The Problem with Nirvana: A look at the Buddhist Enlightenment

The Big Buddha on Lantau Island, Hong Kong
(Picture taken by me in 2009)

Growing up, my dad claimed to be "Buddhist".  But what does that actually mean?  Some of the practices I've already shared in other blogs but in looking back of them (praying to ancestors, giving sacrifices to ancestors, and eating certain meals during the year) aren't really Buddhism.  A lot of these are actually ancient Chinese practices before Buddhism came but when Buddhism did come to China, a lot of things mixed in with Buddhism from Chinese ancestral religions. 

So, what is really Buddhism?  Buddhism shares a lot of similar beliefs as Hinduism.  Both have the same philosophies when it comes to reincarnation/samara, darma, karma, prayers and meditation.  But the one thing that differ greatly is that true Buddhism doesn't have any gods or goddesses that create, or destroy things on earth.  Buddhism does believe in spirits and ghost but not that any gods control anything aspect of human life.  Buddhism also differs a little when it comes to the cycle of life.  They don't really believe in a beginning or end of the universe, but rather that things have already been around for a long long time.  As Buddhism moved through Asia, other regional practices get mixed in with Buddhism, as I have mentioned earlier.

So how did Buddhism get started?  I found this great video that talks about this.  But what I want to focus on is the Buddhist belief of achieving Nirvana, or Enlightenment.  It is a separation of yourself from the pain and suffering from the world, emptying your mind and disconnecting from the physical world.  This is achieve by prayer, meditation and studying the teachings of Buddha.  Nirvana sounds similar to Hinduism in achieving Brahman but not really.  While achieving Brahman is a connection with the universe and the ultimate reality and freeing yourself from the cycle of birth and rebirth, Nirvana is just a metaphysical state of mind separating yourself from the physical reality of life, not really connecting your mind into anything.  (On a side note, Buddhist do not believe in evil, but they do believe our thoughts of greed, anger and ignorance can lead to suffering.) 

While this all sounds cool, I do have some issues with Nirvana.  Now up to this point, if you are the product of the 1990's, you might be thinking about the alternative American rock band.  Well, we are not talking about that Nirvana, although they probably achieved some aspect of that through recreational drugs. 

Nirvana of emptying your mind.  Your mind cannot totally be empty. It really can't.  Your brain/mind is constantly in action all the time, doing stuff so that your body can function.  We all have a subconscious mind and our subconscious mind is always thinking about something.  If you totally empty your thoughts and mind, you might be brain dead.

Achieving Nirvana also takes human work.  You have to follow Buddha's teachings (The Four Noble Truths), the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment, pray and meditate, and maybe at times you have to sustain from earthly pleasures like eating, or going to the amusement park, or enjoying time with family and friends.  That's why some who are really devoted to Buddhism become Buddhist monks and live in remote temples far away from society.  (But most Buddhists are like other folks.  Since I have some Buddhist family members, I know that they are folks just like us, holding jobs, buying groceries, and taking bike rides through the park, to name a few things.)  But overall, Nirvana takes work to achieve something that is temporary.  At the end, you still have to come back to the reality of being on earth, so I don't know what Nirvana really does.  

I often see Buddhism as a spin-off of Hinduism.  But in both faiths, you have to work to achieved some freedom from the physical reality of pain and suffering. Along with Hinduism, I would like to learn more about Buddhism, especially how it impacted China, the people and the culture.