What is nirvana and how to achieve it? The symbol of nirvana The sign of nirvana in Buddhism.

True on the incomparable path of the upper world. Any attempt to materialize the spiritual content of existence in an object, symbol, ritual, word demonstrates the desire to grab and hold on to a fleeting sense of the meaning of human life. And ... "Sunset by the truth", "The one to whom all the laws of the universe are open", "Achieved Nirvana». Nirvana(Sanskrit) - to fade like a lamp or like the sun at sunset. Nirvana interpreted as final liberation, a special state of mind, overcoming earthly passions...

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His peak in Tibet. Tibetan Buddhists believe that any state of consciousness other than pure Nirvana, are reflections of the limited illusion of self-awareness. The main document of this tradition is the "Tibetan Book of the Dead", ...). Alkindi also defended the effectiveness of magical formulas and words: "By many experiments, the sages proved that the signs and symbols, with due intention and solemnity, inscribed by the hand of a person on various materials, observing the proper place, time ...

https://www.site/psychology/177

Relative state and try to get into the absolute state. This is what we mean by samsara and nirvana, and nirvana- the experience of true knowledge of the true nature of dharmas, that is, emptiness - is also called the state of Dharmakaya. This is the point of view... symbolize the five skandhas and the five dhyani-buddhas, and in the Sutra they are called relative and absolute truth. In the vajra symbol both of these aspects are connected to the central sphere, and this reminds us that in the true sense, and that ...

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Mahayana - these include the students and closest followers of Shakyamuni. Pratyekabuddha literally means "a buddha for oneself". He reached nirvana and saved himself, but does not engage in preaching the doctrine with the aim of saving others. They, like the buddhas, can be unlimited... a small shoot is a sacred tree. The second most popular plant is the lotus. He is considered symbol purity, spiritual enlightenment, compassion. All the highest characters of the pantheon are depicted sitting on a lotus flower, ...

https://www.site/religion/12989

... - The Kaliyug Era, - The Fourth, Black or Material, or Iron Age - our present period; 543 BC. - era Nirvana, - the estimated date of departure from this Plan of Existence of Shakya Muni, - Buddha - Fully Awakened, Enlightened, Wise. 127 to ... (c. June 22) and the Winter Solstice (c. December 22 - asa nišini - that is, sitting in the ashes, - symbol Red, Tierra del Fuego, - Eternal Matter). Months are set as the Year progresses. The most important task of such a calendar is to establish that ...

https://www.site/religion/19039

The square created by the shift is the sky, the bottom square is the earth. Planets are visible in the sky (seven major - symbol archangels) and stars ( symbols angels). The sun in all religions symbolizes God, the moon affects people's lives. If numbered in order ... it is not alive, like stones, the physical plane of being. Pluto is zero-dimensional as invisible, space folded into a point, shunyata, nirvana, nothing that hides being in itself. Saturn, the physical world, is objectively three-dimensional, Jupiter, the ethereal world is four-dimensional, Mars, ...

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The human age. Part 3

... - he did not take. It is possible only as a result of constant spiritual perfection to reach the superhuman levels of Existence and, having reached Nirvana, to break the circle of endless reincarnations (“the wheel of samsara”), which is at the current level of spiritual development of “Homo sapiens” ... Perhaps even such a possibility suggests the presence in the world of Evil, suffering, negations, death as concentration and symbol all the negations?! If this is so (which is usually denied, of course), then the Periphery of Being (and, therefore, ...

Hello, dear readers - seekers of knowledge and truth!

In the European mind, nirvana is something akin to the highest pleasure, unearthly pleasure. However, this concept of nirvana is somewhat distorted and is a collective image of euphoria, a state of strong emotional outburst and pleasant sensations.

Therefore, today we invite you to figure out what nirvana is in Buddhism. We will learn what this concept means, how to achieve such a state, and what steps there are on this path, and we will also tell you about the differences between the Buddhist and Hindu understanding of nirvana.

Concept in Buddhism

Nirvana is an ambiguous term, but at the same time a key one in Buddhist philosophy. This is what every Buddhist aspires to, whether he is a layman or a monk, this is the main goal, the destination on the path of the Buddha.

Even the Great Teacher himself did not give a clear definition of this concept. He said that in nirvana there is no mental flow, experiences, fears. Each trend of Buddhist thought brings its grain of knowledge to the understanding of nirvana, and often interprets it in completely different ways.

First, let's turn to the etymology of the word, which has Sanskrit roots:

"nir" - literally means the particle "not", negation;
"vana" - transition, flow from life to life.

