Have You Ever Met Anyone Who Has Attained Nirvana? Is it Even Possible?

[Vinayaka]

I think there are signs:
- an ability to speak on your own, without regurgitating other's words
- never charging for money, but donations accepted
- first hand relationship with sishyas,
- no self-promotion, humility
- a genuine look of happiness in all circumstances
- never reacting, just watching

 

[Twilight Hue]

Nirvana in Buddhist context is a very specific state and there are various states and stages below Nirvana which not less significant.

I noticed the bells have various tones when hit.

 

[YmirGF]

One time I asked her If she was enlightened. She Giggled and answered my question of course and so are you. You just can't see it yet. There is no difference between us. You are my son and I love you.

Though I have my doubts that she was actually enlightened, she certainly sounds like my kind of gal.

 

[YmirGF]

I think there are signs:
- an ability to speak on your own, without regurgitating other's words
- never charging for money, but donations accepted
- first hand relationship with sishyas,
- no self-promotion, humility
- a genuine look of happiness in all circumstances
- never reacting, just watching

Indications yes; assurances, sadly, no.

One thing I would add to this list is:

- a childlike quality and genuine playfulness.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

Though I have my doubts that she was actually enlightened,

As you should.

 

[Iti oj]

its a mind set. yes its reachable. its like Charil(sp?) crow says its not getting what you want its wanting what you got.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Missed that. Shoulda known Yimr.

slick.

 

[apophenia]

Nirvana in Buddhist context is a very specific state and there are various states and stages below Nirvana which not less significant.

No. Nirvana is not a 'state'.

Nirvana is the inconceivable attributeless ground in which all states occur.

 

[apophenia]

That's the impersonalist definition. ^

The personalist definition is -

Nirvana is the inconceivable attributeless ground in whom all states occur.

Take your pick.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram apophenia ji

That's the impersonalist definition. ^

The personalist definition is -

Nirvana is the inconceivable attributeless ground in whom all states occur.

Take your pick.

I will go with the later "in whom ":yes:

and as a personalist , and without wish to offend , I would like to change one half a word , ........."atribute less " for atribute 'full'...

'full' to the extent that the atributes are so wonderfully vast and numerous as to be inconceivable to most ,:bow:


that the ground of all states and all being is ' sat cit ananda vigraha '


Ahh yes now I am happy :namaste

 

[atanu]

No. Nirvana is not a 'state'.
Nirvana is the inconceivable attributeless ground in which all states occur.

Some may like to modify the above to "Nirvana is the inconceivable attributeless ground in which all states appear to occur".

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram milinlokde ,

It's really unfortunate that no one answered this question satisfactorily to be of help to anyone.

unfortunately you will in time learn that it is not allways advisable to make direct claims on websites such as this , if for instance if I claim to have met someone who who has atained nirvana , then someone will ask how do I know that that person has atained nirvana ?

then we will have to ascertain how the atainment of nirvana can be judged by one who has not attained it .....?

1. I have never personally met anyone who has attained Nirvana.
2. It is definitely possible.

so you say that to the best of your knowledge you have never met anyone who has atained nirvana , but in truth you do not know , , ....prehaps you have met some one who was so simply just being , that you failed to notice him?

and you say it is definately possible to atain nirvana ?

how can we say that it is possible ? ...if we want to be helpfull to others we need to find a skillfullway of saying that it is possible .

For the first part, we have many people in India who seem to have attained a state very close to Nirvana or even Nirvana. These people are worshiped by public and have huge following. I have had few occasions to listen to their wisdom personally and they seem to know quite a lot and seem to be free from worldly pleasures. Some of them do fall prey to samsara again and get into some sort of scandals.

this is most certainly true , there are many swamis who teach so beautifully for many years , then unfortunately they fall down , why is this when they seem at first to be so wise ?

