Encyclopaedia of Buddhism: A World Faith, Volume 5: Buddhist Nirvana (with Text of Nāgārjunīyam Madhyamakśāstram)

The introductory section defines Nirvāṇa as the central goal of Buddhist religious practice and investigates its relationship with saṃsāra, craving, ego, ignorance, dependent origination, impermanence, non-self, and liberation. It stresses that Nirvāṇa cannot adequately be treated as either simple existence or non-existence, because such conceptual alternatives themselves belong to the dualistic framework that Buddhist realization seeks to transcend. The discussion further distinguishes Nirvāṇa from annihilationism and interprets liberation as the extinction of craving, attachment, and false constructions rather than the destruction of an independently existing person. 

The subsequent chapters move from fundamental ethical and anthropological issues—“The Purpose of Human Life,” “Ego Free Living,” and “Anatta: No Soul”—to increasingly specialized discussions of Buddha-nature, the Four Noble Truths, dependent origination, saṃsāra, rebirth, meditation, karma, Bodhisattvahood, Dharma, compassion, social peace, and the Lotus Sūtra. The final chapters deal particularly with the philosophical meaning of Dharma and Nirvāṇa, followed by two appendices on Nāgārjuna: “Nāgārjuna’s Examination of Nirvana” and “Nāgārjuna’s Examination of Causality.”

Table of Contents

• Foreword

• Preface

• Appreciation

• Introduction

1. The Purpose of Human Life

2. Ego Free Living

3. Anatta: No Soul

4. Living Eternal Truth

5. Be Light unto Yourself

6. Man Delivers Himself

7. Become Natural

8. Live Buddhism Be Enlightened

9. The Buddha Nature

10. Trikaya related to Buddha Nature

11. Contentment the Greatest Bliss

12. Unfolding Self

13. Aham Brahmasmi

14. The Concept of Self in “Four Noble Truths”

15. Suffering and its Cessation

16. Compassion and Wisdom: Counter Negative Emotions

17. Ten Fetters of Human Passion

18. Dependent Origination

19. Freedom From Tanha: Nirvana

20. Desire: The Seed of Mind

21. Samsara is Nirvana & Nirvana is Samsara

22. Realizing True Self is Nirvana

23. The Path of Souls Leads To Nirvana

24. Nirvana is “Beyond Time & Space”

25. The Wise Realize Nirvana

26. Nirvana: Man Transcends Birth & Death

27. Dharmakaya, Nirvana: Two Sides of the same Coin

28. Arahant, The Saint Realizes Nirvana

29. Suchness to the Eternal Shores of Nirvana

30. Consumerism, Forget Nirvana

31. Love, Compassion: Way To World Peace

32. Parinirvana And Nirvana

33. Mahamudra Realisation

34. Summum Bonum of Life

35. Scientific Yogic Mind: Paves Way to Enlightenment

36. Meditation is a Way to Enlightenment

37. Love and Non-attachment

38. Jainism, Buddhism: to Ultimate Liberation

39. Brahmana, The Arahat Attains Nirvana

40. Enlightenment – Satori is Instant

41. Individual to World Peace

42. Peace and Re-incarnation

43. Karma, Reincarnation Binds the World Together

44. Liberation & Peace

45. Buddha in the Making: Bodhisattva

46. Bodhisattva Ideal

47. The Bodhisattva Deeds

48. Dharma Upholds Efforts

49. Morality: The Essence of Dhamma

50. Dhamma Leads To Nirvana

51. Dhamma: Not Religion

52. Dharma: A Concept of Socio-Spiritual Engineering

53. Love, Compassion: Motivation For Social Service

54. Buddhism: Admits Rebirth But Not Transmigration

55. Buddhism in the Changing World

56. Lotus Sutra: The Way to Peace

57. Lotus Sutra: Skill-in-Means

58. The Lotus Sutra: The Philosophy of Life

• Appendix I: Nagarjuna’s Examination of Nirvana

• Appendix II: Nagarjuna’s Examination of Causality