The signless and the deathless : on the realization of Nirvana / Bhikkhu Anālayo ; foreword by Bhante Gunaratana.

Author/creator Anālayo, 1962- author.
Format Book
PublicationNew York, NY : Wisdom Publications, [2023]
Descriptionviii, 236 pages ; 24 cm
Subjects

Contents Foreword / by Bhante Gunaratana -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- I. The Signless -- II. The Deathless -- Conclusion -- Abbreviations -- Notes -- References -- Index -- About the Author.
Abstract "Nirvana is a critical part of the Buddhist path, though it remains a difficult concept to fully understand for Buddhist practitioners. In The Signless and the Deathless: On the Realization of Nirvana, scholar-monk Bhikkhu Anālayo breaks new ground, or rediscovers old ground, by showing the reader that realizing Nirvana entails "a complete stepping out of the way the mind usually constructs experience." With his extraordinary mastery of canonical Buddhist languages, Venerable Anālayo first takes the reader through discussions in early Buddhist suttas on signs (Pali nimitta), the characteristic marks of things that signal to us what they are, and on cultivating concentration on signlessness as a meditative practice. Through practicing bare awareness, we can stop defilements that come from grasping at signs--and stop signs from arising in the first place. He then turns to deathlessness. Deftly avoiding the extremes of nihilism and eternalism that often cloud our understanding of Nirvana, Venerable Anālayo shows us that deathless as an epithet of Nirvana "stands for the complete transcendence of mental affliction by mortality"--ours or others'--and that it is achievable while still alive. Advanced practitioners and scholars alike will value the work for its meticulous academic expertise and its novel way of explaining the highest of all Buddhist goals-the final end of suffering"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in other formOnline version: Anālayo, 1962- Signless and the deathless First edition. New York : Wisdom Publications, 2023 9781614299011
LCCN 2023006245
ISBN9781614298885 hardcover
ISBN1614298882 hardcover
ISBNelectronic book