This question is pretty straight forward.
Suppose I wish to attain Nibbana then what are the conditions which I must fulfill in order to attain Nibbana?
asked Nov 2, 2017 at 14:45
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9 Answers
What are the conditions necessary for Nibbana?
This answer is pretty straight forward.
Practice and perfect the Noble Eightfold Path as laid out by the Buddha. When perfected, the Path Consciousness takes Nibbana as an object.
It performs four distinct functions, i.e.; "fully understanding Dukkha, abandoning the origin of Dukkha, realizing Nibbana and cultivating the Noble Eightfold Path".
Is Nibbana guaranteed after perfecting the Noble Eightfold Path ?
In the Nagara Sutta, the Buddha teaches how he discovered an ancient Path, the Noble Eightfold Path, and by following it he came to experience the cessation of aging and death (conditioned reality).
"... So too, bhikkhus, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road travelled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that ancient path, that ancient road? It is just this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. I followed that path and by doing so I have directly known aging-and-death, its origin, its cessation,and the way leading to its cessation ..."
-- SN 12.65: The City, p. 603, Bodhi transl.
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Is Nibbana guaranteed after perfecting the Noble Eightfold Path ? Nov 2, 2017 at 15:04
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It is stated that "The stage in the Path where there is no more learning in Yogachara Abhidharma, state Buswell and Gimello, is identical to Nirvana or Buddhahood, the ultimate goal in Buddhism." (That quote comes from wikipedia, with several sources which you may trace.) Nov 3, 2017 at 0:08
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@DheerajVerma. I completely forgot about your comment-question, sorry about that. I have updated my answer.– user2424Nov 6, 2017 at 16:50
From a Theravada perspective, in order to attain Nibbana (the fourth and final stage of enlightenment), you generally need to pass through the first stage of enlightenment, which is the fruit of stream entry.
In this YouTube video, Ven. Dhammavuddho explains the characteristics of a sotapanna (stream winner) and explains how to get there. He quotes from many suttas to support his points.
The experience of nibbana for the first time happens at the first stage of awakening, other wise known as stream entry.
The practices leading to stream entry are encapsulated in four factors:
Association with people of integrity is a factor for stream-entry.
Listening to the true Dhamma is a factor for stream-entry.
Appropriate attention is a factor for stream-entry.
Practice in accordance with the Dhamma is a factor for stream-entry.
— SN 55.5
The practice leading to disenchantment, dispassion, and release follows a stepwise path of cause and effect.
"Now, I tell you, clear knowing & release have their nutriment. They are not without nutriment. And what is their nutriment? The seven factors for awakening... And what is the nutriment for the seven factors for awakening? The four establishings of mindfulness... And what is the nutriment for the four establishings of mindfulness? The three forms of right conduct... And what is the nutriment for the three forms of right conduct? Restraint of the senses... And what is the nutriment for restraint of the senses? Mindfulness & alertness... And what is the nutriment for mindfulness & alertness? Appropriate attention... And what is the nutriment for appropriate attention? Conviction... And what is the nutriment for conviction? Hearing the true Dhamma... And what is the nutriment for hearing the true Dhamma? Associating with people who are truly good...
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/into_the_stream.html
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That is so true. I fulfill most of them. I associate with people of integrity . I listen to true Dhamma. I put appropriate attention. However I am not sure what is meant by practice in accordance with the Dhamma? Can you pls explain? Nov 2, 2017 at 15:23
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A slightly cheeky thought: it's not about fulfilling conditions, but rather removing conditions. In practice, cultivating good conditions yields good results (and thus this is prescribed as part of the path), but ultimately the unconditioned needs no conditions. When a fire burns out because its fuel is exhausted, it vanishes. All that remains is the vanishing.
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I did not understand what you meant by "All that remains is vanishing". I think all that remains is not vanishing but the knowledge of how to make a fire vanish. And existence of such a knowledge comes from the fact that even after Nibbana Buddha was able to teach how to extinguish the fire of self. His own fire subsided but he knew how to make the fire vanish. Nov 5, 2017 at 13:05
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I assume he refers to the removal of fetters or asavas (and cessation).– ChrisW ♦Nov 5, 2017 at 13:26
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1@Dheeraj Verma, Just what I felt was an evocative turn of phrase. The fire doesn't need any help in vanishing; it vanishes because it is empty of inherent existence and when the conditions allowing it to burn are gone, the fire goes out. This is the unconditional nature of all conditioned phenomena, whether it be a fire, what I think of as 'me' or, indeed, suffering. Nibbana is sometimes translated as "blowing out" or "extinction", so in a sense, Nibbana is already the true nature of things and the path of practice does not bring it about, but rather clears away what obscures it. Nov 5, 2017 at 19:46
As Upasak inb4dead told.
There are no conditions for Nibbana. Nibbana is unconditioned.
To possible reach the Unconditioned, one needs to hold on, put into, increase the conditions to let go of them.
One needs to have upanissaya (strong conditions) and give into strong condition causes (upanissayapaccayena). Of which causes are conductive and which not, how to foster, increase, develop... conductive causes, all of that is what the whole teaching are about.
The Essence of the Dhamma might be useful, since the Unconditioned is not to be reached without giving conditions to attain.
[Note: This is a gift of Dhamma, not meant for commercial use or other lower wordily gains by ways of exchange or trade]
I can’t disagree with any others answers advocating this or that practice. But what jumps to my mind is the Buddhist teaching all conditioned things - those arising from causes* and conditions are impermanent. Thus ultimate extinguishing, Nimbanna, is beyond conditions or causes. But, as one uses a raft to cross a river and then abandons it, causes and conditions may be used to reach the unconditioned, and uncaused, which I think cannot be spoken of, or should not if it could be.
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Do you mean to say that Nibbana can be attained not only by following causes and conditions but also by spontaneous occurrence ? Nov 5, 2017 at 13:11
One who attains Nibbana has extinguished ten fetters:
“Bhikkhus, there are these ten fetters. What ten? The five lower fetters and the five higher fetters. And what are the five lower fetters? Personal-existence view, doubt, wrong grasp of behavior and observances, sensual desire, and ill will. These are the five lower fetters. And what are the five higher fetters? Lust for form, lust for the formless, conceit, restlessness, and ignorance. These are the five higher fetters. These, bhikkhus, are the ten fetters.”
-- AN 10.13
To extinguish these fetters, one practices the eightfold path. Or, more comprehensively, one practices and fulfills all factors of the Bodhipakkhiyādhammā.
Question does not apply. Nibbana is unconditioned, uncaused, unmade. The proper question would be what are the conditions for cessation of All/aggrigates
The condition for Nirvana is "suchness". The condition for suchness is having no conflict between "is" and "should". The condition for no conflict is insight into the nature of things. The condition for insight is study and practice of Noble Eightfold Path.
answered Jan 21, 2018 at 15:23
