Translations of Nirvana |
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English | liberation, salvation |
Pali | निब्बान (Nibbāna) |
Sanskrit | निर्वाण (Nirvāṇa) |
Bengali | নির্বাণ nirbanô |
Burmese |
နိဗ္ဗာန် (IPA: [neɪʔbàɴ]) |
Chinese |
涅槃 (Pinyin: nièpán) |
Japanese |
涅槃 (rōmaji: nehan) |
Khmer | និព្វាន |
Korean |
열반 (RR: yeolban) |
Mon |
နဳဗာန် ([nìppàn]) |
Mongolian | Нирваан дүр |
Shan |
ၼိၵ်ႈပၢၼ်ႇ ([nik3paan2]) |
Sinhala | (Nivana) |
Tibetan | མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ། (mya ngan las 'das pa) |
Thai | นิพพาน (rtgs: nipphan) |
Vietnamese | Niết bàn |
Glossary of Buddhism |
Nirvāṇa (/nɪərˈvɑːnə, -ˈvænə, nər-/;Sanskrit: निर्वाण nirvāṇa [nirʋaːɳə]; Pali: निब्बान nibbāna ; Prakrit: णिव्वाण ṇivvāṇa ) literally means "blown out", as in an oil lamp. The term "nirvana" is most commonly associated with Buddhism, and represents its ultimate state of soteriological release and liberation from rebirths in saṃsāra.
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 along with it being the liberation from 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 Brahman, depending on the Hindu tradition. In Jainism, it is also the soteriological goal, but unlike Buddhism - which does not accept the existence of a soul - it represents the release of a soul from karmic bondage and samsara.