The Religions of India c19.84

c19.84

We have avoided thus far to define Nirvāna. It has three distinct meanings, eternal blissful repose (such was the Nirvāna of the Jains and in part of Buddhism), extinction and absolute annihilation (such was the Nirvāna of some Buddhists), and the Nirvāna of Buddha himself. Nirvāna meant to Buddha the extinction of lust, anger, and ignorance. He adopted the term, he did not invent it. He was often questioned, but persistently refused to say whether he believed that Nirvāna implied extinction of being or not. We believe that in this refusal to speak on so vital a point lies the evidence that he himself regarded the ‘extinction’ or ‘blowing out’ (this is what the word means literally) as resulting in annihilation. Had he believed otherwise we think he would not have hesitated to say so, for it would have strengthened his influence among them to whom annihilation was not a pleasing thought.