Nirvāṇa is a term found in the texts of all major Indian religions – Buddhism,[19] Hinduism,[20] Jainism[21] and Sikhism.[22][23] It refers to the profound peace of mind that is acquired with moksha, liberation from samsara, or release from a state of suffering, after respective spiritual practice or sādhanā.[note 2]

The idea of moksha is connected to the Vedic culture, where it conveyed a notion of amrtam, "immortality",[27][28] and also a notion of a timeless, "unborn", or "the still point of the turning world of time". It was also its timeless structure, the whole underlying "the spokes of the invariable but incessant wheel of time".[note 3] The hope for life after death started with notions of going to the worlds of the Fathers or Ancestors and/or the world of the Gods or Heaven.[27][note 4]

The earliest Vedic texts incorporate the concept of life, followed by an afterlife in heaven and hell based on cumulative virtues (merit) or vices (demerit).[29] However, the ancient Vedic Rishis challenged this idea of afterlife as simplistic, because people do not live an equally moral or immoral life. Between generally virtuous lives, some are more virtuous; while evil too has degrees, and either permanent heaven or permanent hell is disproportionate. The Vedic thinkers introduced the idea of an afterlife in heaven or hell in proportion to one's merit, and when this runs out, one returns and is reborn.[30][31][32] The idea of rebirth following "running out of merit" appears in Buddhist texts as well.[33] This idea appears in many ancient and medieval texts, as Saṃsāra, or the endless cycle of life, death, rebirth and redeath, such as section 6:31 of the Mahabharata[34] and verse 9.21 of the Bhagavad Gita.[35][36][note 5] The Saṃsara, the life after death, and what impacts rebirth came to be seen as dependent on karma.[39]

The liberation from Saṃsāra developed as an ultimate goal and soteriological value in the Indian culture, and called by different terms such as nirvana, moksha, mukti and kaivalya. This basic scheme underlies Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, where "the ultimate aim is the timeless state of moksa, or, as the Buddhists first seem to have called it, nirvana."[40]

Although the term occurs in the literatures of a number of ancient Indian traditions, the concept is most commonly associated with Buddhism.[web 1] It was later adopted by other Indian religions, but with different meanings and description (Moksha), such as in the Hindu text Bhagavad Gita of the Mahabharata.[20]

Something In The Way - 2

Duke Ellington said there are only two kinds of music, good and bad.  Someday I hope to have my tracks fall to the former category. I figure I have 18 years to play at it. :)

Something In The Way - 2

Dan Kohnfelder