We hear the word "Nirvana" often. But what, exactly, does the word mean?
For some people, Nirvana is the same as everyday life, except that the individual has an altered internal self (Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water). Other people seem to think that when Nirvana is reached, the person stops existing (Poof!). I hear some people talk about it as if it were some kind of never ending acid trip (wow, man!).
Here's an article that describes what Nirvana might be, and why meditation might be useful in attaining Nirvana:
For some people, Nirvana is the same as everyday life, except that the individual has an altered internal self (Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water). Other people seem to think that when Nirvana is reached, the person stops existing (Poof!). I hear some people talk about it as if it were some kind of never ending acid trip (wow, man!).
Here's an article that describes what Nirvana might be, and why meditation might be useful in attaining Nirvana:
In ancient texts, nirvana is often described with a word that is commonly translated as ‘the unconditioned’. For years I heard this strange-sounding term and wondered what it meant, but I figured that understanding it without actually reaching nirvana was probably hopeless and, for my purposes, not all that important. It turns out that I was wrong on both counts. The question ‘What is the unconditioned?’ has a pretty clear answer and a very important one, an answer that forms a kind of intersection between the exotically metaphysical and the naturalistic.
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