Nibbāna 34—The Middle Path
Channel: Consciousness Research Centre
Date: 2021-06-10

This series is classified Vivartha-vāda | Rāja-yoga | Ājñā-cakra | Nibbāna

The Buddha taught that Nibbāna is nondual. But some unrealized philosopher-monks like to speculate about Nibbāna by making a duality putting saṅkhata (the world) on one side and asaṅkhata (Nibbāna) on the other. They start by saying that saṅkhata, the fabricated, is anicca, impermanent. If saṅkhata is anicca, they conclude that the asaṅkhata, Nibbāna, must be nicca—permanent. Following the same line of reasoning, they argue that since saṅkhata is dukkha, asaṅkhata must be sukha. But when they come to the third step, they get into difficulties. If saṅkhata is anattā, or not-self, then surely asaṅkhata must be attā, or self. At this point even they have to admit that their argument is too facile, and so they end up saying, “After all, Nibbāna is something to be realized.”

We have often pointed out that if one thing is X, there is always an opposite, not-X. The not-X is always dependent on X, as positive and negative. This logical trap is a product of duality itself. If the world is anicca-dukkha-anattā, there must be something nicca-sukha-attā, but that doesn’t mean Nibbāna. That might be true if Nibbāna were dualistic—but it’s not. So Nibbāna is neither anicca nor nicca, neither dukkha nor sukha, neither anatta nor atta, because all these conditions or states are dependently arisen pair of opposites, and Nibbāna is not subject to duality.

“Arising in the world, Kātyayana, seen and correctly understood just as it is, shows there is no nonexistence in the world. Cessation in the world, Kātyayana, seen and correctly understood just as it is, shows there is no permanent existence in the world.
“Thus avoiding both extremes, the Tathāgata teaches the Dhamma by the middle path. That is: this being, that becomes; with the arising of this, that arises. When this does not exist, that does not come to be; with the cessation of this, that ceases.”— Kātyāyanagotrasūtra (SF 168)

The worldlings’ confusion over the ontological duality of arising and cessation arises due to lack of understanding the law of Dependent Arising, paṭicca-samuppāda. Therefore, next we have to say something about paṭicca-samuppāda. 

The Buddha, soon after his enlightenment, reflected on the profundity of the Dhamma and was rather disinclined to preach it. He saw two points in the doctrine that are difficult for the world to see or grasp.

duddasaṃ idaṃ ṭhānaṃ yadidaṃ idappaccayatā paṭiccasamuppādo

“Hard to see is this point, namely Dependent Arising, which is a relatedness of this to that.” 

idampi kho ṭhānaṃ duddasaṃ yadidaṃ sabbasaṅkhārasamatho sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggo taṇhakkhayo virāgo nirodho nibbānaṃ

“And this point too, is difficult to see: namely the stilling of all fabrications, the relinquishment of all assets, the destruction of craving; detachment, cessation, nibbāna.” — Pāsarāsisutta (MN 26)

Other videos on paṭicca-samuppāda:

Being and Becoming:
https://youtu.be/CV4vx49hPCA
The Process of Becoming:
https://youtu.be/T_ZfSQaiYTE
Learning as a Process of Becoming:
https://youtu.be/XGs5AA8Hc9E
Pathways of Becoming:
https://youtu.be/5WAKWdACI1A
Process of Becoming:
https://youtu.be/FonQN5Z48LM
Craving and Becoming:
https://youtu.be/c9CB0_yHk3s

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