Nirvāṇa

Nirvāṇa (निर्वाण) — From the Sanskrit nir + vā — "blowing out" or "extinguishing." In Buddhist philosophy, nirvāṇa is the cessation of the three fires of greed (lobha), hatred (dveṣa), and delusion (moha) that perpetuate suffering and rebirth. It is the goal of the Buddhist path — the end of dukkha and the cycle of saṃsāra. Unlike the Vedāntic concept of mokṣa, nirvāṇa does not necessarily imply the union of an individual soul with a universal ground; the Buddha deliberately avoided metaphysical characterisation of the nirvāṇic state beyond the cessation of suffering. The Mahāparinirvāṇa is the final passing of a fully enlightened being who does not return to rebirth.

In Brief

From the Sanskrit nir + vā — "blowing out" or "extinguishing." In Buddhist philosophy, nirvāṇa is the cessation of the three fires of greed (lobha), hatred (dveṣa), and delusion (moha) that perpetuate suffering and rebirth. It is the goal of the Buddhist path — the end of dukkha and the cycle of saṃsāra. Unlike the Vedāntic concept of mokṣa, nirvāṇa does not necessarily imply the union of an individual soul with a universal ground; the Buddha deliberately avoided metaphysical characterisation of the nirvāṇic state beyond the cessation of suffering. The Mahāparinirvāṇa is the final passing of a fully enlightened being who does not return to rebirth.

From the Sanskrit nir + vā — "blowing out" or "extinguishing." In Buddhist philosophy, nirvāṇa is the cessation of the three fires of greed (lobha), hatred (dveṣa), and delusion (moha) that perpetuate suffering and rebirth. It is the goal of the Buddhist path — the end of dukkha and the cycle of saṃsāra. Unlike the Vedāntic concept of mokṣa, nirvāṇa does not necessarily imply the union of an individual soul with a universal ground; the Buddha deliberately avoided metaphysical characterisation of the nirvāṇic state beyond the cessation of suffering. The Mahāparinirvāṇa is the final passing of a fully enlightened being who does not return to rebirth.