Nabbana means extinction of sufferings or the end of sufferings.
This, O Bhikkhus, truly is the peace, this is the highest, namely the end of all formations, the forsaking of every substratum of rebirth the fading away of craving, detachment, extinction-Nibbana
Anguttata Nikaya
The nature of Nibbana is described in various ways. However, the essence of Nibbana is very much the same. In general, Nibbana means extinction: extinction of sufferings; extinction of defilements; extinction of the five aggregates.
Extinction of attachment, extinction of hate, extinction of delusion this is called Nibbana
Sathyutta Nikaya
In brief, all kinds of sufferings and painful sensations arise based on physical and mental phenomena (năma-rupa). Dependent on desire. attachment and clinging to existences (bhava), birth arises. Dependent on birth, decay, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair arise. Thus the whole mass of suffering arises. If there is no attachment or desire, having realised the truth of suffering completely, there will not be rebirth.. As a result, there will be no more sufferings.
Nibbana is Deathless and Birthless Since there are no primary elements and no Nama Rúpa (mental physical phenomena), everything ceases, and this cessation gives rise to etemal peace. All suffering ends.
Mahani Sayadaw, On the Nature of Nibbins
All arahants who have already eliminated all defilements (kilesas); who have already attained enlightenment through supramundane wisdom, will enter Nibbana after their death. And also they will eradicate all kinds of sufferings of samsara (circle of existence).
Arahants, when alive, can enter a state of Nibbana called Nirodhasamāpatti for a maximum of seven days and seven nights. Nothing can disturb them when they are in this state. It is too difficult to explain or talk about because Nibbana is the experience of meditation that has to be realised within oneself.
When a person has attained Enlightenment, he or she has realised all the nature of dhamma (phenomena). Thus, arahants when touched or attacked by worldly conditions (lokadhamma), remain unshaken, sorrowless, undefiled and serene. There are no reactions for them.
Eight Worldly Conditions (Lokadhammas)
Gain (labha) and Loss (alabha)
Honour (yasa) and Dishonour (ayasa)
Praise (pasamsa) and Blame (ninda)
Happiness (sukha) and Suffering or Misery (dukha)
The Right Aim is for Nibbana
The final goal of a Buddhist is to attain Nibbana, or enlightenment. We should aspire for enlightenment whenever we practise dana, sila and bhavaná i.e. generosity, morality and mental development instead of wishing for worldly possessions.
There is a threefold classification of Enlightenment:
1 Savaka-bodhi
2 Pacceka-bodhi
a noble disciple (arahant)
an Independently Enlightened One (private Buddha)
3 Samma-sambodhi
a perfectly Enlightened One (Buddha)
Of the three, the last one is higher than others because of the different status of fulfilment of perfection (parami). Whoever wishes to become a Buddha, needs to fulfil ten kinds of perfections. Fulfilling the perfections for the other two enlightenments are not as difficult as that for Buddhahood. The period of time to fulfil the ten perfections is also shorter. For the Bodhisatta (Buddha-to-be), it will take him at least four aeons and one hundred thousand world-cycles to fulfil the perfections.
THE TEN PERFECTIONS (PARAMĪS):
1 Dana
Generosity
2 Sila
Morality
3 Nekkhamma
Renunciation
4 Раййа
Wisdom
5 Viriya
Effort
6 Khanti
Patience
7 Sacca
Truth
8 Additthana
Determination
9 Mettä
Loving-kindness
10 Upekkhā
Equanimity
Of the ten, Dana Parami is the easiest one to be done. That is why the Buddha put it first in order. However, to fufil Dana Pärami of Bodhisattas, Buddha to be, is not an easy task because Bodhisattas have to do great sacrifices for the sake of all beings to be a Buddha. Therefore, we should thank them and appreciate their compassion.
Give thanks to them, for what has been given to you, however little One who is displeased with gifts cannot attain happiness and peace
Dhammapada 209
Fulfilment of perfection of Bodhisattas
Buddhists commonly use the word, Pärami. Părami literally means perfection. These qualities are developed and brought up to maturity by the Bodhisattas, or Buddhas to be, in their past existences. The different ways of fulfilling perfections by Bodhisattas are illustrated in many Jätaka stories.
Their performance for the welfare of beings are excellent and admirable. They can do so many extraordinary things for the sake of all beings while others cannot. However, whenever they do something for other beings, Bodhisattas carefully examine whether the actions will be beneficial for others or not. If the action is not beneficial, they won’t do it. If the action is beneficial for others, and even if it will get them into trouble, they will still do it out of great compassion (mahakaruna). For example, Bodhisatta King Sivi donated his eyes to an old brahman, though he knew he would be blind after this act. If the action is not beneficial for others and there is a possibility that they will be born in hell because of it, they will never carry out that action. To understand clearly how Bodhisattas fulfil their perfections, here is a Jätaka story (No. 538) to illustrate renunciation (Nekkhamma Pärani).
