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must practise 
further until Nirvana can be 
attained. 
A.2 Two levels of Buddhist 
teachings 
Before embarking on academic 
study of things like 
`Nirvana', a few words of caution 
are necessary concerning 
the best approach to the studies of 
higher 
teachings. Buddhist teachings can 
be categorized 
into two levels: 
1. Teachings for practice: such as 
the Noble Eightfold 
Path [ariyamagga], the Threefold 
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Trainings 
[sikkhA], the Four Bases of 
Sympathy [salgahavatthu], 
the Six Directions [disa], the Three 
Modes of Merit-making 
[pufillakiriyAvatthu], 
the Four Foundations of Success 
[iddhipAda]; 
2. Teachings on Metaphysics 
[abhiprajfiA]: transcendental 
phenomena which are above the 
direct 
experience of mundane states of 
mind, such 
as heaven and hell, the law of 
Karma, Nirvana, 
cosmology or the supernatural. 
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No special caution is required 
when discussing the 
`teachings for practice' (apart from 
applying the 
right practice to overcome the right 
problem). However, 
when treating subjects of higher 
philosophy 
(the so-called `unfathomable' 
[acinteyya] A.ii.80) 
(such as whether there will be an 
end of the world 
or not; or whether the TathAgatha 
still exists or 
Blessing Thirty-Four: The 
Attainment of Nirvana 387 
not after death) often the Buddha 
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would intentionally 
avoid giving a direct or 
comprehensive answer 
— not because he didn't know the 
answer but because 
he knew if the enquirer had not 
practised to 
a sufficiently high level, they 
would misunderstand 
or fail to believe his answer —
thus in balance, a 
comprehensive answer might do 
more damage than 
good. As students of Buddhism, it 
is therefore necessary 
for us to accept that the Buddha 
never gave 
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detailed descriptions of subjects of 
metaphysics. He 
would simply leave us with 
implications. It is our 
duty to fill in the details through 
the results of our 
own practice. 
The lack of detail is a 
double-edged sword because 
although it ensures a lack of 
dogmatism amongst 
those who have not yet reached 
direct experience of 
metaphysics in their own practice 
— it also leaves 
room for interpretation. Even 
though we try to avoid 
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being dogmatic 
it is also a 
mistake to give no 
guidelines. In the majority of the 
Buddhist textbooks, 
the higher stages of practice are 
generally not very 
clearly described, because all of 
these things are taken 
to be merely `the results' of 
meditation. It is all very 
well leaving the student to 
discover things by themselves 
— but for some people doubts 
might lead to 
discouragement. They might 
worry, "Does Nirvana 
really exist or not?" or "Is Nirvana 
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just a fairy story?" 
For such practitioners, some 
guidelines are useful, if 
only to inspire them with the 
confidence to practice 
until they can know Nirvana for 
themselves. Giving 
too many guidelines may be 
counterproductive for 
those who tend to think, "Now I 
know Nirvana is a 
reality, there is no point trying to 
prove it for myself 
any more — I'll go back to bed 
instead of meditating." 
When studying Nirvana, it is thus 
necessary to 
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take as some form of guidance the 
little scriptural 
evidence the Buddha did give us. 
When speaking 
of Nirvana,the Buddha did assert 
that Nirvana exists, 
but his description of the 
characteristics of Nirvana 
consists of a series of negations 
(not confirmations) 
for the reasons already mentioned. 
As a 
result of this lack of detail we can 
make no firm 
conclusion about certain 
characteristics of Nirvana 
from the scriptures (see also §B.3 
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below). However, 
what we can say about Nirvana for 
sure is that it 
does exist. Thus whatever we 
believe about the 
detail of Nirvana, as Buddhists, 
should take confidence 
in, is that the Buddha asserted that 
Nirvana 
does exist and it is the end of all 
suffering. As such, 
it is the ultimate goal in the pursuit 
of goodness of 
all Buddhists. 
B. NIRVANA 
B.1 Definition 
The word `Nirvana' (in the Pali 
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language `nibbAna') 
has a variety of meanings. Nirvana 
can be translated 
as `extinguishing' or it can mean 
`escape'. 
Where Nirvana means 
`extinguishing' it means the 
extinguishing of defilements or of 
suffering. Where 
Nirvana means `escape' it means 
to escape from the 
three prisons of the Triple World. 
