Metaphor and Literalism in Buddhism: The ... - misterdanger.net

NIRVANA AND ITS REFERENCE
early Buddhists the weight was more on nirvana during life, enlightenment,
than nirvana at death, the final liberation. 17
What this term refers to within the early Buddhist tradition seems to be
the extinction of the triple fire of passion, hatred, and delusion. 18 This is,
according to R. F. Gombrich, part of an extended metaphorical structure
that embraces enlightenment and its opposite. 19 From the first part of the
MahAvagga in the Vinaya, we could assume that this reference was established
at a very early stage of the Buddha’s mission. In the sermon known as
the Aditta-pariyAya, 20 the Buddha preached to newly converted matted-hair
ascetics ( jaMila) that our liberation depended on putting out the triple fire of
passion, hatred and delusion with which all parts of our cognitive process
are on fire. 21
Numbering the fires as three could have another hidden message: it is,
according to Gombrich, ‘to allude to a set of three fires which the brahmin
householder was committed to keeping alight and tending daily so that they
came to symbolise life in the world, life as a family man’. 22 While the fire
image in Brahmanism is good and desirable, this triple fire of passion, hatred
and delusion in Buddhism is the one that should be abandoned. In other
words, this could make a deep impression on those matted-hair ascetics
( jaMila) also known as the ‘fire cult’. 23 Not only did the Buddha express his
doctrine by using this fire image, he also used it as a riposte to Brahmanism.
This metaphorical reference did not entirely satisfy later Buddhists, since
they sought other explanations of the word nirvAOa. The problem seems to
be that there is a gap between the definition of nirvana applying this reference
and the way to reach this highest goal. Although it still was used as a
definition of nirvana 24 and the unconditioned 25 in the Theravada tradition, 26
what they did in practice was trying not only to extinguish the passion, hatred
and delusion but also to extinguish all cankers (Asava) or defilements (kilesa).
This situation is not very different in the Northern Buddhist tradition. The
Chinese equivalent of the NibbAnasutta in which nirvana was defined as the
extinction of the triple fires 27 seems to have been modified slightly: it defines
nirvana as ‘The cessation of passion, the cessation of hatred, the cessation
of delusion and the cessation of cankers (Asavas).’ 28
In later exegetical works, both traditions show a whole new set of etymological
definitions of the word nirvana. In the MahAvibhALAUAstra, the extinction
of the triple fires was devalued in as much as it was just one of nine
different etymological definitions of the word:
Question: why is it called nirvana? Answer: As it is the cessation of
defilements (kleUanirodha), it is called nirvana. As it is the extinction
of the triple fires, it is called nirvana. As it is the tranquillity of
three characteristics, it is called nirvana. As there is separation
(viyoga) from bad odor (durgandha), it is called nirvana. As there is
separation from destinies (gati), it is called nirvana. VAna means
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