Prince Temiya who never speaks
Once upon a time, King Käsi ruled justly in Benares. He had many queens, but none of them had children. The citizens assembled, saying, “Our king has no son to keep up his line” and they begged the king to pray for a son. The king commanded the queens to pray for sons. He also asked his chief queen, Candädevi, to pray for a son.
So, on the day of the full moon, she took upon herself the Uposatha vows, and while lying on a little bed, she reflected on her virtuous life. She then made a statement on the ‘Act of Truth’ in these terms,
“If I have never broken the precepts, by the Truth in this my protestation, may a son be born to me.”
By the power of her piety, Sakka’s dwelling became hot. Sakka (the king of Devas) having considered the cause, said, “Candadevi asks for a son, I will give her one.” He then saw the Bodhisatta, who had been born in the Ussada Hell where he had suffered for eighty thousand years, after having reigned twenty years in Benares, but right now was a Deva (a heavenly being) in the Deva-world. Sakka went up to him and said,
“Oh Friend, if you are born in the human world, you will fully exercise the perfections and the mass of mankind will be advantaged. Now the queen is praying for a son, do you wish to be born in her womb?”
He consented and was conceived in her womb, while the other deities. were conceived in the wombs of the wives of the king’s ministers. At last she brought forth a son endowed with auspicious marks. On the same day five hundred sons were born in the ministers’ houses.
The king was very happy with the good news. He gave sixty-four nurses for the Bodhisatta and five hundred nurses for the other five hundred sons as honour.
After paying the Bodhisatta great honour, the king also gave the queen a boon. She accepted it and kept it in her mind. On the day of naming the child, they paid great honour to the brahmans who read the different marks, and inquired if there was any threatening danger.
They, beholding the excellence of his marks, replied, “Oh king, the prince has every mark of future good fortune, he will be able to rule not one continent but all the four, there is no danger visible.” The king pleased, named his son “Temiya-kumara”, because it had rained all over the kingdom of Kasi on the day of his birth. Temiya means wet.
When Prince Temiya was one month old, he was adorned and brought to the king. The king having looked at his dear child, embraced and placed him on his hip and then sat playing with him.
At that time four robbers were brought before the king. The king sentenced one of the robbers to receive a thousand strokes with a barbed whip (whips barbed with thorns), another to be imprisoned in chains, the third to be smitten with a spear, and the fourth to be impaled.
The Bodhisatta, on hearing his father’s words, was terrified and
thought to himself,
“Ah! My father through his being king, is becoming guilty of a grievous action which brings men to hell.”
The next day, the baby prince was laid on a sumptuous bed under a white umbrella. He woke after a short sleep and on opening his eyes beheld the white umbrella and the royal pomp, and he was horrified. He then pondered, “From where have I come into this palace?”
By recollecting his former births, he remembered that he had once come from the world of the Devas and before that had suffered in hell, after having been a king in that very city. He pondered to himself,
“I was a king for twenty years and then I suffered eighty thousand years in the Ussada Hell, and now again I am born in this ‘house of robbers’, and my father, when four robbers were brought before him, uttered such a cruel speech as must lead him to hell; if I became a king, I shall be born again in hell and suffer great pain there.”
He became greatly alarmed. His golden body became pale and faded like a lotus crushed by the hand, and he thought of how he could escape from that situation.
Then a goddess who dwelt in the umbrella, and who in a certain previous birth had been his mother, comforted him,
“Fear not, my child Temiya; if you really desire to escape, then, pretend to be a cripple, although you are not really one; though not deaf, pretend to be deaf and though not dumb, pretend to be dumb. Putting on these characteristics, show no signs of intelligence. If so, how will you become a king?”
The Bodhisatta then practised these three characteristics. The king, in order that his son might lose his melancholy, had the five hundred children brought near him. When the children began crying for their milk, the Prince Bodhisatta, being afraid of hell, did not cry. He reflected thus,
“To die of thirst will be better than to reign.”
The nurses told this situation to Queen Candādevi and the queen told the king. The king sent for some brahmans who were skilled in signs and omens and consulted them.
They replied,
“Your majesty, you must give the prince his milk after the proper time has passed. He will then cry and seize the breast eagerly and drink of his own accord.”
The king asked the nurses to follow the advice. But the prince, was stung by the fear of hell, would not cry for milk, even though he was hungry. Then the mother gave him milk, though he did not cry for it, saying thus, “My little son must be hungry.”
Then his nurses reflected, “There must be some reason for all this. Let’s examine it.”
They were determined to try, for one whole day they did not give him milk. But though the prince was hungry, he still did not cry for milk.
Finally his mother said,
“My little child must be famished, give him milk.”
Thus, giving him milk at intervals, they spent a year trying to find the reason but could not discover his weak point.
Then they said, “The other children are fond of cakes and dainties. We will try him with them.”
They set the five hundred children near him and brought various dainties and cakes and placed them close by him, telling them to take what they liked. Some of the children hid themselves but some seized the cakes and dainties and ate them while others quarelled and struck one another.
But the prince said to himself,
“Oh Temiya, eat the cakes and dainties if you wish for hell.”
And in his fear for hell he didn’t look at them. Thus, even though they tried him with cakes and dainties for a whole year, they discovered not his weak point.
Then they said, “Children are fond of different kinds of fruits.”
And they brought all sorts of fruits and tried him again. While the other children fought for them and ate them, the prince did not look at them.
And thus a whole year passed.
Then they said, “Children are fond of play-things.”
So they set golden and other figures of elephants near him. The rest of the children seized them and played with them, but the prince did not look at them.
And thus, for a whole year they tried him with play things.
Then they said, “There is a special food for four year old children, we will try him with that.”
So they brought all sorts of food. The other children broke them in pieces and ate them, the prince did not look at them for fear of hell, until at last his mother, with her heart-nigh, fed him with her own hand.
They then determined to try him with frightful things.
At the age of five, they tried to frighten him with fire; at the age of six, with a wild elephant; at the age of seven, with big snakes.
But their attempts were in vain.
Then they said, “Eight-year old boys are fond of social gatherings.”
So, having set him in the palace-court with the five hundred boys, they caused an assembly of mimes to be gathered together. The other boys, seeing the mimes, shouted and laughed loudly but the prince said to himself,
“If I were born in hell, there would never be a moment’s laughter or joy.”
He then remained motionless as he pondered on hell, and never looked at the dancing.
They then said, “We will try him with the sword.”
They then placed him with the other boys in the palace-court. While they were playing, a giant-sized man rushed upon them, brandishing a sword and jumping and shouting.
“Where is this devil’s-child of King of Kasi? I will cut off his head.”
The others fled, shrieking in terror, but the prince still remained there though the man threatened to cut off his head. The man could not frighten him at all and at last went away.
When the prince was ten years old, in order to find out whether he was really deaf, they hung a curtain round a bed and made holes in the four sides and placed the conch-blowers underneath it without letting him see them. All at once they blew the conchs – there was one burst of sound. However, it was also in vain. The prince was still motionless. Then they tried him in many other ways. However, their attempts were in vain.
When the prince was fourteen years old, they said, “A youth who is grown up loves what is clean and abhors what is unclean. We will try him with what is unclean.”
From that time they did not let him bathe or perform any bodily ablutions, until he was reduced to a miserable plight. Though they tried to make him look like a released prisoner, they discovered no weak point in him.
Then they put pans of fire under the bed, saying, “When he is distressed by the heat, he will perhaps be unable to bear the pain and will show some signs of writhing.”
Boils seemed to break out on his body, but the prince said to himself,
“The fire of Avici Hell flames up a hundred miles. This heat is a hundred or a thousand times preferable to that.”
So he remained motionless.
His parents, with breaking hearts, made the men come back and take him out of the fire. And they implored him, saying,
“Oh Prince Temiya, we know that you are not in any way crippled by birth, for cripples have not such feet, face, or ears as you have. We gained you as our child after many prayers. Do not now destroy us, but deliver us from the blame of all the Kings of Jambudipa.”
Though thus entreated by them, the prince still lay motionless as if he heard them not. Then his parents went away weeping. Sometimes, his father or his mother came back alone and implored him, but he seemed to hear them not.
When the prince was sixteen years old, they considered thus, “A sixteen-year old boy whether he is a cripple or deaf or dumb delights in enjoyable things alike. This is all natural in the proper time like the opening of flowers. We will have dramas acted before him and will thus try him.”
So they summoned many beautiful girls, full of graces. And the king promised them that whoever could make the prince laugh or could entangle him would become his principal queen. Then they had the prince bathed in perfumed water and adorned him like the son of a Deva.
And they put him on a royal bed.
Meanwhile, the girls surrounded him and tried hard to delight him with dancing and singing and all sorts of pleasant words.
He looked at them in his perfect wisdom and stopped his inhalations and exhalations in fear, lest they should touch his body. So his body became quite rigid.
When the girls were unable to touch him, they told his parents,
“His body is all rigid. He is not a man, but must be a goblin.”
Thus, though they tried him for sixteen years with the sixteen great tests and many smaller ones, they were not able to detect any weak point in him.
The king, full of vexation, called for the fortune-tellers and said,
“Oh wise men, when the prince was born, you said that he had fortunate and auspicious marks; he was no threatening obstacle. But he is born a cripple and deaf and dumb. Your words do not answer to the
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