Goal of BuddhismHow beautiful and how succinct, I thought. "You are saying, then, the goal of Buddhism is nirvana?" He nodded. "The goal of Buddhism is nirvana — deliverance of the mind. That is the final goal and cessation of all sufferings and conflicts — supreme happiness. But, also, the Buddha emphasizes the importance of the present life. In Buddhism we find the economic, social, ethical, intellectual, and mental or spiritual aspects. Buddhism emphasizes these aspects and the Buddha teaches all aspects of human life." How similar to Judaism, I thought, with its numerous directives about how to lead a spiritual life. Bhante Piyadassi reflected a moment, then continued. "The Buddha speaks not only of a goal and life after death, but he also emphasizes (even more) the present life. For the Buddhist, this is not the only life. "According to the Buddha, there were lives before birth and there will be lives after death. This is what we call re-becoming (or rebirth). We don’t use the word ‘reincarnation. ** When one attains nirvana, there is no more re-becoming." |
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