Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
Spiny Norman
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Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by Spiny Norman »

I was looking at this Wiki article, and would be interested in your thoughts:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moksha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moksha#Buddhism
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Sam Vara
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by Sam Vara »

The term moksha means "release, emancipation, liberation", and so I guess the Pali term that comes closest would be vimutti. The difficulty with all three terms is that they are said to be ineffable and the language describing them tends to be apophatic or figurative, so there is little that we can do in order to determine whether they are synonymous.
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zerotime
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by zerotime »

I wonder if the pali equivalent is mokkha like in "Patimokkha"
davidbrainerd
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by davidbrainerd »

Spiny Norman wrote:I was looking at this Wiki article, and would be interested in your thoughts:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moksha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moksha#Buddhism
Just from the Dhammapada you'd have no idea of a no-soul concept in Buddhism. Sabbe sankhra anicca. Sabbe sankhara dukkha. Sabbe sankhara (or dhamma) anatta. With verse 279 being the only thing even contortable in that direction, yet it contextually clearly just means no compounded thing is the self, its clear Buddhism did not teach there is no soul till later. Buddhism is clearly an offshoot of Jainism. And clearly in Buddha's time it was not that divergent metaphysically, but only in ascetic practices.
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cappuccino
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by cappuccino »

With Moksha there is a higher Self.
So relatively it's "more pure" than mere self.

Nirvana is selfless.
Although… not soulless.
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by davidbrainerd »

cappuccino wrote:With Moksha there is a higher Self.
So relatively it's "more pure" than mere self.

Nirvana is selfless.
Although… not soulless.
Just like your food has no vitamins yet does have vitamins....
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Polar Bear
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by Polar Bear »

Vimokkha is the pali equivalent of the sanskrit term (vi)moksha:
Vimokkha
Vimokkha (& Vimokha) [fr. vi+muc, cp. mokkha1] deliverance, release, emancipation, dissociation from the things of the world, Arahantship D ii.70, 111); iii.34, 35, 230, 288; M i.196 (samaya˚ & asamaya˚); S i.159 (cetaso v.); ii.53, 123; iii.121; iv.33; A ii.87; iv.316; v.11; Vin v.164 (cittassa); Sn 1071 (which Nd2 588 expls as "agga" etc., thus strangely taking it in meaning of mokkha2, perhaps as edifying etym.); Nd2 466 (in expln of Bhagavā); Ps i.22; ii.35 (as 68!), 243; Pug 11 sq.; Vbh 342; Dhs 248; Nett 90, 100, 119, 126; Vism 13, 668 sq.; Miln 159; PvA 98; Sdhp 34, 264. <-> The three vimokkhas are: suññato v., animitto v., appaṇihito v. Ps ii.35; Vism 658. The eight vimokkhas or stages of emancipation, are: the condition of rūpī, arūpa -- saññī, recognition of subha, realization of ākāsânañc'āyatana, of viññāṇ'ânañc'āyatana, ākiñcaññ'āyatana, neva -- saññā -- n'âsaññ'āyatana, saññāvedayita -- nirodha D iii.262 (cp. Dial. iii.242), A i.40; iv.306; Vbh 342; expld in detail at Ps ii.38 -- 40. [cp. BSk. aṣṭau vimokṣāḥ, e. g. AvŚ ii.69, 153.] -- In sequence jhāna vimokkha samādhi samāpatti (magga phala) at Vin i.97, 104; iii.91; iv.25; A iii.417, 419; v.34, 38; Vbh 342. -- See also jhāna.

