/lit/ - Literature

>>19790606
Nirvana is an experience (dhamma). It's just the experience of the same five khandhas as before but unafflicted with self-view or any gratuitous notion of "mine"

Hence the sotapanna's declaration : "Everything that is subject to arising is subject to cessation."

Having seen phenomena as such, he recognized that his notion of "mine" with regard to any phenomena could only come to be on account of the phenomena existing beforehand. In other words phenomena come first and the sense of self comes second structurally. In other words, everything you can experience is subject to being taken away at a moments notice by the various forces that you have absolutely no control over. Therefore any sense of identity regarding an experience is seen through ; This is not mine, this is not my self, this is not who I am. Even the notion "I am", being seen as an arisen phenomenon, is seen in this way. Even a certain equanimity that can be attained on contemplating this for long enough is also seen as merely an experienced dhamma, which is presently conditioned on various external factors. The fully awakened arahant abandons all experience because all experience is simply presented to one, so to speak, not created by oneself. And since it is presented, it can be just as easily no longer presented. Seeing this, contemplating this, Passion regarding phenomena fades out, and what remains is phenomena, untainted by clinging. Untainted by the gratuitous notion "I am this." When phenomena simply exist as such, e.g. when pleasure is just pleasure and pain is just pain without craving, without ignorance, without notions of Self in regard to them , this is the cessation of dukkha.