By combining the two components of one word, you can decipher the meaning: the denial of the transition from one life to another. This means the end of a series of rebirths, the extinction of the flame of reincarnations, a stop in rotation.

The reason for this is the cessation of suffering caused by passions, desires, fears, attachments.

In Pali, nirvana is nibbana.

There are several definitions of how such a state defines:

liberation from desires, attachments, and hence suffering;
cessation of a series of rebirths;
a state of consciousness when it finds absolute peace;
main goal in early Buddhism and among Buddhists.

Buddhologists do not stop arguing about which of the definitions is considered correct. But they agree on one thing - in the state of nirvana, the emotional aspect and sensations are discarded, and the mind finds peace.

The Buddha bequeathed that one can get rid of suffering - and then the cause-and-effect laws of being will collapse, the karmic connection will cease to exist.

The theme of nirvana is no doubt touched upon in the scriptures. Thus, the Pali Canon contains the Mahaparinibatta Sutta, which means "the sutra on the great transition to the state of nibbana." Here it is called only as “blissful”, “devoid of attachments”, “free”.

The Sutta Pitaka speaks of a mind that has managed to free itself from attachments. Nirvana is a kind of liberation from one's own ego, because all thoughts, sensations, passions of the individual are rejected.

When the ties with the material world, the desire for money, power, wealth, dependence on other people, the opinions of others, status in society weaken, then the possibility of achieving enlightenment becomes closer and closer. But before that, there is still a long way to go.

Stages of achievement

How can nirvana be reached? No one has yet been able to answer this question unequivocally.

One opinion says that in order to know the nature of enlightenment, it is enough to become an arhat, i.e. find personal awakening.

Others believe that bodhisattvas can help on a difficult path - beings who themselves have achieved awakening, but abandoned nirvana in the name of love and help to all that exists in the world.

Still others are sure that even lay people can achieve complete liberation if they follow all the rules prescribed by tradition, engage in meditative practices, read mantras, lead a correct lifestyle, and are pure in thoughts and intentions.

There are several stages of achieving nirvana:

Sotapanna - loss of excessive bouts of excitement, anger, weakening of dependence on material goods, powerful motives, public opinion, cessation of worries about the transient.
Refusal of primitive level aspirations, likes and dislikes, sexual interest.
Lack of fear of unpleasant sensations, humiliation, censure, pain. Pleasure and anger are replaced by imperturbable calmness.

If we talk about ways to achieve nirvana, then one of three paths leads to it:

Samma-Sambudda - following the path of a preacher, teacher: the birth of a paramit inside oneself - the perfect qualities of a bodhisattva;
Pratyeka Buddha - the silent Buddha: the path to enlightenment without the ability to teach others the dharma;
Arhata-Buddha - following the instructions of the bodhisattva, which carry the dharma.

The main thing to do at the initial stage on the path of the Buddha is to give up material desires. But here's the paradox: the desire for nirvana is in itself one of the desires that the Buddha's teaching recommends us to give up.

And this means that the path to liberation will be thorny and will require significant efforts. After all, on the one hand, motivation is necessary to achieve any goal, and on the other hand, it turns out that nirvana in itself should not be a goal.

What is the difference between nirvana in the Hindu religion

If Buddhism says that after nirvana there is emptiness where there is no soul, then in Hinduism this state is understood in a slightly different way.

As in Buddhist ideas, Hindus believe that nirvana entails a break in the series of reincarnations, the cessation of karmic consequences, the end of one's own ego - this phenomenon is called "moksha". But for Hindus, nirvana is reunion with Brahman, the supreme Lord.

This is stated in the sacred scriptures Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita, where the interesting word "Brahmanirvana" is used. To return to God, to feel unity with Him is the greatest happiness, because, according to the ideas of Hinduism, a part of the Almighty lives in each of us.

Conclusion

In this article, we introduced you to the concept of nirvana in general. We will certainly continue this conversation in subsequent articles, where we will talk about the view of nirvana in various areas of Buddhism.

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The term "nirvana" became synonymous with some kind of blissfully relaxed state, and in the sixties, in the same distorted understanding, it entered the lexicon of drug addicts. The notion of nirvana as euphoria is completely untrue. This concept is one of the most complex in Buddhism: even the Buddha Shakyamuni himself did not give him an exact definition.

Everyone has heard the expression "fall into nirvana". It usually means something incredibly pleasant, one might even say - the peak of pleasure, a state of complete and endless bliss. They "fall into nirvana" for any reason: from their favorite music, from delicious food, from enjoying the closeness of a loved one ... But in fact, the concept of nirvana as a source of euphoria is wrong.

