NIRVANA?

1. Is it selfish to leave this world and go to 'heaven'?



What about the suffering people left behind?



For the Buddhist, there is Samsara, this world of suffering.



And there is Nirvana, which is free from suffering.



In Samsara, beings "wander through the impermanent and suffering-generating realms of desire..." (Nirvana)



Some Buddhists think that Samsara is a place, but, most see it as a process or state of mind..



So, it is not selfish to leave Samsara, if it is a state of mind.



Buddhists believe that we create our own individual worlds, and when we die we create a new world and move into it.



Many Buddhists see Nirvana not as a place, but as a state of mind.







2. Is there a creator God?



Buddha kept a noble silence on the question of God and on many other questions.



Buddha argued that "there is no apparent rational necessity for the existence of a creator god because everything ultimately is created by mind." (Buddhism and evolution - Wikipedia)



"In Buddhism, the universe comes into existence dependent upon the actions (karma) of its inhabitants. Buddhists posit neither an ultimate beginning or final end to the universe, but see the universe as something in flux, passing in and out of existence, parallel to an infinite number of other universes doing the same thing." (Religious cosmology - Wikipedia)



3. How do we achieve Nirvana?



It depends on effort.



It means getting rid of anger, greed, lust, delusion...



4. What is Nirvana like?



"It is outside of all conceivable experience." (Nirvana - Wikipedia)



"The consciousness is released, and the mind becomes aware..."



5. Nirvana seems different from Samsara?



The difference between Nirvana and Samsara is only accurate "on the conventional level."



"All phenomena are empty of an essential identity, and therefore suffering is never inherent in any situation." (Nirvana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)