Looking at the 
translation of the word `Nirvana', 
it can have two 
shades of meaning 
• Nirvana as a state of mind of a 
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person with no 
further defilements or; 
• Nirvana as a place where those 
who have freed 
their mind of all defilements can 
go to partake 
of eternal bliss. 
B.2 Terminologies concerning 
Nirvana 
Given that the word `Nirvana' 
leaves room for interpretation, 
usually in the study of Buddhism 
we 
make what we are talking about 
clearer through 
the addition of pre-fixes. Thus, at 
this point it is 
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worth pausing in order to clarify 
their definitions: 
I. Nirvana as a state of mind 
[sa-upAdisesanibbAna]: 
Sa-upAdisesa Nirvana is our 
experience 
of Nirvana as a mental state 
that 
is our 
living experience of Nirvana —
that is, we don't 
have to die first and be reborn to 
attain it. We 
touch upon Nirvana in our 
experience when we 
have purified our mind from all 
defilements but 
our five aggregates [khandha] have 
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not yet broken 
up. DhammakAya will be manifest 
inside 
ourselves imparting the same 
happiness to us 
as if we were really inside Nirvana 
as a realm of 
existence — but we are still `alive' 
in our human 
body. 
2. Nirvana as a realm of 
`existence' 
[anupAdisesanibbAna]: 
AnupAdisesa Nirvana is the 
Nirvana 
388 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
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that exists as a realm outside our 
body and mind. 
Sometimes it is called 
`posthumous' Nirvana 
because you can only go there after 
the breaking 
up of your five aggregates for the 
last time (you 
will not be reborn again). The 
DhammakAya 
which one has attained by 
becoming unified with 
Sa-upAdisesa Nirvana will be 
drawn through the 
centre of the body and enter upon 
AnupAdisesa 
Nirvana — the quest of all Noble 
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Ones. Nirvana 
is an empty area outside the Triple 
World which 
is beyond the reach of suffering. 
This place is the 
abode of all the bodies of 
enlightenment of all 
the fully-enlightened Buddhas, 
paccekabuddhas 
and arahants who have attained 
enlightenment 
in the past. Nirvana is full of all of 
these 
`DhammalcAyas'. In that place 
there is only happiness, 
because no suffering can reach 
there. 
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There is no rebirth, aging, sickness 
or death, because 
everything is made up of 
Dhamma-aggregates. 
This place cannot support people 
or angels 
or Brahmas because these things 
are not 
made up of Dhamma-aggregates. 
Only DhammakAyas 
can enter thereon. This is the type 
of 
Nirvana that you can only attain 
when you are 
an arahant, paccekabuddha or 
fully-enlightened 
Buddha who passes away from this 
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world for 
the last time. When the five 
aggregates of his 
physical body break up at death, 
his DhammakAya 
will be attracted directly into 
Nirvana. 
3. Nirvana as the location of 
Nirvana [AyatananibbAna]: 
/yatana Nirvana is the location of 
Nirvana. /yatana Nirvana actually 
exists but 
it is not made up of normal 
elements like earth, 
water, wind and fire in the same 
way as things 
we can see with the naked eye. It is 
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neither in 
this world or another world. It is 
not the sun, 
the moon or the stars because all of 
those things 
are still within the Three Spheres 
[bhava] and 
are hence mundane [lokiya]. 
Nirvana is outside 
the Three Spheres and is 
trancendental 
[lokuttara]. In Nirvana there is no 
movement, 
no coming or going. Those who 
have attained 
Ayatana Nirvana are able to see past 
Buddhas 
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sitting deep in meditation [nirodha 
samApati] 
there, more numerous than all the 
grains of sand 
in the four (cosmic) oceans. All 
that remains of 
them are their Dhamma Bodies —
but Dhamma 
Bodies more exquisite than any 
Dhamma Body 
you can perceive within yourself 
— Dhamma 
Bodies that are self-sufficient with 
boundless 
happiness independent of any 
outside influence 
— because the mind of those 
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Buddhas has transcended 
all suffering entirely, having 
attained 
the true fulfilment of life. In this 
respect, the 
scriptures explain (Pathama 
NibbAna Sutta 
[Ud.80]: 
O! Monks! There is the existence a 
sphere in 
which earth, water, fire, air, sphere 
of infinity 
of space, sphere of infinity of 
consciousness, 
sphere of nothingness, sphere of 
neither 
perception nor non-perception, this 
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