"called an ""awakened one"" (Buddha), was born into the Shakya clan living at Kapilavastu and Lumbini in what is now southern Nepal. The Buddha was born at Lumbini, as emperor Ashoka's Lumbini pillar records, just before the kingdom of Magadha (which traditionally is said to have lasted from c. 546–324 BCE) rose to power. The Shakyas claimed Angirasa and Gautama Maharishi lineage, via descent from the royal lineage of Ayodhya. Buddhism emphasises enlightenment (nibbana, nirvana) and liberation from the rounds of rebirth. This objective is pursued through two schools, Theravada, the Way of the Elders (practised in Sri Lanka, Burma,"
"in the study of Buddhism, and is one of the fundamentals of Buddhist practice. In the western world the concept of spiritual enlightenment has become synonymous with self-realization and the true self and false self, being regarded as a substantial essence being covered over by social conditioning. In Indian religions ""moksha"" (Sanskrit: '; liberation) or ""mukti"" (Sanskrit: ; release —both from the root ' ""to let loose, let go"") is the final extrication of the soul or consciousness (""purusha"") from ""samsara"" and the bringing to an end of all the suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated"
"Nirvana In Indian religions, ""nirvana"" is synonymous with ""moksha"" and ""mukti"". All Indian religions assert it to be a state of perfect quietude, freedom, highest happiness as well as the liberation from or ending of ""samsara"", the repeating cycle of birth, life and death. However, Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions describe these terms for liberation differently. In the Buddhist context, ""nirvana"" refers to realization of non-self and emptiness, marking the end of rebirth by stilling the ""fires"" that keep the process of rebirth going. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union of or the realization of the identity of Atman with"
"Enlightenment (spiritual) Enlightenment is the ""full comprehension of a situation"". The term is commonly used to denote the Age of Enlightenment, but is also used in Western cultures in a religious context. It translates several Buddhist terms and concepts, most notably ""bodhi"", ""kensho"" and ""satori"". Related terms from Asian religions are ""moksha"" (liberation) in Hinduism, ""Kevala Jnana"" in Jainism, and ""ushta"" in Zoroastrianism. In Christianity, the word ""enlightenment"" is rarely used, except to refer to the Age of Enlightenment and its influence on Christianity. Roughly equivalent terms in Christianity may be illumination, kenosis, metanoia, revelation, salvation and conversion. Perennialists and"
"Enlightenment in Buddhism The English term enlightenment is the western translation of the abstract noun bodhi, (; Sanskrit: बोधि; Pali: ""bodhi""), the knowledge or wisdom, or awakened intellect, of a Buddha. The verbal root ""budh-"" means ""to awaken,"" and its literal meaning is closer to ""awakening."" Although its most common usage is in the context of Buddhism, the term ""buddhi"" is also used in other Indian philosophies and traditions. The term ""enlightenment"" was popularised in the Western world through the 19th century translations of Max Müller. It has the western connotation of a sudden insight into a transcendental truth or"
"is no soul or self in any living being, then passing through the gate of signlessness (""animitta"") – realizing that nirvana cannot be perceived, and finally passing through the gate of wishlessness (""apranihita"") – realizing that nirvana is the state of not even wishing for nirvana. The nirvana state has been described in Buddhist texts partly in a manner similar to other Indian religions, as the state of complete liberation, enlightenment, highest happiness, bliss, fearlessness, freedom, permanence, non-dependent origination, unfathomable, and indescribable. It has also been described in part differently, as a state of spiritual release marked by ""emptiness"" and"
"Moksha Moksha (; , """"), also called vimoksha, vimukti and mukti, is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism which refers to various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriological and eschatological senses, it refers to freedom from ""saṃsāra"", the cycle of death and rebirth. In its epistemological and psychological senses, ""moksha"" refers to freedom from ignorance: self-realization, self-actualization and self-knowledge. In Hindu traditions, ""moksha"" is a central concept and the utmost aim to be attained through three paths during human life; these three paths are ""dharma"" (virtuous, proper, moral life), ""artha"" (material prosperity, income security,"
"a term found in the texts of all major Indian religions – Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. It refers to the profound peace of mind that is acquired with ""moksha"", liberation from samsara, or release from a state of suffering, after respective spiritual practice or sādhanā. The idea of ""moksha"" is connected to the Vedic culture, where it conveyed a notion of ""amrtam"", ""immortality"", and also a notion of a ""timeless"", ""unborn"", or ""the still point of the turning world of time"". It was also its timeless structure, the whole underlying ""the spokes of the invariable but incessant wheel of"
