What is Nirvana?
Nirvana means “blowing out” like a lit candle. It means to blow out or overcome what we call our blind passions of greed, anger, and delusions—our ego self. These are referred to as the three poisons. It is how we see the world through our own lens of understanding and not how the world really is.
This is what Buddhists feel is the cause of our difficulties or our suffering. An example is like when things don’t go the way we want them to. That is due to our greed. Or when we are happy about some sort of outcome, but it doesn’t last.
This is the source of our suffering, but it shouldn’t make us sad when things like this happen. Instead, it should remind us to appreciate what we have been given.
Jodo Shinshu is considered a religion of awareness. We recognize that eliminating our blind passions is not likely while we are alive. We become truly human when we are fully aware. This means we feel a deeper appreciation for that which sustains our life. We see the need to make life better for all beings.
Because we know we are imperfect, we try to be mindful of how we act. We are aware that our actions have consequences. When our awareness deepens so much that we go through a complete change, it is called an awakening, enlightenment or nirvana. Buddha means one who has become awakened. To see all things as not separate from ourselves. The goal of all Buddhists is to become a Buddha.
Gassho, Rev. Todd