Oakville Zen Meditation
NIRVANA by SUNIL
Nirvana is the ultimate goal of all Buddhist practices. In Theravada Buddhism, it is seen as a state beyond space and time, while in Zen or Mahayana traditions, it is synonymous with realizing one's innate Buddha nature. That may be a semantic difference, one describing a physical experience, while the latter, wisdom. It is also known as enlightenment and awakening. There is a lot of unnecessary confusion about these terms. Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of Zen, said scriptures and too much thinking are not the way to liberation.
Gautama Buddha attained Nirvana after six years of rigorous yoga practice and meditation. He described Nirvana as the cessation of suffering, the extinguishing of the "three fires" or "three poisons"—greed, aversion, and ignorance. It is often viewed as a profound state of liberation and tranquility, transcending the mundane world.
To achieve nirvana or to extinguish these fires, practitioners follow several key practices, which Buddha called the Noble Eightfold Path. This path that Miranda talked about before provides a practical guide to ethical and mental development to free individuals from attachments and delusions.
This is an important link to comprehend fully. Buddha identified what we can all verify easily by paying mindful attention that the poisons of greed and aversion are caused by ignorance.
The first of the eight noble paths, the right view, is designed to end this ignorance with the wisdom of anatta, or so called no self. The other seven, namely, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration, are consequences of the right view.
Monks describe the physical sensations during nirvana as a profound state of coolness and calmness, where the mind is free from defilements and desires, leading to a sense of peace and liberation from suffering. The body functions without emotional interference, with senses detecting the environment purely through reflexes and without desire or recognition. This state is often likened to the extinguishing of a fire, representing the cessation of passions and the realization of emptiness and non-self.
Some descriptions of nirvana emphasize a sensation of oneness and unity. This state is characterized by the realization that one is not separate from anything, leading to a profound sense of interconnectedness with all things. Nirvana is also described as a state of perfect equilibrium and eternal tranquility, where the individual experiences a complete balance without residuals
Samadhi during meditation is a glimpse of the physical experience of the freedom from these fires, also called hungry ghosts. THANKS
