6.1. Nibbāna in Pāli Canonical Texts

Having known that nibbāna is liberation from all sufferings, one would emphasize the state of liberation as the state of deathlessness. Since this theory is prominent among the early Buddhists, they deny the concept of soul theory and its state of eternity. They refuse to speak of any eternal beings including a supreme soul (Brahma) and the concept of a mighty God. The doctrines of early Buddhism do not mention anything about the condition of everlasting living beings. Instead of accepting the view of eternity, they reject the concept of an eternal living entity. The emphasis of their view is that after an enlightened being (arahanta) enters the final state of nibbāna, his or her aggregates leave on substance. Because of this kind of understandding cannot escape from philosophical inquiry. The doctrines should explain something about these matters, even if it may not be beneficial for someone who has entered into the state of nibbāna. Thus, some Buddhist scholars attempt to interpret nibbāna as void from the word suññata in Pāli, or as extinction from the word khaya, or as nothingness (abhāva), and emptiness (tuccha).

In reality, the state of nibbāna has its own significance. However, thinking of it with a secular mind that is naturally inclined toward sensual pleasure is far away from the real essence of nibbāna. And also it is impossible for one who does not experience that state of nibbānic happiness to understand where the enlightened beings will be after entering into the state of nibbāna. However, Buddhist believes that Arahants can know about their property of self-realization. According to canonical text, the Aranhants know the supramundane object and the qualities of their realization through their enlightened supramundane wisdom. Their experience is likened to an analytical experiment in Buddhist logic.

The following is the Pāli passage addressed by the Buddha:

Yato ca kho me bhikkhave inmesu catūsu ariyasaccesu evaṃ tiparivattaṃ dvādasākāraṃ ñāṇadassanaṃ suvisuddhaṃ ahosi. Athāhaṃ bhikkhave sadevake loke samārake sabrahmke sassamaṇabrāhmaniyā pajāya sadevamanussāya anuttaraṃ sammāsambodhiṃ abhisambuddhohi paccaññāsiṃ, ñāṇañca pana me dassanaṃ udapādi, akuppā me vimutti, ayammantimā jāti, ratthi dāni punabbhavoti.^[1]

When my knowledge and vision of these Four Noble Truths as they really are in their three phases and twelve aspects was thoroughly purified in this way, then I claimed to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment in this world with its devas, māra, and brahmā, in this generation with its ascetics and Brahmins, its devas and humans. The knowledge and vision arose in me: “Unshakable” is the liberation of my mind. This is my last birth. Now, there is no more renewed existence.^[2]

As has been stated since the Buddha attained enlightenment, he proclaimed, “This is my last birth.” This means that he was no longer under the bondage of death after his death. In this regard, the Buddha emphasized only liberation of mind through perfect enlightenment. Yet there is a question that might remain in a listener’s mind about his teachings. People are keen to know whether or not the Buddha adderssed biological liberation and how that is related to the significance of nibbāna. The Buddha, indeed, addressed his disciples about this issue at different times and in different locations.

The Buddha realized that a human possesses carita (personal nature). This means that carita is the character of a person, which is linked to his or her natural attitudes and conduct. “The temperaments of people differ from the diversity of their past kammas. The commentators state that temperament is determined by the kamma productive of the rebirth-linking consciousness.”^[3] According to the Visuddhimagga (the Path of Purification), there are briefly six types of temperament (carita): rāgacarita (greedy temperament), dosacarita (hating temperament), mohacarita (deluded temperament), saddhācarita (faithful temperament), buddhicarita (intelligent temperament), and vitakka-carita (speculative temperament). However,Some will have fourteen, taking these single ones together with the four made up of the three double combinations and one triple combination with the greed triad and likewise with the faith triad. But, if this classification is admitted, there are many more kinds of temperament possible by combining greed, etc., with faith, etc.; therefore the kinds of temperaments should be understood briefly as only six.^[4]

Based on their temperament, each individual will have personal interest in worldly aspects as well as spiritual aspect of life. For instance, in worldly conditions, one might like green, while the other prefers red to other colors. Spiritual practice, some many appreciate the practice of tranquility (samatha) meditation (kammaṭṭhāna), such as loving-kindness meditation or the practice of compassion, while some might prefer the practice of insight (vipassanā) meditation to other meditations. Realizing this situation, the Buddha used his skillfulness in the Dhamma by addressing his teachings from different perspectives for the sake of personal temperament. The Buddha sometimes emphasized in his teachings not only the psychological liberation, but also the biological liberation. Therefore, nibbāna can be understood as liberation that involves psychological and biological liberation.