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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by cappuccino »

davidbrainerd wrote:Just like your food has no vitamins yet does have vitamins....
find your self, if you can.
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aflatun
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by aflatun »

davidbrainerd wrote:
Spiny Norman wrote:I was looking at this Wiki article, and would be interested in your thoughts:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moksha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moksha#Buddhism
Just from the Dhammapada you'd have no idea of a no-soul concept in Buddhism. Sabbe sankhra anicca. Sabbe sankhara dukkha. Sabbe sankhara (or dhamma) anatta. With verse 279 being the only thing even contortable in that direction, yet it contextually clearly just means no compounded thing is the self, its clear Buddhism did not teach there is no soul till later. Buddhism is clearly an offshoot of Jainism. And clearly in Buddha's time it was not that divergent metaphysically, but only in ascetic practices.
David:

Honest question, what do you find lacking in samkhya?
"People often get too quick to say 'there's no self. There's no self...no self...no self.' There is self, there is focal point, its not yours. That's what not self is."

Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli
Senses and the Thought-1, 42:53

"Those who create constructs about the Buddha,
Who is beyond construction and without exhaustion,
Are thereby damaged by their constructs;
They fail to see the Thus-Gone.

That which is the nature of the Thus-Gone
Is also the nature of this world.
There is no nature of the Thus-Gone.
There is no nature of the world."

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aflatun
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by aflatun »

cappuccino wrote:
davidbrainerd wrote:Just like your food has no vitamins yet does have vitamins....
find your self, if you can.
Cappuccino: This is very weak argument against Self, if that's how you're intending it. The Self cannot appear in the world anymore so than the eye can appear in its field of vision.
"People often get too quick to say 'there's no self. There's no self...no self...no self.' There is self, there is focal point, its not yours. That's what not self is."

Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli
Senses and the Thought-1, 42:53

"Those who create constructs about the Buddha,
Who is beyond construction and without exhaustion,
Are thereby damaged by their constructs;
They fail to see the Thus-Gone.

That which is the nature of the Thus-Gone
Is also the nature of this world.
There is no nature of the Thus-Gone.
There is no nature of the world."

Nagarjuna
MMK XXII.15-16
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aflatun
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by aflatun »

Spiny Norman wrote:I was looking at this Wiki article, and would be interested in your thoughts:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moksha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moksha#Buddhism
Sure I don't see why we can't call Nibbana a form of moksha, but this is just semantic, right? I get the feeling you were you asking something more specific? Like what's the difference between Moksha and Nibbana?
"People often get too quick to say 'there's no self. There's no self...no self...no self.' There is self, there is focal point, its not yours. That's what not self is."

Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli
Senses and the Thought-1, 42:53

"Those who create constructs about the Buddha,
Who is beyond construction and without exhaustion,
Are thereby damaged by their constructs;
They fail to see the Thus-Gone.

That which is the nature of the Thus-Gone
Is also the nature of this world.
There is no nature of the Thus-Gone.
There is no nature of the world."

Nagarjuna
MMK XXII.15-16
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cappuccino
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by cappuccino »

A strong argument against self is made by Buddha, of course you actually have to accept the teaching.

I don't think david is accepting the teaching, therefore, any argument is beside the point.
Last edited by cappuccino on Fri Sep 22, 2017 1:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
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aflatun
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by aflatun »

cappuccino wrote:A strong argument against self is made by Buddha, of course you actually have to accept the teaching.
Of course
I don't think david is accepting the teaching, therefore, any argument is beside the point.
From what I can tell he is accepting the teaching, he simply doesn't accept how most of us understand it.
"People often get too quick to say 'there's no self. There's no self...no self...no self.' There is self, there is focal point, its not yours. That's what not self is."

Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli
Senses and the Thought-1, 42:53

"Those who create constructs about the Buddha,
Who is beyond construction and without exhaustion,
Are thereby damaged by their constructs;
They fail to see the Thus-Gone.

That which is the nature of the Thus-Gone
Is also the nature of this world.
There is no nature of the Thus-Gone.
There is no nature of the world."

Nagarjuna
MMK XXII.15-16
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cappuccino
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by cappuccino »

A strong argument against self is made by Buddha.
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Re: Is Nibbana a type of Moksha, or something different?

Post by chownah »

This is great. We've got the nibbana is this or that or something else thread and I'm sure that it is possible that we could have a similar moksha is this or that or something else thread......and now in this thread we have the collision of these too....SWEET.....
chownah
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