Fwd: nir-vikalpa thingedy

[Guest guest]

NonDualPhil , Insight <insight@s...> wrote:

 

> If nir-vikalpa is a recognition of " your Atman " (?)

> then it ain't the equivilent of Budhdist nirvana.

>

> :-)

 

Namaste,

 

Tony: This is an ongoing discussion about Nir Vana-Non Blowing, and

Nir

Vikalpa and Nir Guna. It is all describing the mind in the negative

as

a negative. As I understand Nirvana, it is a permanent state that

doesn't arise again. It is a comleted cessation of the arisings, or

Gunas, hence I see a connection to Nir Guna.........ONS...Tony.

 

Joyce: Nirvana comes from the Sanskrit root meaning to " blow out "

which gives it the sense of " extinction " - the extinction of mind's

outflows or pullutants such as craving for existence, sexual desire

etc.

An Arhant of the Hinayana Sutra system conceives that when the causes

of rebirth are removed, then one is reborn no more and this (perfect

peace) is the final goal of the Hinayana path view. But in the

Mahayana,

although this is admitted as being valid, this is not considered to

be

the attainment of the ultimate goal. While the Arhant has eleminated

his

obscurations due to the passions, he is still unconsciously

afflicted by

subtle intellectual obscurations and these will eventually awaken

him again

into existence.

 

According to Mahayana, the ultimate goal is Buddhahood, and this

realization

of Buddhahood is known as Bodhi, or " enlightenment " . The

word " Buddha " -

comes from the sanskrit root budh, to awaken. This Buddha is one

fully

awakened to the actual nature of reality. His mind has expanded into

omnscience.

Nirvana emphasizes the negative aspect, liberation from Samsara.

Bodhi

is equated with realization of omniscience.: a Buddha knows all

things,

both in the individual aspects and their ultimate nature as

emptiness.

 

The principle of Buddhahood is at the core of every single sentient

being.

This is called our inherent Buddha-nature of Tathagatagarbha. As we

all

possess the potentiality for supreme enlightenment, why pursue a

lesser

goal ( " blowing out " ). In the time of the Buddha, the Hinayana system

was suited to the conditions in India, the Jains, Samkhyas etc. all

pursued ascetic paths whose ultimate goal was to annihlation of all

desires

in the belief that this would put an end to suffering and the

necessity

for rebirth. NB> Its now not PC for me to use the term 'Hinayana " as

folks

tend to associate wrongly it with Thera, but its used in Buddhist

history.

After the time of the Buddha there were 18 Hinayana schools now all

gone.

 

In Mahayana, liberation and enlightenment are a matter of the

complete

transformation of a mindstream, not its complete annihilation. The

complete

cessation of the aggregates constituting a samsaric person prevents

the

rebirth of those tainted aggregates only, without preventing rebirth

in an

emanation body. e.g. Tulkus, Dalai Lama etc.

 

And then the " goal " is even more subtle in Dzogchen/Mahamudra.

Dharmakaya is in no way equated with " Self " in any system of

Hinduism. But

folks may find an explanation of this rather boring :-)

 

 

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