The term Nirvana, can be defined simply as a state of mind that is ideal.
In the Sanskrit language, it means “to extinguish”. As you may have guessed by now, this term can be considered as a state were we relieve ourselves of hatred, ignorance and suffering.
It is known to be a concluding state of a person’s evolution in his spiritual journey. An amazing state were one attains a consciousness of your inner spiritual self, while comprehending reality in existence. The best part is that we need not wait and consider this state as the one we can experience in our twilight years of our life.
Why not much earlier? Why not now?
Our existence on this planet is many a time defined by our response, belief and attitude to life. Desires, greed and a sense of attachment to people, things, places all affect our state of tranquility and serenity. Our behavior is affected by our deep rooted bias and prejudices, which also leads us to experience anger and resentment in situations and towards people.
As humans, we are living beings that are capable of immense goodness and kindness. The term, “milk of human kindness” is one that we can recall as an example that aids us in the understanding of what benovelance and compassion we are capable of. Sadly, the other side of the situation is that unlike other living creatures, thanks to our ability to think, analyse and feel, our ability to behave in a destructive manner is also unimaginable.
The purpose that we seek in our existence is primarily that of a serene and harmonious existence. For this process to become a reality, the experience of liberation is one that would lead us closer to nirvana.
For our regular existence in the world, considering the existence of our family, work and other responsbilities, the term “liberation” can be described as a process whereby we gain an insight to self-knowledge.
Self knowledge can defined as realizing who we are, our nature, the awareness and understanding about our environment. Our journey to acquiring this knowledge is one of taking a purposeful road to achieve our ideal state of mind. A state of mind that we prepare and work steadily to achieve through our acceptance that such a state of tranquility can be achieved.
A state of bliss is one that we would have more often than not experienced as a child. The wonder, the joy we experience when obtaining what we wanted to takes us on to level of happiness that is best described as “bliss”. Charitable deeds or being there for someone who needed your support and who expresses their gratitude to you can also get us into a state of such pleasure that it can be defined as “bliss”.
Our experience of the state of “bliss” can be greatly determined by our attitude to life. A positive attitude that is one of understanding, tolerance, learning, faith and gratitude would enhance our experience of life.
Our day can be enhanced by our desire to concentrate on what gives us a sense of purpose in our life. The attention we give in enabling ourselves and others to feel good and better adds a sparkle too. The efforts that we make in creating a positive environment based on respect and goodness, not just for ourselves but for others too takes us to the blissful state faster than you realize.
For experiencing this state, the efforts would need to be continious and steady as without sustainence, it is easy to slip into a state of mediocricity and monotony.
Our body’s dependency on some form of healthy physical activity is significant. Focusing on exercise, even walking for at least half an hour would help us get into a constructive state of mind than a continious state of no exercise through out the day.
Meditation is another tool that can not only help relieve stress but it aids in us making a conscious effort to be aware of the present state of our existence. Our tendency to live in the past or feel anxious about the future takes away our harmony in our life and meditation is one way of us experiencing peace with ourselves with a conscious refusal to think about matters that would obstruct our thoughts to happiness and contentment.
Last but not least, the pursuits we involve ourselves with would also determine the state of mind we are in.
Intellectual pursuits such as studying a language or subject, learning a musical instrument, learning fine arts would help our mind to think, reflect on a state of bliss and contentment.
Apart from these conscious lifestyle changes, our thoughts, actions and behavior play a critical role in us experiencing the state of nirvana in our life time.
Our sense of gratitude to our life and what we have, our ability to love, show compassion to others and others’ suffering, our ability to forgive (forgiving does not mean that we ignore the possibility of being hurt in a similar situation, but we let go of the burden of anger and grudge and replace it with a sense of nothingness if not serenity), our generous expression of gratitude to what we have in our life to enjoy and lastly the willingness to appreciate others.
Our ability to prepare ourselves to be detached to the extent possible would also determine our success in achieving the state of bliss. For many, the state of detachment is seen as one that only spiritual people are inclined to be in. It is a tragic assumption, for cultivating a peace of mind by learning to let go of things that could usurp your mind’s serenity could help you.
The possibility of leading a healthier life is significant through the ability to be detached. Stress is a major cause of concern today and one of the sole culprits that takes away our happiness of life. Our ability to cultivate a state of mind that refuses to be deterred by unpleasant and wonderful situations in our life will aid us immensely in our journey to achieve the state of bliss.
We are not be able to control what we experience in the journey of life, but we have the choice to respond to it the way we wish to.
Appreciation goes a long way in achieving a state of bliss. Our sense of gratitude to factors that enhance the quality of life goes a long way in making us experience happiness.
And for those of you who may still ponder whether the state of bliss is a state that we can be in our life, the answer is “yes”.
This unique state resides within our consciousness, a state that is neither affected by death or birth.
And it is a state that can be enjoyed, giving you the freedom to experience courage to face challenges, grow and help others grow.
