Buddhism and Nirvana How do we achieve?

[Jacob Simonsky]

Yes. Buddhism is logical. Now regarding "desire for nirvana" or for anything else for that matter including enlightenment we come to find out about our dualism of mind and this is key.

There are two kinds of mind that we have access to. If a human being did not have a soul then the mind would be limited to that produced solely by brain consciousness. We all do have souls however. The human soul does not reside in the body but is only attached to it. It has a entirely separate life of it's own.

So, the two aspects of mind are the lower, brain mind and the higher, soul awareness. Examples of the higher include "intuition" and the "capability for abstract thought". Primitive man did not have these capabilities. We do. That is to say we do potentially. The higher mind of the soul is perceived by the physical brain when, using our lower minds, we strive properly and for a long enough period of time.

Desire and wanting are of the lower mind whereas aspiration in a manner free of these two will bring us to the portal, the beginning, of understanding. Now consider our motives. Are we free of the idea of personal gain? Do we have thoughts only of helping others? Are these true and without blemish? Here we cannot be false.

Most of us are stopped here because of the difficulty of the work of training required to get to this point. Some of us make the connection with ease and advance from there. Some of us are born to it. Within these categories we must understand that "enlightenment" is not necessarily present.

Enlightenment is easy to describe, to quantify but most difficult to achieve. Supposing that, after tens of years of work with the right motives, we arrive at a point of understanding. Have we yet actually achieved? Are we enlightened? Maybe. During all our study did we strive to live as though we were integrated soul/personalities or did we continue as average people thinking that study alone would result in achievement? This is most important. This is the reason that Buddhists, for one, are largely retiring folk who live quiet lives wherein perhaps the only possession is a food bowl that they carry with them under their robes. Can a westerner become enlightened without having to become a Buddhist? Yes. The key element, the most important idea, is motive. Do we aspire because we look forward to enlightenment or do we aspire only with the thought of serving others?

In the ordinary course of learning in the world a student attends school for a time, is tested often and graduates. Now this person is ready to achieve what he/she has prepared for. In lower spiritual matters it is the same. The un-evolved approaches enlightenment in this manner and fails. The only method that works is as follows: The student, the aspirant, learns what is required and knows the importance of proper motives. He or she actually lives the ideal that they seek all throughout the period of study. In this he or she is quite different from the ordinary student. Spiritual initiation is not a result of study. Spiritual initiation is only a result of being that which is sought. Study and meditation, even with giving and other demonstrations will not result in the door opening. Only living the ideal will prove the worth of the student and open the door.

So, back to enlightenment. Desire is transmuted to humble aspiration to serve humanity. Can we become this? Yes or no. In matters of spirit we cannot fool anyone. When we decide to move in the right direction we attract the attention of a guide which is in the group of a master soul. This guide then watches us and offers assistance. As I said before however we cannot fake humility. We cannot fake desire to serve humanity. We must not want anything for ourselves. This, too, cannot be faked.

Nirvana? A place of "knowing" and peacefulness. It is entirely worthless if we think of it in this manner because here is a very selfish image. We want to be in that high place. Selfish? Consider why we want to be there. Is to begin a life of service to others, always giving, never taking? That is the correct reason. The correct result of Nirvana is the achieving of it followed by the rejecting of it. We will reject it because that is the only way we can put it to proper use for other people who are in such need. This is the part that is not talked about much. It is OK for us to know this because only the true seekers will get to that plateau.

Blessings to us all....

[Burninglight]

Yes. Buddhism is logical. Now regarding "desire for nirvana" or for anything else for that matter including enlightenment we come to find out about our dualism of mind and this is key.


Nirvana? A place of "knowing" and peacefulness. It is entirely worthless if we think of it in this manner because here is a very selfish image. We want to be in that high place. Selfish? Consider why we want to be there. Is to begin a life of service to others, always giving, never taking? That is the correct reason. The correct result of Nirvana is the achieving of it followed by the rejecting of it. We will reject it because that is the only way we can put it to proper use for other people who are in such need. This is the part that is not talked about much. It is OK for us to know this because only the true seekers will get to that plateau.

Blessings to us all....

Nirvana? it is selfish; I never thought of that. Good point. BTW, you say "Christians, Jews and Muslims are equal in God's eyes." What about the Buddist that reach Nirvana? What do you mean by equal?

[Jacob Simonsky]

Blessings to us all....[/quote]Nirvana? it is selfish; I never thought of that. Good point. BTW, you say "Christians, Jews and Muslims are equal in God's eyes." What about the Buddist that reach Nirvana? What do you mean by equal?[/quote]




This answer is for those of us who understand the Divine Source as "God". I do because I was raised in a Christian family. It is comfortable for me to refer to the creative power in this way. All human souls are equal in God's eye. All souls are created equal. At the time of their creation each soul is perfect in it's innocence. It then begins it's long journey to perfection in wisdom through experience. This journey is, of course, the multitude of life times on Earth.

During this long passage each personality that the soul uses, each lifetime, is different from the ones that came before. Before the end each soul will use a body that is of all possibilities in shape, mental acuity, gender, race or religion. The lessons vary greatly. Physical bodies and the personalities which are produced by them are only tools of the moment. They come and they go. Only the memory of them remains for the soul to benefit from. The soul, then, is the immortal human being. Bodies are of no real consequence once each has served it's purpose. At the end of the journey the bodies and personalities are all gone back to the dust of the earth but the soul has grown now, is filled with knowledge born of experience (born again) and has achieved wisdom (enlightenment). Here is the goal of us all in simple terms.

We all will reach this high state. It is quite impossible to do otherwise. Even the soul that was using Hitler will eventually learn the lessons that body brought to it and achieve. Hell, like all religions, is a thing of earth understanding only. When we leave the earth we leave religions and all that they proclaim behind. They serve us at various stages of our development along the way. But, as we grow spiritually and as our souls age, we will eventually leave them behind because though we need God we no longer need religion to teach us. We are more capable. We learn to look within and we find???

All souls are equal in God's eye.... religions are things of the moment fashioned for the personality. Souls are the repositories of all that has been learned. There are no religions in heaven. There are only the eternal souls with their memories of what they learned while on earth in physical bodies. To become wise is the reason. And after that? He or she who has learned will turn their backs on rewards and return to earth another time, to serve selflessly. It is a question of duty.

The attainment of Nirvana while yet in a body is never spoken of by he/she who has attained. The master never proclaims any such nor does the student or the disciple. We read of Nirvana as a goal in spiritual practice. Let it be that alone. The surest path is in learning detached silence because only in this way can the soul overcome the power of the personality and exert it's influence.