Nirvana (Niết Bàn)--Diana Zen

Nirvana (Niết Bàn)

"Nirvana is neither an unattainable lofty theoretical concept
nor an imagined theological destination."

Nirvana is not a place nor is it a destination somewhere in the future that can be reached only after death. Nirvana is neither an unattainable lofty theoretical concept nor an imagined theological destination. Nirvana is a realistic, practical, and attainable state of being. Nirvana can exist in the here and now. Nirvana is absolute and enduring, timeless and stillness. Being in Nirvana is existing at a state where inner peace is unfalteringly unwavering and everything is fully illuminated for what it actually is

Nirvana is descriptively called "Niết Bàn" in my language. "Niết" is to no longer propagate and "Bàn" is to no longer annihilate. Niết Bàn, Nirvana, is being at a state of absolute and enduring, undeviating and timeless stillness. With each inhalation follows an exhalation. Nothing in life is truly absolute nor unchanging. Life is governed by the conservation law of Karma and the infinite life circle is perpetuated by Karmic doings and consequences.

"Nirvana transcends the life circle and its duality
and thus is absolute, timeless, and infinitely limitless."

Nirvana, Niết Bàn, is an existence transcending the Karmic circle of life, its duality, and its Karmic entanglements. Nirvana, Niết Bàn, is detached from all limitations of the Karmic existence and its innate duality. Nirvana transcends the life circle and its duality and thus is absolute, timeless, and infinitely limitless. Being in Nirvana enable one to truly experience life in the here and now, being fully aware and Enlightened, not clouded by inner personal prejudges nor by fluctuating outer influences.

With clouded judgement and false life-smarts, we erroneously and unwittingly create Karmic consequences. We self-perpetuate the Karmic circle, trap ourselves within, and further distance ourselves from Nirvana. We must keep our Inner Light bright, enduring, and steadily unaffected by the winds of life. We benefit much from a position of lucidity and equilibrium. We must face both the positive and negative life events with clarity and not let them waver us emotionally and spiritually, nor let them influence us to react in manners that would further entangle us to the Karmic circle of life.

"At a timeless absolute stillness,
one can see everything with full illumination and clarity
and be at innate harmony with life."

Life is a cyclical existence of propagation and annihilation, of relativeness and duality, and of changeability and instability . Nirvana, Niết Bàn, is existing in the Absolute, where there is no beginning nor ending, no fluctuation, and no duality. Being at Absolute allows one to observe the cyclic life circle without being pulled-in nor affected by the Karmic circle of life. At a timeless absolute stillness, one can see everything with full illumination and clarity and be at innate harmony with life. It is within the absolute and enduring stillness that one can see the actuality of life and then integrate into the flow of life without being pulled into the rip tide of life.

Life is filled with ebb and flow. Keeping at a neutral stability is the initial step along the path to Nirvana. The Instrumental Virtues,my spiritual compass, are essential tools, along the life path to my Nirvana. For me, I vigilantly use my Wisdom, Trí, to chart my own life path. Along my life path, I live with compassion and kindness, Bi, to negate the challenges within and Karmic consequences without. I have the steady willful determination, Dzũng, to ensure I will never loose sight of my goal nor deviate from my ultimate spiritual destination: Nirvana.

"With each inhalation and subsequent exhalation, the state of mind remain at stillness
while the normalcy of life continues."

Being in Nirvana, in the here and now, is existing in each instant, being fully aware, yet unaffected and uninfluenced by the ebb and flow of life. With each inhalation and subsequent exhalation, the state of mind remain at stillness while the normalcy of life continues. Being in Nirvana does not mean I detach from daily life. Instead, being in Nirvana means I can fully live life to its fullest and truly experience life with absolute Enlightenment and at an Enduring Timeless Inner Peace.

 Diana Zen
 Zen Moon
 February 23, 2014