Compare God And Nirvana! (Jesus, ritual, mystic, Buddhism, hell)

[Sunstone]

This morning, a guest on a radio program asserted that nirvana and the Christian God were “almost entirely the same thing.”

Do you think this is true?

In what way(s) might God and nirvana be similar?

In what way(s) might they be different?

[jeffrey]

Let me see.. Jesus died... Kurt Cobain died... Maybe their's something to this...

[dawny0826]

How would you define nirvana, Sunstone?

[dawny0826]

I forgot about my trusty Corel WordPerfect 10 dictionary.

nirvana >noun 1 the ultimate goal of Buddhism, a state in which there is no suffering or desire, and no sense of self. 2 a state of perfect happiness.
-ORIGIN Sanskrit, from a word meaning 'be extinguished'.

According to the above definitions...

As for the first definition of nirvana...no...I don't believe that the Christian God and nirvana are one in the same. Buddha isn't Christ.

As for the second definition...well...I believe that one can only find perfect happiness in God. I think LOVE is a more adequate definition. God is LOVE and with that perfect love...one can find perfect happiness.

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by dawny0826

How would you define nirvana, Sunstone?

The word "nirvana" originally meant "to snuff out" or "put out", specifically to snuff out a candle, or put out a stove fire. It has come to mean "ceasation", as in the ceasing of something. Thus, in Buddhism, it is usually defined not in terms of what it is, but in terms of how it comes about. Although there are some Buddhists who would go further and describe it as a state of bliss in which one is aware of Ultimate Reality (whatever Ultimate Reality is).

It is said in Buddhism that nirvana can be something obtained by humans, and that this was proven when the Buddha achieved it. Or, perhaps the best words to use here are not "obtained" or "achieved", but "entered", as in "the Buddha entered nirvana".

There is an old notion in the West that was echoed this morning by the guest on the radio program: That is, entering nirvana is much the same as experiencing God. I think this notion must come from identifying God with the experience of Ultimate Reality through nirvana.

[dawny0826]

The word "nirvana" originally meant "to snuff out" or "put out", specifically to snuff out a candle, or put out a stove fire. It has come to mean "ceasation", as in the ceasing of something. Thus, in Buddhism, it is usually defined not in terms of what it is, but in terms of how it comes about. Although there are some Buddhists who would go further and describe it as a state of bliss in which one is aware of Ultimate Reality (whatever Ultimate Reality is).

Oooh boy, my Corel WordPerfect 10 dictionary didn't elaborate as nicely as you have.

Well...God most certainly can "snuff out" as life, according to the bible, is His to give and His to take away.

It is said in Buddhism that nirvana can be something obtained by humans, and that this was proven when the Buddha achieved it. Or, perhaps the best words to use here are not "obtained" or "achieved", but "entered", as in "the Buddha entered nirvana".

I don't believe that such a bliss could really be obtained while in the flesh. I believe that such a bliss could only be obtained while free from the body.

So...I couldn't really compare God to nirvana in this sense only because it seems as if you're dealing with the physical and spiritual in terms of an "ultimate reality" or an "ultimate bliss". With God...the "prize", so to speak is obtained in death.

There is an old notion in the West that was echoed this morning by the guest on the radio program: That is, entering nirvana is much the same as experiencing God. I think this notion must come from identifying God with the experience of Ultimate Reality through nirvana.

I see God as something so much greater than the concept of nirvana. And although I can experience God to an extent now...via Christ...I know that I won't fully understand until I'm free from my shell and am actually WITH him.

As flesh is flawed...to be able to experience such bliss...one would have to be away from the flesh...

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by dawny0826

I think LOVE is a more adequate definition. God is LOVE and with that perfect love...one can find perfect happiness.

What kind of love do you have in mind here? I assume you mean agape or unconditional love?

[dawny0826]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

What kind of love do you have in mind here? I assume you mean agape or unconditional love?

Unconditional love.

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by dawny0826

Unconditional love.

There is a possibility that both a Buddhist who'd entered nirvana, and a Christian who experienced God would describe their experiences as "unconditional".

If so, that would be one similarity between the two people, but I do not think the Buddhist would describe the experience as one of agape (although she might), while I suppose the Christian would describe the experience as one of agape (although he might not).

It is also quite possible it seems to me that both would describe their experiences as ones of "connectedness".

Sorry to be so vauge about this. It's very hard to talk of the content of mystical experiences, I think. At any rate, there could indeed be some similarities when looked at in this manner.

But what are the differences?

[jeffrey]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

What kind of love do you have in mind here? I assume you mean agape or unconditional love?

You left out one. Courtney Love.