There is a statement of the Buddha recorded in the Suttanipāta Pāli, Khuddaka Nikāya.

Akiñcanaṃ anādānaṃ, etaṃ dīpaṃ anāparaṃ.Nibbānamīti naṃ brūmi, jarāmaccuparikkhayaṃ.^[5]

No fear is in the Island, no clinging with greed is the Island, nothing is refuse, but the island is nibbāna. The Island is somewhere; that is free from aging and death.^[6]

In the context, nibbāna is somewhere like a safe island, which is free from death and all that is related to suffering. As has been mentioned, the audiences are varied intellectually and psychologically so that some may not understand the interpretation of nibbāna as a metaphorical definition, although others may find it easy to understand such metaphorical explanations. Regarding the interpretation of nibbāna, the Buddha’s chief disciple, Ven. Sāriputta attempt to interpret what nibbāna means for the benefit of students. His statement is clear to some and easy to understand for Buddhist practitioners, since his definition is vary much based on the psychological interpretation. His interpretation of nibbāna seems ideal to the wandering ascetic named Jambukhādaka who asked him about nibbāna.

The statement is the following recorded in Nibbānapañhā sutta, Saṃyutta Nikāya.

“Nibbānaṃ nibbānanti āvuso sāriputta vuccati.Katamaṃ nu kho āvuso nibbānanti. Yo kho āvuso rāgakkhayo dosakkhayo mohakkhayo. Idaṃ vuccati nibbānanti.”^[7]

“Q: Friend Sāriputta, it is said, ‘nibbāna, nibbāna.’ What now is nibbāna? A: (Friend Jambukhadaka), the destruction of lust, the destruction of hatred, the destruction of delusion: this is called nibbāna.”^[8]

In this statement, Ven. Sāriputta’ s definition of nibbāna is that which is free from the defilements of lust, hatred and delusion. If one harbors lust, hatred, and delusion, the one might create some problems that generate more suffering. For him, if there were no defilements, there would no longer be suffering. In reality, without attaining enlightenment, it is impossible to destroy the power of lust, hatred, and delusion. Thus, Ven. Sāriputta emphasized his statement that nibbāna is the destruction of lust, hate, and delusion. And then, he provided the way for the realization of this nibbāna with the noble eightfold path: that is, sammādiṭṭhi (right understanding), sammāsaṅkappa (right thinking), sammāvācā (right speech), sammākammanta (right action), sammāājīva (right livelihood), sammāvāyama (right effort), sammāsati (right mindfulness) and sammāsamādhi (right concentration).^[9]

In addition, no matter how many definitions of nibbāna occur in canonical texts, there is only one characteristic that holds together the two divisions of the canonical definitions fundamentally. Nibbāna is, after all, a state of liberation. The liberation contains two divisions. One is psychological liberation that is related to mind, while the other is biological liberation that is related to the five aggregates, more precisely to existence. Having realized this condition, Ven. Sāriputta drew out a line of reasoning about nibbāna, that is, a kind of conclusion of his discourse.

This is recorded in Paṭisambhidāmagga, Khuddaka Nikāya. The statement reads:

Uppādo saṅkhārā, anuppado nibbānanti santipade ñāṇam. Pavattaṃ saṅkhārā appavattaṃ nibbānanti santipade ñāṇaṃ

(Arising into existence is saṅkhāra. The absence of becoming is nibbāna. The process of phenomena is saṅkhāra and the non-progress of phenomena is nibbāna).^[10]

In most cases, the technical term fro the word saṅkhāra is translated as “mental formation” in Buddhist texts, but here it means the opposite of nibbāna. According to Paṭisambhidāmagga Pāli, nibbāna means “the absence of becoming” or “the absence of existence.” In this context, it may be understood that sometimes the meaning of nibbāna may refer to biological liberation.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

SN III, p. 370-371

[2]:

Connected Discourse of the Buddha, tr. Bhikkhu Bodhi, p. 1846

[3]:

Ac-Ab, p. 330-331

[4]:

Vism, p. 101

[5]:

Suttanipāta Pāli, Khuddaka Nikāya, Department of Religious Affairs, Yangon, Myanmar, 1991. p. 444

[6]:

This translation is based on the commentary of Suttanipāta Pāli.

[7]:

SN II, p. 447

[8]:

Connected Discourses of the Buddha, tr. Bhikkhu Bodhi, p. 1294

[9]:

Connected Discourses of the Buddha II, tr. Bhikkhu Bodhi, p. 1294

[10]:

Paṭis, p. 58