Nibbana In theravada Perspective – Dr Ashin Dhammapiya – Ph.D (Eastern Philosophy)

The concept of nirvana (Sanskrit) or nibbana (Pali) might be translated thus: ‘extinction’, ‘blowing out’, ‘freedom from desire’, the absence of dukkha or to cease.   But those words or phrases really don’t explain nirvana.   In fact, it is a concept that is almost unexplainable.

“No Buddhist tradition draws a definite conclusion for the meaning of nibbana,” writes Sayadaw U Dhammapiya, Ph.D., in his book Nibbana in Theravada Perspective, the very best book on the subject that I have ever come across.  Venerable Dhammapiya is a most honored and respected Burmese monk from Myanmar, presently abbot of Mettananda Vihara Dhamma Yeiktha, a temple and Vipassana (insight) meditation center in Fremont, California.  He is also a good friend. “No single expression in any language can fully cover the true meaning of nibbanic experience without practice,” he writes.  “The mere interpretations sometimes mislead readers to absorb different meanings.”  I agree with Ven. Dhammapiya, that it is only through meditation that nibbana can be truly understood. Trying to explain nirvana is somewhat like trying to explain the taste of sugar to one who has never tasted it, or trying to explain a color to one who is and was born blind.  It is difficult, if not impossible.

[pdf]http://www.dhammikaweb.com/pdfs/NibbanaInTheravadaPerspective-Eng-DrUDhammapiya.pdf[/pdf]

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