28
votes
If I start doing Vipassana now, how long will it take me to achieve Nirvana?
There is a lovely zen saying, a dialogue between new student and master:
"Master, if I put in great effort every day to attain awakening, how long will it take?"
The master replies, "20 years."
"...
27
votes
How can Nirvana (Nibbana) be permanent?
There is a famous set of verses of the Buddha that go as follows:
“All conditioned things are impermanent” – when
one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from
suffering. This is the path ...
- 23.9k
15
votes
Buddhism broke up my marriage
I don't suppose that any of us are qualified to advise you on your marriage or the optimal duration of it.
In theory, I really don't think it's fair to say that Buddhist love is non-romantic. The ...
- 151
13
votes
If there's nobody to get enlightened, why bother?
This linguistic terminology generally has caused a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding.
The notion of not self is that is there no:
unchanging everlasting component which we can identify as ...
13
votes
If I start doing Vipassana now, how long will it take me to achieve Nirvana?
The Buddha himself gave the answer in the Maha Satipatthana Sutta—The Greater Discourse on Steadfast Mindfulness or the Great Discourse on the Establishing Awareness (DN22):
"Indeed, bhikkhus, ...
- 2,254
12
votes
If I start doing Vipassana now, how long will it take me to achieve Nirvana?
Call me an over-enthusiast but presently, the highest priority in my life is to achieve the object of Nirvana or moksha.
This is good! You need enthusiasm to stay motivated in your practice.You also ...
- 3,072
12
votes
Are there pictures/paintings of Nirvana?
Nirvana isn't a heaven, but a state or condition where there is no
death, because there is also no birth, no coming into existence,
nothing made by conditioning, and therefore no time.
See ...
- 7,393
10
votes
Are there pictures/paintings of Nirvana?
On traditional bhavachakra images, Nirvana in its "peace of mind" aspect is symbolized by the full moon.
While sentient beings down in the realms of Samsara are busy chasing desires and experiencing ...
- 56.2k
10
votes
What is the relation between Nirvana and Parinirvana?
What the Buddha experienced at 35 was called sa-upādisesa-nibbāna - nirvana with remainder. What he experienced at 80 was called anupādisesa-nibbāna - nirvana without remainder:
“dvemā, bhikkhave, ...
- 23.9k
10
votes
If Buddhas don't feel bliss, what is the purpose of attaining nirvana?
From AN 9.34:
Ven: Sariputta: “Reverends, extinguishment (Nibbana) is bliss!
Ven. Udayi: “But Reverend Sāriputta, what’s blissful about it, since
nothing is felt?”
Ven. Sariputta: “The fact that ...
- 34.7k
9
votes
Accepted
How is Nibbana unconditioned?
The practice of the eightfold noble path leads to the experience of nibbāna, just like the act of adverting the mind to the eye door leads to seeing light. Light, the object of seeing, is saṅkhata (...
- 23.9k
9
votes
If there is no self how can Nirvana be described as bliss?
According to Buddhism, even when I am typing these words and seeing the screen, there is no one there. The 'person' isn't an existing thing, it is just a label we put on things to describe how things ...
- 7,406
8
votes
Does being in a commited married life make it impossible to attain Nirvana? If not, how can one progress towards Nirvana?
how someone can be in a commited relationship and at the same time achieve nibbana
I had a dream recently in which my wife went out for the evening without me: I was jealous, craving her and self-...
- 43.8k
8
votes
Accepted
Consciousness in Nibbana
There are two types of nirvana: saupādisesa-nibbāna (nirvana with remainder) and anupādisesa-nibbāna (nirvana without remainder) (Iti. 44).
It is true that for one who has attained anupādisesa-...
- 23.9k
7
votes
Is Nirvana eternal?
It'll be very difficult to define Nibbana within our mundane scope of dualistic concepts of temporal/eternal. That's why the suttas refer to Nibbana as an "apophasis" (the use of negation language to ...
- 91
7
votes
If I start doing Vipassana now, how long will it take me to achieve Nirvana?
Becoming a monk is not necessary to attain Nirvana. In the time of the Buddha there were great numbers of laypeople who attained stream entry, a fair number of laypeople who became non-returners, and ...
- 7,406
7
votes
What do secular Buddhists say about Nirvana?
While there is considerable variety of views amongst people who identify themselves as secular Buddhists, they all seem to converge in rejecting what is often loosely called "metaphysics". This means ...
- 4,267
7
votes
If there's no "self" then why should I care about the future lives and nirvana?
Whether you believe in a 'self' or not, suffering is very real. You experience it on a daily basis. It is this suffering that makes beings look for an end to it. There's only one permanent end to ...
- 25.6k
7
votes
What is Nirvana (mahayana)?
Warning: To not make it too long, I avoided quotes. In addition, this is merely a summary. Just like with Theravada, there are interpretations. Since I present things in a traditional way, please do ...
- 5,168
7
votes
Accepted
What is one's relationship with the world upon attaining Nirvana (and how do we work to get there)
From my own experience, at certain point in one's practice, one's ties with the regular world reduce so much that one no longer gets any energy from participating in mundane affairs ("There is nothing ...
- 56.2k
7
votes
Buddhism broke up my marriage
She is your Buddha, your dharma, and your sangha. Love the world through your love for her. Your marriage is your refuge and your bodhimandala. It is the place where you will awaken - no less ...
- 349
7
votes
Accepted
Death and nibbana
Nibbana is cessation of delusion, cessation of ambition and greed, cessation of lacking, cessation of needing more, cessation of "everything is wrong", cessation of worrying about one's ...
- 56.2k
7
votes
Why aren't there omnicidal Buddhists?
existence is the root of suffering
no, it's not. The official definitions are "unsatisfied thirst is [mental] suffering", "craving and grasping is the origin of suffering", "...
- 56.2k
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