Nirvana is NOT Nothing | There IS an Unborn, Uncreated, Unconditioned | Nibbana | Ajahn Dhammasiha
Dhammagiri Buddhist PodcastsShow Notes
The final goal of Dhamma practice, what it's all about, is to realize Nibbāna (Sanskrit: Nirvāṇa ). It's important to have an accurate understanding of our final objective, otherwise it would be difficult to develop our mind in the right direction. However, as Nibbana / Nirvana is totally beyond all concepts, words, notions and thoughts, even the Buddha can not possibly describe it accurately by means of language. He can only provide similies to inspire us, or he describes what Nibbāna in NOT.
For example, the Buddha has stated many times that Nibbana is the end of birth, ageing and death; Nibbana the cessation of suffering; Nibbana is the end of greed, hatred and delusion. Unfortunately, in our modern materialist society, these 'negative' descriptions of Nibbana easily get misinterpreted as meaning that Nibbana is simply nothing. This is false and misleading.
Ajahn Dhammasiha therefore quote a statement directly from the Buddha that makes it unambiguously clear that Nibbāna should NOT be understood as 'nothing' - Udāna No 73 (Inspired Exclamations No 73):
“There is, monks, an unborn, unbecome, uncreated, unconditioned. ("Atthi bhikkhave ajātaṁ abhūtaṁ akataṁ asaṅkhataṁ.)
If, monks there were not that unborn, unbecome, uncreated, unconditioned, (No ce taṁ bhikkhave abhavissā ajātaṁ abhūtaṁ akataṁ asaṅkhataṁ,)
you could not know an escape here from the born, become, created, and conditioned. (na-y-idha jātassa bhūtassa katassa saṅkhatassa nissaraṇaṁ paññāyetha.)
But because there is an unborn, unbecome, uncreated, unconditioned (Yasmā ca kho bhikkhave atthi ajātaṁ abhūtaṁ akataṁ asaṅkhataṁ,)
therefore you do know an escape from the born, become, made, and conditioned.” (tasmā jātassa bhūtassa katassa saṅkhatassa nissaraṇaṁ paññāyatī ti.")
You can read and download this quote (and all other 'Inspired Exclamations') in the translation of Ajahn Geoff Thanissaro for free here: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/udana.pdf
Or a more literal line by line translation giving also the Pali text: https://ancient-buddhist-texts.net/Texts-and-Translations/Udana/Exalted-Utterances.pdf
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