Nirvana (or nibbana) is indeed called in Buddhism the highest happiness, but happiness in this case should not be interpreted as a state of joyful excitement familiar to us in earthly life. In Buddhism, absolute happiness is understood as the absence of suffering, which we constantly experience in Samsara.

Of course, Buddha Shakyamuni talked about nirvana. He referred to it as a state of cessation of suffering, attachments and defilements of the mind. The fact is that he did not give this state a single "positive" definition, speaking only about what not is nirvana. The well-known Soviet scholar and religious scholar Yevgeny Alekseevich Torchinov noted that the issue of nirvana was one of those about which the Buddha kept "noble silence." "The state of nirvana fundamentally goes beyond the field of empirical knowledge and the language of description corresponding to it," he sums up.

In Buddhism, nirvana is described as something opposite to Samsara, which, in turn, is the world of attachments, passions, delusions, and the resulting suffering. Purified from attachments and delusions, the enlightened one passes into the state of nirvana and becomes liberated - not only from the physical body, but also from desires, ideas, and consciousness in general. Unlike Brahmanism, in Buddhism, nirvana is not a blissful union with God, the absolute, because such a union would mean the continuation of the desire to live.

But does this mean that nirvana means complete non-existence? Not really. Although teachers and scholars of Buddhism are still arguing about the correct interpretation of this concept, most of them still agree that nirvana does not mean the complete disappearance of all life. It is spiritual peace, free from tension, conflict and passion. Some teachers interpret nirvana as follows: there is no life itself in it, as we understand it in Samsara (movements, thoughts, desires), but there is the energy of life, its potential. As if we had matches and dry wood, we would have the potential to start a fire, the latent possibility of a flame.

Everything that has been said above refers to the great nirvana, also called parinirvana or the nirvana of abiding. Beings who have reached this state are in complete peace. In Buddhism, there is another type of nirvana - the nirvana of non-absence. The practitioners who have reached it renounce the state of complete rest and final departure to nirvana in order to help the living beings remaining in Samsara and guide other practitioners. Usually such beings with awakened consciousness are called Bodhisattvas. They managed to generate in their souls an incredibly strong compassion, Bodhichitta, and are ready to help anyone who turns to them for help. Bodhisattvas are mentioned in prayers and depicted as tankas. The most famous of them is Avalokiteshvara, "seeing and compassionate."

1.Nirvana

One of the most recognizable logos in the history of music can really be called this emoticon and the inscription with the Onyx font. The Nirvana logo first appeared on a flyer to mark the release of Nevermind. The smiling face was apparently painted by Cobain himself - but it's not exactly known what inspired him. According to one version, he slightly remade the emblem of the Seattle strip club Lusty Lady, according to another, he tried to draw the leader of Guns'n'Roses Axl Rose in his interpretation. The Nirvana logo has become iconic and has been on T-shirts and hoodies for over two decades.

2. Unkle

American graffiti artist Futura has been known as an illustrator and graphic designer for many musical groups. Two robots with guns instead of arms perfectly conveyed the atmosphere of Unkle's first album, Рsyence Fiction.

3. The Doors

The logo of the iconic American rock band led by Jim Morrison conveys all the simplicity and harmony of their musical style. Bold, geometric design, stylish mirrored "O" and a tiny but psychedelic "The" is the best way to bring back the atmosphere of the 60s.

4. Wu-Tang Clan

The famous logo of the New York band cannot be confused with any other. Inspired by the Batman logo, the designers decided to play with the large letter W and place it on various attributes of hip-hop culture.

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Run DMC, as breakers of barriers in music, broke into the musical mainstream and set the pace for it. Inserted between two bold red stripes and set in Franklin Gothic Heavy, these six capital letters have become the most copied logo of all time.

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The scandalous logo of the French electronic duo in the form of a cross in various light variations accompanies each performance of the band. In addition, this symbol appeared on posters, covers of Justice studio albums and became almost synonymous with their songs. As the lead singer of the band, Gaspar Oge, said: “We made this decision because we believe that music, like a church, unites and brings good people together.”

7. Ramones

A friend of the four founders of the rock and roll band from Queens, the artist Arturo Vega, making the logo, modified and changed it more than once, but one thing always remains unchanged: the symbol of strength is the American heraldic bald eagle with an inscription.

8 Misfits

One of the most memorable punk rock logos was actually borrowed: in 1979, bandleader Glenn Danzig saw the famous skull on a poster for The Crimson Ghost and decided to use it himself. The logo proved so popular that the image quickly became the band's mascot and was often featured on the band's releases and fan merchandise.

