Nirvana - Deja Vu all over Again

Ultimate wisdom is achieved when entering nirvana, the only unconditioned state. There are three main traditional “doors” to it: the realisation of the all-encompassing unsatisfactoriness of all of samsara, realisation of existence but impermanence of all in samsara and realisation that non-self-being is all there is in samsara. One can realise any of the three first depending upon one’s personality and chance but realising one immediately leads to realisation of the other two. A thus enlightened person is then called an Arya (noble person) as opposed to a Prthagjana (regular ‘Jo/e’). In different contexts, Sangha can mean all Buddhists, all monks and nuns or all of the Arya only.

It’s not possible to be understood with the intellect and must be approached from nearby before it can be ‘seen’. There simply is no remaining craving left to ‘seed’ a rebirth. Buddhas can see ‘their’ past lives which appears strange considering Buddhists believe in rebirth rather than reincarnation. The unconditioned obviously has a relationship with the conditioned but it’s not clear how the unconditioned conditions the conditioned; the conditioned certainly can’t condition the unconditioned. The unconditioned state is achieved by ‘drawing or turning away’ from the conditioned (or perhaps letting go of it). It is ineffable (too subtle for description) but as far from nothingness as one can get, apparently. It is between something and nothing, though. It is more than a mere ending but it certainly is an ending (of something). It is also both never-ending and instantaneous and is not worldly bliss. Its realisation is beyond both positive and negative emotions, it is simply realisation. It is ultimate, sublime, some kind of never-ending bliss. There is no ‘soul’ that obtains it; that could not be Buddhism. Nevertheless, ‘Siddhartha’ lived with it for many years before his parinibbana.

It appears that Arahanthood and nirvana are most likely possible mainly during the earthly life of and in the presence of a Buddha so we’ll probably have to wait until Maitreya arrives in about 8,000 years for our next best chance. There were around 50 Arahants getting around when Siddhartha achieved his parinibbana. Essentially the Arahant is the most senior of the most senior Buddhist ranks of enlightenment short of Buddhahood. The title means "one who has achieved nibbana/nirvana but has not become a Buddha”. Around 24 Buddhas are accepted as having lived before Siddhartha. In the Mahayana view, Siddhartha and other Buddhas are also held to be still working for us in some way as in the light of that view a Mahayana Buddhist would not believe that they are so selfish as to have simply freed themselves only. All must be continually prompted to follow them to nirvana. Buddhas all have to do this. So this also applies to the other 24 earlier Buddhas (it probably even applies to future Buddhas that are now Bodhisattvas).

There you have all I know about nirvana.