Nibbāna in Theravāda Perspective

The book begins by introducing the doctrinal and methodological issues involved in studying Nibbāna, emphasizing the need to balance textual analysis with practical realization. It then examines the concept of Nibbāna from different perspectives, including its etymology, early Buddhist meaning, canonical interpretation, commentarial interpretation, and comparative scholarly interpretation. A major section discusses existence and non-existence in relation to bhava, saṃsāra, rebirth, planes of existence, death, and the Buddhist cosmological framework. The study then analyzes the existence of Nibbāna, asking what Nibbāna is, where it exists, how many kinds of Nibbāna are taught, whether it is blissful, and how it relates to saṃsāra and enlightened beings. The final major chapter focuses on Buddhist meditation toward liberation, especially the cultivation of jhāna, insight wisdom, the seven stages of purification, the sixteen stages of insight knowledge, and the final realization of Nibbāna through the supramundane path.