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Conception of Nirvana
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attachment, consequently no sorrow, no parting, no change. Nirvana thus, means freedom from all kinds of attachment which are generated by desires. The same ignorance is responsible for creating subject-object duality and it is the root cause for belief in external world and empirical objects. When this ignorance is removed, one realises one's own original nature, pure consciousness i.e. absolute. Nirvana, therefore, means realisation of one's own true nature or discovery of sole reality of consciousness, destroying subject-object duality and empirical objects. The creation of subject-object duality is the function of ignorance, avidyā. The absolute consciousness is non-dual but when infected by the illusory idea of the other it is diversified into the subject-object duality. Realising the illusory existence of all elements and non-reality of ego, one realises Nirvana, 20 Nirvāna is covered by the clouds of ignorance. Just as the sun, covered by the clouds becomes unseen, similarly, Absolute covered by the ignorance is not easily seen or realised by the man. Nirvana, therefore, means removal of clouds of ignorance hoveriog round the light of bodhi or the Absolute.21 Nirvana is nothing but regaining the sovereignty of consciousness removing the root causes of defilement, ie., destroying ignorance, realising unreality of ego and external world. When consciousness gets rid of ignorance, it rests again in itself.
Asanga says that there is nothing in the world besides this tattva or the absoluse. Except this tattva or reality everything else is māyā or illusion. The world itself is that absolute. And yet the whole world is deluded about it. How has this peculiarity of the world's delusion come about that it has resorted to the unreal, after abandoning the real existing all around. 92 Nirvāņa or mahabodhi is eternal and stable. 23
Ignorance consists in the absence of right knowledge of thiogs, It consists in understanding things not as they really are but in understand. ing them otherwise. Asanga, therefore, warns against this tendency of misunderstanding of the things and emphasises on proper understanding of thiogs. He calls it yathābhūtaparijñāna-knowing things as they really
18. yathābhītaparijñānam. MSA. XIX-55. 19. mokso bhramamitra sankşayak. MSA. VI-2. 20. Māyopamān vikşya sarvadharmān. MSA. VI-24. 21. Yathaivādit yarasminām meghād yavaranam matam. Tathaiva buddhajnánānām avlik
satvadustajā. MSA. IX-34. 22. Na khalu jagati tasmädvidyale kincidanyajjagadapi tada sesazh tatra sammadhabuddhi:
Kathamavamabhirudho lokamohaprakāro yadasadabhinivisah satsamantadvihāya, MSA
X1-14. 23. Mahabodhim nityām dhruvarnasaranānām ca saranam, labhate. MSA, IX-50.
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