What is Nirvana in Buddhism?

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In Buddhism, the problem is suffering (dukkha), and the solution is nirvana. Nirvana literally means “blowing out” and refers to the notion of extinguishing, or eliminating, suffering.

The technique for achieving nirvana is the Noble Eightfold path, which is derived from the Four Noble Truths. It touches on well-known Buddhist practices like meditation.

The exemplars who detail this path are arhats for Theravada Buddhists, lamas for Vajrayana Buddhists, and bodhisattvas for Mahayana Buddhists.

As per the Noble Eightfold path (be kind, be wise, be mindful), Buddhists take different paths to attempt to reach Nirvana. Meditation is most popular, as well as chanting, just sitting, visualization, or considering koans (puzzles).

That’s the core concept — hope it answered your question! Check out my full Religion 101 article list (useful for studying, or just learning!) here.

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