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Conception of Nirvāna
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becomes Brahman itself.81 Asanga, like Vedantins, says that realised persons, on realising nirvana or buddhartva, become one with it leaving their names and forms, like rivers which lose their individuality merging with ocean.52
Vasubandhu whole-heartedly supports Asanga's view on nirvana. It is non-dual reality. Destroying the ignorance, removing avaranas (obstructions), attains vimukti. According to bim it is realisation of pure consciousness (vijnapri mütratā), werging with it. He describes nirvana purely in positive terms. It is absolute, immutable, etespal, devoid of all kinds of passions, absolutely pure dharmadhatu. It is beyond our speech and comprehension. It is the highest good and infinite bliss. It is the dharmakāya of Lord Buddha. It is vimukti. 63
Attaining Buddha-hood is the ultimate aim for Asanga. It is nirvana. It is merging with Buddha-hood; or becoming one with it. Pure conscious. Dess or Buddha-hood is universal soul. Becoming one with it is liberation. 'Shaking of all duality, bodhisattva, directly perceives the absolute dharmadhātu which is underlying all phenomena, 84 Knowing this world to be merely a composition of forces (sauskāras), knowing that the ego and the objects do not exist and knowing further that all this is merely suffering, a wise man will leave far behind the baneful existence of the empirical ego and will embrace the universal soul. 85
Realising the non-substantiality of ego and elements, destroying igporance, kpowing the meaning of sūnyatā, one transcends his individuality and bocomes one with pure consciousness or universal soul. Setting on the right path, understanding the true doctrine of nairatmya and clearly grasping the real meaning of súnyatā, the enlightened ones transcend the individual existence and realise the pure consciousness or soul, and become one with that universal soul.BG
51. Brahma veda bramhaiva bhavati. Mund. Up. III-II-9. 52, Samudraviştāśca bhavanti sarvāh ekāśrayā ekamabājalāśca. Buddhat va vistāśca
bhavanti sarve ekāsrayā eka mahāvabodhāḥ. MSA. IX-83 and 85. 53. Sa evānāsravo dhātuḥ acintyaḥ kušalo dhruvaḥ. Sukho vimukti kāyosau dharmā
khyoyai mahāmuneh. --Trimsikā—30. Vijnaptimātratasiddhi - ed. by Swami
Maheswaranand, Gītā Dharma Kāryālaya, Varanasi, 1961, p. 5. 54. Pratyakşatāmeti ca dharmadhātustasmädviņuktodvayalakşanena.-MSA-VI-7. 55. Samskarmatram jagadetya buddhya pirātmakam duḥkha virüdhimätram vihāya
yanarthamabätmadrstim śrayate mahātmā-MSA.-XIV-37, 56. Sunyatāyām visuddhāyām nairâtmyännärgajabhatah, Buddhxh <uddhatmahabhityặt
gata atmamabātmatām.-MSA.-IX-23.
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