on apprehension than faith.
Buddhism preaches an important concept of life, Nirvana. What is Nirvana The term nirvana is linked with both Hinduism and Buddhism. Both of these religions consider it from a different point of view. It is primarily concerned with Buddhism. It is the supreme state of being free from suffering and individual existence. It is a state of Enlightenment as referred by the Buddhists. It is the ultimate object of all Buddhists(Buddhism Nirvana). The attainment of nirvana breaks the otherwise endless cycle of reincarnations. Buddhists also consider nirvana as freedom from all worldly concerns such as greed, hatred and ignorance. Nirvana cannot be described in words, it can only be experienced. It is a mode of living where mind and soul are in a state of tranquility. In Buddhism Nirvana is described as deathless. It does not refer to materialistic happiness rather it focuses on eternal spiritual happiness.
The word Nirvana is composed of two words nirvana, where nir indicates freedom and vana means path of rebirth. The Nirvana has eightfold dimensions. These are cessation(nirodha), loveliness wholesomeness(subha), Truth(satya), Reality(tathya), eternity(nitya), bliss(sukha), the Self(atma) and complete purity(parisuddhi). All this means that it is that final state which is conducive in the attainment of Eternal, the Self, Bliss, and the Pure.
The history of Nirvana dates back around 5th century B.C. when it was born out of Hinduism in Asia, when a man named Siddhartha Gautama started it as a movement and diverged it to form its Buddhist path. As a young man, Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha, started questioning the spiritual value of material pleasures and took decision to give up all his possessions and emotional attachments, including his wife and young son. He wanted to apprehend the true nature of life and saw all his attachments as distractions, keeping in mind the Hindu thought.
Then he became a shramana, a wandering, homeless hermit devoted to meditation. He hoped to find enlightenment by completely separating himself from the world, attaching to the polar opposite of his earlier life. Over time, he detached himself farther and farther from the earthly world, to the point that he came close to starvation. But he hadnt achieved enlightenment yet.
He took a bold decision that if he continued on that path, he would die without getting to any understanding. So, he gave up his ascetic life and accepted a meal from a stranger. He decided to tread the middle road, the life between the luxury he had known and the poverty he had known(Tom).
According to legend, soon after Siddhartha accepted this path, he finally achieved enlightenment. As he meditated under a tree, he saw all of his past lives and then the past lives of others. Ultimately he gained a perfect, omniscient knowledge of this world and the world beyond it.
The word Nirvana in Sanskrit means to to extinguish. In this case it means to extinguish ignorance, hatred and earthly suffering. By achieving nirvana, one can escape samsara, the cycle of reincarnation that characterizes both Hinduism and Buddhism. In each life, a soul is given punishment or reward on the basis of its past actions, or karma, from the current life as well as earlier lives. It is significant to note that the law of karma is not because of Gods judgment of a persons behavior. It is similar to Newtons third law of motion- which states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. It just happens on its own wish. This is what Nirvana has in its store house.
The next question that comes to ones mind is who the Buddha was. Siddhartha Gautama was born of royal parents in Lumbini, presently located in Nepal, in 563 BC. At the age of 29, he came to realize that the materialistic pleasures were not of any meaning. He spent his life meditating and teaching the philosophies of life. Finally, he was enlightened at the age of 35. He taught many things but the concepts of Buddhism can be summarized by the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight Path( which emphasizes on being moral and mindful). The first truth is that life is full of suffering, pain and disease. Buddhism explains how to avoid suffering and how to lead a happy life. The second truth states that suffering is caused due to desire and hatred. The third noble truth is that suffering can be overcome and true happiness can be obtained. It alludes the ideology of Nirvana. The fourth noble truth is that the eight fold path is the way of ending the suffering. Buddhism depends more on apprehension than faith.
Buddhism preaches an important concept of life, Nirvana. What is Nirvana The term nirvana is linked with both Hinduism and Buddhism. Both of these religions consider it from a different point of view. It is primarily concerned with Buddhism. It is the supreme state of being free from suffering and individual existence. It is a state of Enlightenment as referred by the Buddhists. It is the ultimate object of all Buddhists(Buddhism Nirvana). The attainment of nirvana breaks the otherwise endless cycle of reincarnations. Buddhists also consider nirvana as freedom from all worldly concerns such as greed, hatred and ignorance. Nirvana cannot be described in words, it can only be experienced. It is a mode of living where mind and soul are in a state of tranquility. In Buddhism Nirvana is described as deathless. It does not refer to materialistic happiness rather it focuses on eternal spiritual happiness.
The word Nirvana is composed of two words nirvana, where nir indicates freedom and vana means path of rebirth. The Nirvana has eightfold dimensions. These are cessation(nirodha), loveliness wholesomeness(subha), Truth(satya), Reality(tathya), eternity(nitya), bliss(sukha), the Self(atma) and complete purity(parisuddhi). All this means that it is that final state which is conducive in the attainment of Eternal, the Self, Bliss, and the Pure.
The history of Nirvana dates back around 5th century B.C. when it was born out of Hinduism in Asia, when a man named Siddhartha Gautama started it as a movement and diverged it to form its Buddhist path. As a young man, Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha, started questioning the spiritual value of material pleasures and took decision to give up all his possessions and emotional attachments, including his wife and young son. He wanted to apprehend the true nature of life and saw all his attachments as distractions, keeping in mind the Hindu thought.
Then he became a shramana, a wandering, homeless hermit devoted to meditation. He hoped to find enlightenment by completely separating himself from the world, attaching to the polar opposite of his earlier life. Over time, he detached himself farther and farther from the earthly world, to the point that he came close to starvation. But he hadnt achieved enlightenment yet.
He took a bold decision that if he continued on that path, he would die without getting to any understanding. So, he gave up his ascetic life and accepted a meal from a stranger. He decided to tread the middle road, the life between the luxury he had known and the poverty he had known(Tom).
According to legend, soon after Siddhartha accepted this path, he finally achieved enlightenment. As he meditated under a tree, he saw all of his past lives and then the past lives of others. Ultimately he gained a perfect, omniscient knowledge of this world and the world beyond it.
The word Nirvana in Sanskrit means to to extinguish. In this case it means to extinguish ignorance, hatred and earthly suffering. By achieving nirvana, one can escape samsara, the cycle of reincarnation that characterizes both Hinduism and Buddhism. In each life, a soul is given punishment or reward on the basis of its past actions, or karma, from the current life as well as earlier lives. It is significant to note that the law of karma is not because of Gods judgment of a persons behavior. It is similar to Newtons third law of motion- which states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. It just happens on its own wish. This is what Nirvana has in its store house.
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