Question

Is Nibbana or Nirvana attainable in this liferime ?

Answer 1

It can be achieved if the necessary conditions are fulfilled. Lord Buddha in the Rohitassa Sutta says: ``In this very one fathomless longbody, along with its sensuality, thoughts and perceptions I do proclaim the world, the origin of the world, the cessation of the world and path leading to the cessation of the world. Here world means suffering. The cessation of the world means the cessation of suffering which is Nirvana''''. Unlike other schools of thought who mention Bahisht, Baikuntha etc, Nirvana is not a sort of heaven where a transcendental ego still remains. Nirvana is total annihilation. Since Buddhism denies the immortality of the soul and believes in Anatta which is opposite of Satta, it is needless to say that any sense of I remains in the state Nirvana. In the Alagaddupama Sutta Buddha asks: ``What do you think O monks! Is this body permanent or impermanent? Is it befitting to consider that which is impermanent, painful and liable to change as `This is mine, I am this, This is myself?'' Therefore the body past, present and future, internal or external, gross or subtle, low or high, near or far - should be looked upon as ``This is not mine.''''I am not this, and so are these sensations, aggregates and perceptions not mine. As one turns away from these perceptions, one is released and gets closer to nirvana.