1. Nibbana or Nirvana “…..deathless, unborn, unmade, not compounded, imperishable, uninterrupted, inextinguishable, indiscernible,, unattached, infinite, liberation, indescribable……” inextinguishable, indiscernible,, unattached, infinite, liberation, indescribable……” “…..deathless, unborn, unmade, not compounded, imperishable, uninterrupted,

2. Nibbana is defined as the eradication of greed, hatred and delusion or ignorance. Theravada Buddhists call this ragakkhayo dosakkhayo mohakkhayo ti Nibbanam. So…. It works like this: Where there is no akusala, there is no selfishness. Where there is no selfishness, there is no evil. Where there is no evil, there is no dukkha. Our vision becomes ‘straightened’ as Buddhists put it and our thoughts are no longer motivated by self interest. We are freed from dukkha and experience supreme bliss. This is Nibbana.

3. Some people think that Nibbana is the birth in a different state where one enjoys all sorts of happiness. To them Nibbana is a state to be attained after death. This is NOT so. The Buddha not only said, but also demonstrated through his own life that Nibbana is to be realised in this very life, while yet living.

4. What then IS Nibbana? It is the state that every Buddhist hopes to achieve It is something that cannot be described It is not a place It is not an event It is not the same thing as death

5. So – What is it???? It means a ‘blowing out’ It is when akusala dies out It is when a person is no longer attached It is peace It is calm It is serenity It is contentment It is happiness It is purity

6. The Buddha’s enlightenment Siddhartha Gautama became enlightened when he sat under the Bodhi tree He then became a ‘Buddha’, an enlightened one He also became a Tathagata – ‘one who has gone beyond’ or ‘one who has succeeded’ After forty – five years of living in a state of Nibbana, the Buddha died. This is described as entering a state of Parinibbana, the Nibbana of no return sometimes known as anupadisesa – nibbana (Nibbana without the five skandhas remaining) This could be best described as a state of utter peace but it is really beyond a person’s imagination to picture it!

7. TheravadA and Mahayana views  For Theravada Buddhists, Nibbana is the point at which the harmful fires of existence are at last burnt out  For Mahayana Buddhists, Nirvana is also the ultimate in self – giving love for all creatures (The Bodhisattva ideal)  This at first may be confusing, but we should remember that Nibbana/Nirvana can never be properly described ! Sorry !