9. Metallica

The iconic jagged logo was designed for the band's first album Kill Em All in 1983 by James Hetfield. On the 1996 LP "Load", the logo received a minor redesign, but the signature "M" and "A" stab design returned after "St. Anger" in 2008. Metallica's inscription in school days could be found on every third leather jacket and sweatshirt, while the older generation paid tribute to the band with a tattoo.

10. The Rolling Stones

Well, how could we get past the legendary protruding tongue of the Rolling Stones? The world-famous logo of the British rock band in the form of lips and brazenly protruding tongue of Mick Jagger first appeared on the Sticky Fingers album. It was created in 1971 by designer John Pasche, who received only 50 pounds for his work.

The Buddhist religion says that every person wants to achieve a state of serenity and bliss. Studying what nirvana is and how to enter it, the followers of Eastern philosophy strive to join the Absolute and plunge into a state of serene happiness.

Nirvana - what is it?

The concept of nirvana comes from Eastern philosophy. Translated from the ancient Indian language, the word "nirvana" means "fading, cessation." But unlike the Western understanding, in Eastern philosophy the concepts of cessation and extinction are endowed with a positive meaning. They mean getting rid of troubles, sorrows, suffering and constant life struggle. Nirvana is a state in which the human mind acquires a new quality. In this state, the brain receives freedom from thoughts, anxieties, desires. Thanks to this person, a new world and understanding of life opens up.

What is nirvana in Buddhism?

The concept of nirvana in Buddhism is one of the most complex. Even the legendary founder of this religion, Buddha Shakyamuni, could not give an exact definition of this word. In his statements, he only indirectly touched on nirvana, speaking of it as a state in which ordinary thoughts and experiences disappear. Although in the understanding of Europeans, nirvana is closely associated with a feeling of happiness and serene joy, the founder of Buddhism never mentioned nirvana in combination with bliss and pleasure.

Nirvana in Buddhism is the antithesis, which is understood as the world of experiences, aspirations, suffering. Nirvana is not connected with, it goes beyond ordinary sensations, transferring the human mind to another world. Among Buddhists there is no unambiguous understanding of this term. Nirvana is often interpreted as follows:

a state of complete serenity, which can be achieved in this life through constant meditation practices;
human condition after death.

Nirvana - philosophy

Nirvana is one of the central concepts in Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, but there is no single and precise concept of what nirvana is. It is believed that this is the ultimate goal to which every soul aspires. Nirvana helps to break the cycle of rebirth and unite with the higher spirit. Nirvana in the philosophy of Jainism is a state of the soul that has gone beyond the limits of the physical body and the circles of samsara. With the development of Buddhism, nirvana began to be perceived as a kind of absolute, which one can strive for, but which is difficult to achieve.

Types of nirvana

Nirvana among Buddhists does not have a precise definition. In this regard, there are several types of nirvana:

mental - a short-term state in which a person feels an unusual peace and receives insight;
vital - the state of enlightenment, achieved during life and breaking the circle of karmic transformations;
eternal, or true - a special state in which you can find yourself only after physical death.

What does it mean to reach nirvana?

For people who are not interested in Eastern philosophy, achieving nirvana is associated with receiving extremely pleasant emotions. In the understanding of these people, the entrance to nirvana is associated with getting pleasure. Eastern philosophy answers this question quite differently. Adherents of Buddhism and Jainism believe that reaching nirvana means entering a new state in which there are no anxieties and experiences. In the state of nirvana, a person feels himself a part of the universe and is in absolute peace.

How to get into nirvana

Adherents of Buddhism throughout the ages have differing opinions on how to comprehend nirvana. Some Buddhists believe that nirvana is unattainable for people in samsara. Others say that every person should experience the state of nirvana during his lifetime, otherwise he will have to live another life. Proponents of this theory give advice on how to enter nirvana. These tips will help you learn to control your mind and manage it. This will be a good platform for reaching the state of nirvana through meditation:

Breath control. First you need to feel how the air passes through the whole body. Then fix your attention on the exhale. In this state, the body relaxes, the exhaust air leaves.
Full immersion in activities. To master the state of nirvana, it is necessary to learn to concentrate on the activity that a person is engaged in. For example, if he reads, then all thoughts should be only about what he read.
Following time and events. Don't dwell on the past. We must go after the events, think about them and live in them.

Pose for entering nirvana

In the question of how to achieve nirvana, posture is important. For beginners, it is best to start with the lotus position, because it allows you to fix the human body in a comfortable position. Although nirvana is available in any position, it is necessary to choose those in which a person would not be able to fall asleep when relaxed. is made up of the following components: