"Nirvana" literally means "snuffing-out of a candle". Which may indicate why suicidal people may find the notion of nothingness preferable to sufferingness. :smile:Nirvana is not necessarily about 'enlightenment, or inner peace' but is the release from the wheel of rebirth — Jack Cummins
Where does your definition of Nirvana come from? — Jack Cummins
Where does your definition of Nirvana come from? — Jack Cummins
It's not clear that such is the case.Does the existence of a state of mind that actively pursues it’s own death - (suicide) ie. has no hope left, is in endless suffering/ misery, has exhausted all effort to endure and ultimately believes life is not good
, prove, that a contrary pole exists to the spectrum of the mind - one of persistent peace, contentment, hope and one that ultimately sees only good in the world? A nirvana like state. — Benj96
Bad for whom? Certainly not for bacteria and fungi that will feast on the corpse, and not bad for the undertaker's business either.We know the bad side exists for definite because death is fairly definitive evidence.
But what if the mind is, say, like a tree? There's no opposite to a tree.But I think it’s reasonable to believe that like many things in nature the mind is a spectrum and if there is one extreme there must exist the other.
More like life being skewed toward eating, consuming. Consider: life is all about consumption.And if you believe the existence of suicide is no reason to suppose the existence of nirvana then would that not imply that life is ultimately skewed towards the negative/bad - and that states of permanent joy are impossible?
??Is the extract your own writing and interpretation or is it taken from the link you have provided because the source is not clear. — Jack Cummins
I actually edited my reply to you because I realised that it was from a book. I knew that it was not your own writing and I really can't see the point of you just quoting a whole passage from a book. The idea of Nirvana is complex and needs to be understood in terms of the perspective it comes from. Otherwise, it becomes extremely concrete information gathering and not an actual philosophy discussion at all.
My own view is that the idea of Nirvana points to a possibility of freedom from earthly suffering, but that to understand the fuller picture we need to see it within the framework of that spiritual tradition, otherwise it cannot be appreciated in its truest sense. Spiritual knowledge is rather different from concrete information gathering. — Jack Cummins
If you think that was a long passage ...Thanks for providing a link and a long passage which I will read. — Jack Cummins
Not for me. What use are the opinions of the unenlightended about topics that are far beyond their scope?!But really i would have been more interesting to hear your view or understanding of the idea of nirvana.
And they are so "esoteric" to a large extent because people feel so free to share all kinds of opinions about them, even though they don't have the required attainment. It's what gives those ideas that characteristic air of hocus pocus.Yes, I think that it all comes down to recognising the limits of our knowledge during discussions. We are moving in an age where so much information is available to us. Personally, I read many books on a daily basis, and enjoy this, but I am aware that understanding of profound ideas needs to be supported with the experiential level. Information does not transform us into qualified teachers and I think that this is the main thing which people have to remember when we are in the exploration and discussion of ideas which are of an esoteric nature. — Jack Cummins
I hope that you don't think that I am being nitpicking. — Jack Cummins
"Nirvana" literally means "snuffing-out of a candle". Which may indicate why suicidal people may find the notion of nothingness preferable to sufferingness. :smile: — Gnomon
Very hard to practice, for people with possessions, families, and ambitions — Wayfarer
How would you suggest one comes to be ontophilic? — Benj96
How does one resolve to treat everyone equally (love thy neighbour) without being chastised for not putting family first? — Benj96
I'm not quite sure of this but I've been told Buddhism is identified more as a mystical tradition rather than your everyday, garden variety, religion — TheMadFool
The idea is to extinguish thoughts and perceptions and not consciousness itself. Discard the contents but keep the container; a very counterintuitive suggestion/recommendation given that in everyday life its the contents that tend to be valuable rather than the packaging (container) they come in. Emptiness? Sunyata? — TheMadFool
Well, "going crazy" (psychotic) might be one way to escape from awareness of the psychic sufferings of reality. But, I don't recommend it. Also, I suppose that some cynics might consider prematurely reaching Nirvana (quenching the flame) via meditation to be a form of "mental suicide". In a more literal sense, the self-immolating monk apparently committed suicide, while meditating, but without actually quenching the flames. Yet, again, I don't recommend it. :sad:Interesting.i would follow up with a question; can one commit mental suicide instead of physical suicide? — Benj96
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