For the second part, Nirvana is definitely possible. Being a Buddhist myself I know the term Nirvana since my childhood and have been trying since to understand it and now know for sure that Nirvana do exist. I now have an online book/website "Attaining Nirvana" to answer this very question. Most people think Nirvana can be attained only by becoming a monk or a yogi. That may be true but not really necessary. Buddha has given a very specific path for attaining nirvana - the Noble Eight Fold Path.

I agree that nirvana is most definately possible , yet many people will argue with this and say how do you know , then I will have to say because I have experienced it , then they will ask for proof , but even if proof were to be supplied it would not be understood by the conditioned mind , how can one mind recognise another mind so totaly oposite .
yet by deduction one can work out that there are different states of mind , if one knows the state of agitation one can experience moments of extreme agitation and moments of relitive calm , so when buddha says that we can attain states which are free from agitation we understand this to be possible , through practice we can reduce the agitation and increase the relitive calm , so by this thinking we realise that we can acheive higher states , with practice we can atain allmost perfect calm , which alows us to understand that perfect calm is attainable .
if perfect calm is attainable then a perfection of all states is attainable . ....it is simply a matter of working at it , and as you say buddha has given the eight fold path and though this we are given a systematic method of attaining freedom from all suffering .

It is indeed difficult to understand Nirvana in words as there is nothing it can be compared with. But the more you try to understand Nirvana and follow the Noble Eight Fold Path, the more you will be convinced that Nirvana does exist and it is attainable and must be strived for.

it is possible to describe it as a perfected state of being , we only have to look at the the buddha , at a point half way through his life he set his mind upon the attainment of enlightenment and from the moment he raised himself from his meditation he arose as a fully enlightened being . that buddhi (inteligence) resides perminantly in a state if nirvana and the teachings of the eightfold path are a product of that enlightened state of mind .so for fourty years untill his final parinirvana the buddha continued to teach the same dharma without wavering .
thus proving that nirvana does exist and that it is atainable even here and now ,

so" must be strived for" , yes I belive so :namaste

 

[ratikala]

Some may like to modify the above to "Nirvana is the inconceivable attributeless ground in which all states appear to occur".

antanu ji ,

how is it that they ''appear to occur''?

ah but also you say ''some may like''........

what does atanu think ?

 

[apophenia]

Some may like to modify the above to "Nirvana is the inconceivable attributeless ground in which all states appear to occur".

You appear to be right again

 

[atanu]

antanu ji ,

how is it that they ''appear to occur''?

ah but also you say ''some may like''........

what does atanu think ?

AS per Buddha's teaching, all born, created, formed things are changeable and have no self. So, they are appearances and not real. Similarly, in Gita, it is said that paramatma is samam (same everywhere) whereupon the differences are apparent (Chapter 13). Of course, this knowledge may not be useful or required for all.

You appear to be right again

 

[DreadFish]

I feel that there are transcendentally realized beings who live lives as entirely regular people and teach in obscure and subtle ways.

 

[Vinayaka]

I feel that there are transcendentally realized beings who live lives as entirely regular people and teach in obscure and subtle ways.

I've certainly felt that. You see some guy sitting alone at a restaurant, or in India, some madman on a street, and you just have this feel about them. There is lore about realized souls using other bodies to 'spy' to help their devotees. I have been quite suspicious on several occasions. Always total strangers.

 

[apophenia]

I've certainly felt that. You see some guy sitting alone at a restaurant, or in India, some madman on a street, and you just have this feel about them. There is lore about realized souls using other bodies to 'spy' to help their devotees. I have been quite suspicious on several occasions. Always total strangers.

And there is always Frank. He lives in the meniscus between 'inner' and 'outer'. Wherever I go, Frank is with me. :yes:

If you want to see him, just remain aware of where you end and everything else begins.

 

[DreadFish]

I've certainly felt that. You see some guy sitting alone at a restaurant, or in India, some madman on a street, and you just have this feel about them. There is lore about realized souls using other bodies to 'spy' to help their devotees. I have been quite suspicious on several occasions. Always total strangers.

It totally happened to me just the other day.