"self, which is eternally free of any suffering, may come to manifest itself in the person, who then achieves liberation (moksha). Abstinence from causing pain or harm to other beings, called ahimsa, is a central tenet of Hinduism, and even more so of another Indian religion, Jainism. Christianity also believes that human suffering plays an important role in religion. Suffering is only to be thought of as a positive experience in the case of achieving a higher meaning of life, such as Jesus suffering for the lives of other people as was the case during the atonement. Suffering is the"
"remainder, or final nirvana). In the Buddhist tradition, nirvana is described as the extinguishing of the ""fires"" that cause rebirths and associated suffering. The Buddhist texts identify these three ""three fires"" or ""three poisons"" as ""raga"" (greed, sensuality), ""dvesha"" (aversion, hate) and ""avidyā"" or ""moha"" (ignorance, delusion). The state of nirvana is also described in Buddhism as cessation of all afflictions, cessation of all actions, cessation of rebirths and suffering that are a consequence of afflictions and actions. Liberation is described as identical to ""anatta"" (""anatman"", non-self, lack of any self). In Buddhism, liberation is achieved when all things and"
"the realm of suffering or the realm of joy. Anyone, from any caste, who lived a life of disciplined deeds, speeches, thoughts, who had trained and developed himself in the seven factors of Enlightenment, then he would attain the eradication from the (stains/dust/dirt/filth) of mind in this current life. Anyone, from four castes, who became a bhikku (Monk), arahant, who had eradicated stains of Mind, had done what must be done, had relieved himself from burden, who had attained freedom, who had broken the bondage of birth, who had been freed due to knowledge; then they would be declared as"
"are interpreted differently by different groups and individuals. In these religions one is not liberated from sin and its consequences, but from the ""saṃsāra"" (cycle of rebirth) perpetuated by passions and delusions and its resulting karma. They differ however on the exact nature of this liberation. Salvation is called ""moksha"" or ""mukti"" which mean liberation and release respectively. This state and the conditions considered necessary for its realization is described in early texts of Indian religion such as the Upanishads and the Pāli Canon, and later texts such the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Vedanta tradition. ""Moksha"" can be"
"regarding the practice of dhyana to be insufficient for final liberation. With release comes Nirvana (Pali: Nibbana), “blowing out”, ""quenching"", or “becoming extinguished” of the fires of the passions and of self-view. It is a ""timeless state"" in which there is no more becoming. Nirvana ends the cycle of ""Dukkha"" and rebirth in the six realms of Saṃsāra (Buddhism). It is part of the Four Noble Truths doctrine of Buddhism, which plays an essential role in Theravada Buddhism. Nirvana has been described in Buddhist texts in a manner similar to other Indian religions, as the state of complete liberation, enlightenment,"
"of Buddhism, the Buddha, is believed to have reached both these states. ""Nirvana"", or the liberation from cycles of rebirth, is the highest aim of the Theravada tradition. In the Mahayana tradition, the highest goal is ""Buddhahood"", in which there is no abiding in Nirvana, but a Buddha continues to take rebirths in the world to help liberate beings from ""saṃsāra"" by teaching the Buddhist path. The term ""nirvana"" describes a state of freedom from suffering and rebirth, but different Buddhist traditions have interpreted the concept in different ways. The origin is probably pre-Buddhist, and its etymology may not be"
"of ""blown out, extinguished"" state of liberation does not appear in the Vedas nor in the Upanishads. According to Collins, ""the Buddhists seem to have been the first to call it ""nirvana""."" However, the ideas of spiritual liberation using different terminology, with the concept of soul and Brahman, appears in Vedic texts and Upanishads, such as in verse 4.4.6 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. This may have been deliberate use of words in early Buddhism, suggests Collins, since Atman and Brahman were described in Vedic texts and Upanishads with the imagery of fire, as something good, desirable and liberating. ""Nirvāṇa"" is"
"of suffering (mundane mental and physical phenomenon), of the origin of suffering (tanha 'pali' the craving), of the extinction of suffering (Nibbana or nirvana), and of the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the extinction of suffering (the eight supra-mundane mind factors ). The motto of the republic of India's emblem is Satyameva Jayate which is literally translated as 'Truth alone triumphs'. Satya Satya is the Sanskrit word for truth. It also refers to a virtue in Indian religions, referring to being truthful in one's thought, speech and action. In Yoga, ""satya"" is one of five yamas, the virtuous restraint from"
