Samsara  & 2 Nirvanas

 

 

It takes a while to load the image if you don't have broadband The image represents the active clustering of conditions - as wave interference pattern - that produce a person (or any thing). The 'emerged phenomenon' has no abiding element (or self). Transient and beyond personal ownership, hence control, it produces distress, so the Buddha.

 

The violent, hence unpleasant (Pali ≈ dukkha) hurricane represents a person surviving everyday life (i.e. Samsara). It (like the person) is driven by energised conditions (the person, according to the Buddha, being ‘fuelled by desire, lust, stupidity’ and so on). The eye of the storm represents the calm found when there is no response to (i.e. detachment from) conditions. There’s no storm/life, therefore displeasure in the eye of the hurricane, just the transient death-like calm of (a relative) Nirvana 2.

 

The hurricane (the whole person) happens as whole after-affect of the interaction of a cluster (or interference pattern) of life drivers. It’s a transient ‘emerged – hence dependent – phenomenon’ without own existence (read: atta). When the drivers (of the hurricane/person) are reduced to zero the hurricane/person ends (i.e. ceases blowing = nir’vana).

 

(Absolute) Nirvana 1 (i.e. parinirvana) ‘happens’ before and after the hurricane, i.e. the person.

 

(Nirvana 3, not in the diagram, would be a perfect storm, i.e. one that does its job – and dissipates itself – to perfection).

 

 

Nirvana index