July 22 Insight: Yes, We Have No Nirvanas!

Yes, we have no Nirvanas…unless we have reached an advanced state of spiritual wakefulness. And no, Nirvana is not just a West Coast grunge band.

Nirvana is in some sense the goal of Buddhist practice. The term is a variation of a Pali word that means to “blow out” or “extinguish,” in the sense that a candle flame is snuffed out.  The Dalai Lama has defined Nirvana as “the state beyond sorrows.”

We will discuss what is extinguished, but first a few words about some key beliefs in Buddhism that give rise to the idea of Nirvana.

The Buddha was an actual historical figure who was born in what is now Nepal. After decades of spiritual questing, he came to the realization that the main problem people face in life is suffering—especially emotional and spiritual suffering. He also realized that there is a pathway that can be followed in order to extinguish suffering, and that pathway is open to all people. Moreover, this extinguishment can be experienced either during our lifetimes or once our lives are over.

The pathway ultimately leads to a state of bliss.

It is important to note that the Buddhist idea of the goal of spiritual practice is different than the goal embraced by Christianity and other Western religions which see the fundamental problem of life as the battle between good and evil, and the ultimate goal as going to heaven.

So, if Nirvana means “to extinguish,” what is it that gets extinguished? And, how do we extinguish it?

What gets extinguished are the “fires” of attachment, aversion, and ignorance. To put it another way, the Buddha himself said, “The three fires that burn within you are greed, hatred and ignorance [or more properly, delusion]." And, according to the Noble-Buddhism-Beliefs.com web site, “The essence of Buddhism is giving up those beliefs and actions that give rise to emotional states that bind and inhibit your mind and body….That is, you lessen your clinging and grasping to things that are worthless and only clutter your mind.”

The Buddha used the metaphor of fires being extinguished because at the time he was teaching, deeply spiritual Indian families kept three ritual fires burning in their homes. So, speaking of blowing out flames resonated deeply with people to whom he was speaking.

Here are a few words of further explanation about the deeper meaning of each of the three fires.

Greed is pretty obvious. It signifies a consuming, obsessive desire for, and pursuit of, possessions and wealth. (Things that ultimately own you!)

Hatred is undue dislike of, hostility toward, or aversion from people, things, and processes.

Delusion is a fixed, false belief that defies reason and makes us unable to see and accept reality.

So how do you know when you are making progress toward extinguishing these fires and achieving Nirvana? According to Noble-Buddhism-Beliefs.com, “You know by the way that you handle the obstacles in your life…by the way you experience the good things in life…by the way you feel when you wake up in the morning and go to bed at night.”