"the ""cycle of rebirth"" is also part of Sikhism. Nirvana appears in Sikh texts as the term ""Nirban"". However, the more common term is ""Mukti"" or ""Moksh"", a salvation concept wherein loving devotion to God is emphasized for liberation from endless cycle of rebirths. Nirvana In Indian religions, ""nirvana"" is synonymous with ""moksha"" and ""mukti"". All Indian religions assert it to be a state of perfect quietude, freedom, highest happiness as well as the liberation from or ending of ""samsara"", the repeating cycle of birth, life and death. However, Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions describe these terms for liberation differently. In"
"or happening was really caused by a deity or being of their faith. In Hinduism, for example, epiphany might refer to Arjuna's realization that Krishna (incarnation of God serving as his charioteer in the ""Bhagavad Gita"") is indeed representing the Universe. The Hindu term for epiphany would be bodhodaya, from Sanskrit bodha 'wisdom' and udaya 'rising'. Or in Buddhism, the term might refer to the Buddha obtaining enlightenment under the bodhi tree, finally realizing the nature of the universe, and thus attaining Nirvana. The Zen term ""kensho"" also describes this moment, referring to the feeling attendant on realizing the answer"
"bliss in the present life such that evil and suffering have no effect on the liberated person's state of inner peace and happiness, and attaining moksha also means an end to the cycle of rebirth. In theistic devotional sub-traditions of Hinduism, the personal god such as Krishna or Shiva or Devi is believed by the Hindu to stand by, as a form of spiritual support and liberator, when one faces evil and suffers. A version of the problem of evil appears in the ancient ""Brahma Sutras"", probably composed between 200 BCE and 200 CE, a foundational text of the Vedanta"
"and contemplation of God, which over time results in a perfect union with God. Some Bhakti schools evolved their ideas where God became the means and the end, transcending ""moksha""; the fruit of bhakti is bhakti itself. In the history of Indian religious traditions, additional ideas and paths to ""moksha"" beyond these three, appeared over time. The words ""moksha"", nirvana (""nibbana"") and kaivalya are sometimes used synonymously, because they all refer to the state that liberates a person from all causes of sorrow and suffering. However, in modern era literature, these concepts have different premises in different religions. Nirvana, a"
"unpleasant things. According to the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy, ""ananda"" is that state of sublime delight when the jiva becomes free from all sins, all doubts, all desires, all actions, all pains, all sufferings and also all physical and mental ordinary pleasures. Having become established in Brahman it becomes jivanmukta (a being free from the cycle of rebirth). The Upanishads repeatedly use the word ""Ānanda"" to denote Brahman, the innermost Self, the Blissful One, who unlike the individual Self has no real attachments. Based on a reading of the Bhagavad Gita, Dvaita vedanta interprets ""ananda"" as happiness derived via"
"attained by sādhanā, literally ""means of accomplishing something"". It includes a variety of disciplines, such as yoga and meditation. Nirvana is the profound peace of mind that is acquired with moksha (liberation). In Buddhism and Jainism, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is union with the Brahman (Supreme Being). The word literally means ""blown out"" (as in a candle) and refers, in the Buddhist context, to the blowing out of the fires of desire, aversion, and delusion, and the imperturbable stillness of mind acquired thereafter. In Theravada Buddhism the emphasis is on one's"
"highest happiness, bliss, fearless, freedom, dukkha-less, permanence, non-dependent origination, unfathomable, indescribable. It has also been described as a state of release marked by ""emptiness"" and realization of ""non-Self"". Such descriptions, states Peter Harvey, are contested by scholars because nirvana in Buddhism is ultimately described as a state of ""stopped consciousness (blown out), but one that is not non-existent"", and ""it seems impossible to imagine what awareness devoid of any object would be like"". In Jainism, ""moksha"" and ""nirvana"" are one and the same. Jaina texts sometimes use the term ""Kevalya"", and call the liberated soul as ""Kevalin"". As with all"
"considered in Indian religions as a step that starts each ""cycle of aimless drifting, wandering or mundane existence"", but one that is an opportunity to seek spiritual liberation through ethical living and a variety of meditative, yogic (""marga""), or other spiritual practices. They consider the release from the cycle of reincarnations as the ultimate spiritual goal, and call the liberation by terms such as moksha, nirvana, ""mukti"" and ""kaivalya"". However, the Buddhist, Hindu and Jain traditions have differed, since ancient times, in their assumptions and in their details on what reincarnates, how reincarnation occurs and what leads to liberation. ""Gilgul"","
"the study of religion, and is extensively researched. The English term ""enlightenment"" is the western translation of the abstract noun ""bodhi"", the knowledge or wisdom, or awakened intellect, of a Buddha. The verbal root ""budh-"" means ""to awaken,"" and its literal meaning is closer to ""awakening."" Although its most common usage is in the context of Buddhism, the term ""buddhi"" is also used in other Indian philosophies and traditions. The term ""enlightenment"" was popularised in the Western world through the 19th century translations of Max Müller. It has the western connotation of a sudden insight into a transcendental truth or"
"preventing danger. Recent modernist Theravādins have tended to focus on the psychological benefits and psychological well being. Accoding to Theravāda doctrine, liberation is attained in four stages of enlightenment: Nirvana (, '; , '; , """") is the ultimate goal of Theravadins. It is a state where the fire of the passions has been 'blown out', and the person is liberated from the repeated cycle of birth, illness, aging and death. In the ""Saṃyojanapuggala Sutta"" of the Anguttara Nikaya, the Buddha describes four kinds of persons and tells us that the last person – the Arahant – has attained Nibbana"
"Jainism (; ', ""Samaṇam"", ', ', ""Jainmat"", '), is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul toward divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state of supreme being is called a ""jina"" (""conqueror"" or ""victor""). The ultimate status of these perfect souls is called siddha. Ancient texts also refer to Jainism as ""shramana dharma"" (self-reliant) or the ""path of the nirganthas"" (those without attachments or aversions). In Jainism highest form of pure"
"Bodhicitta In Buddhism, bodhicitta, ""enlightenment-mind"", is the mind that strives toward awakening, empathy, and compassion for the benefit of all sentient beings. Etymologically, the word is a combination of the Sanskrit words bodhi and citta. ""Bodhi"" means ""awakening"" or ""enlightenment"". ""Citta"" derives from the Sanskrit root ""cit"", and means ""that which is conscious"" (i.e., mind or consciousness). ""Bodhicitta"" may be translated as ""awakening mind"" or ""mind of enlightenment"". Bodhicitta is a spontaneous wish to attain enlightenment motivated by great compassion for all sentient beings, accompanied by a falling away of the attachment to the illusion of an inherently existing self."
"Nirvana (Buddhism) Nirvana (Sanskrit: '; Pali: ', """") is the earliest and most common term used to describe the goal of the Buddhist path. The literal meaning is ""blowing out"" or ""quenching."" It is the ultimate spiritual goal in Buddhism and marks the soteriological release from rebirths in ""saṃsāra"". Nirvana is part of the Third Truth on ""cessation of ""dukkha"""" in the Four Noble Truths, and the ""summum bonum"" destination of the Noble Eightfold Path. Within the Buddhist tradition, this term has commonly been interpreted as the extinction of the ""three fires"", or ""three poisons"", passion (""raga""), aversion (""dvesha"") and"
"illuminations on the Poshadha, which was a fasting day; for they said: 'Since the light of intelligence is gone, let us make an illumination of material matter!'(128) A liberated soul dwell in ""Siddhashila"" with infinite faith, infinite knowledge, infinite perception, and infinite perfection. According to the Jain text, ""Puruşārthasiddhyupāya"": Moksha (Jainism) Sanskrit or Prakrit mokkha refers to the liberation or salvation of a soul from ""saṃsāra"", the cycle of birth and death. It is a blissful state of existence of a soul, attained after the destruction of all karmic bonds. A liberated soul is said to have attained its true"
"explains that moksha is a central concept in Indian religions, and ""literally means freedom from samsara."" Melvin E. Spiro further explains that ""desire is the cause of suffering because desire is the cause of rebirth."" When desire ceases, rebirth and its accompanying suffering ceases. Peter Harvey explains: The last sermon, the ""Maha-parinibbana Sutta"" (Last Days of the Buddha, Digha Nikaya 16)"", states it as follows: According to Bhikkhu Buddhadasa, ""birth"" does refer not to physical birth and death, but to the birth and death of our self-concept, the ""emergence of the ego"". According to Buddhadhasa, Some contemporary teachers tend to"
"Bodhimaṇḍa Bodhimaṇḍa (Sanskrit and Pali; ) is a term used in Buddhism meaning the ""position of awakening"". According to Haribhadra, it is ""a place used as a seat, where the essence of enlightenment is present"". Although spelled similarly, a bodhimaṇḍa is not synonymous with a ""bodhimaṇḍala"", which is a ""circle of enlightenment"". Bodhimaṇḍas are regularly visited by Buddhist pilgrims, and some have gone on to become popular secular tourist destinations as well. In many forms of Buddhism, it is believed that bodhimaṇḍas are spiritually pure places, or otherwise conducive to meditation and enlightenment. Different Buddhist sects often disagree on the"
"the road, and the soul is the traveller in this car. What matters is self-knowledge, states the text, and not whether one dies in a holy place or the house of someone who eats dogs-flesh. The man, who has become one with the Brahman (ultimate reality) and imbued with the ""fire of knowledge"", rejects all rituals and needs no customs, he has outgrown the world of illusion and realized the truth, ""I am He"" (So'ham). The state of liberation, states the Upanishad, is the complete understanding of oneness between individual soul with the Absolute Self. The ""Paingala Upanishad"" is notable"