6.6. Nibbidā, virāga, nirodha
Nibbidā
The purpose of all the preceding meditations is merely for this end, to lose interest in what has always interested you, to become dis-enchanted with what has always enchanted you, to lose the fascination with what has always fascinated you. The Pāḷi word for this is nibbidā. All worthy practices lead to this single place. No matter where you are coming from, this is the royal road to Nibbāna.
"evaṃ passaṃ, bhikkhave, sutavā ariyasāvako cakkhusmiṃ nibbindati, rūpesu nibbindati, cakkhuviññāṇe nibbindati, cakkhusamphasse nibbindati, vedanāya nibbindati, taṇhāya nibbindati. sotasmiṃ nibbindati, saddesu nibbindati…pe… ghānasmiṃ nibbindati, gandhesu nibbindati… jivhāya nibbindati, rasesu nibbindati… kāyasmiṃ nibbindati, phoṭṭhabbesu nibbindati… manasmiṃ nibbindati, dhammesu nibbindati, manoviññāṇe nibbindati, manosamphasse nibbindati, vedanāya nibbindati, taṇhāya nibbindati. nibbindaṃ virajjati, virāgā vimuccati. vimuttasmiṃ vimuttamiti ñāṇaṃ hoti. ‘khīṇā jāti, vusitaṃ brahmacariyaṃ, kataṃ karaṇīyaṃ, nāparaṃ itthattāyā’ti pajānātī"ti.
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-- MN148 chachakkasuttaṃ
Nibbidā is as far as intentional activity can take us on the path. After this, it's just a matter of spending sufficient time in this place for ever more subtle aspects of experience to appear and be cleansed by deep understanding. It's like being a chicken in the egg, waiting to hatch. It will happen naturally when the conditions ripen, not before. This is the real test of patience, khantī paramaṃ, because any act of will at this stage is really going in the opposite direction.
khantī paramaṃ tapo titikkhā, nibbānaṃ paramaṃ vadanti buddhā
Patience, endurance, is the supreme spiritual practice, Nibbāna is supreme say the Buddhas
-- DHP14 buddhavagga, verse 184
At this stage, we need to just watch and wait while the gradual process of virāga and nirodha mature by themselves. It's very organic. There really is nothing to be done.
"kathaṃ bhāvitā ca, bhikkhave, satta bojjhaṅgā kathaṃ bahulīkatā vijjāvimuttiṃ paripūrenti? idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu satisambojjhaṅgaṃ bhāveti vivekanissitaṃ virāganissitaṃ nirodhanissitaṃ vossaggapariṇāmiṃ. dhammavicayasambojjhaṅgaṃ bhāveti…pe… vīriyasambojjhaṅgaṃ bhāveti… pītisambojjhaṅgaṃ bhāveti… passaddhisambojjhaṅgaṃ bhāveti… samādhisambojjhaṅgaṃ bhāveti… upekkhāsambojjhaṅgaṃ bhāveti vivekanissitaṃ virāganissitaṃ nirodhanissitaṃ vossaggapariṇāmiṃ. evaṃ bhāvitā kho, bhikkhave, satta bojjhaṅgā evaṃ bahulīkatā vijjāvimuttiṃ paripūrentī"ti.
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-- MN118 ānāpānassatisuttaṃ
Virāga
Nirodha
Nirodha means stopping, ending, cessation.
"rūpadhātuṃ pariññāya, arūpesu asaṇṭhitā, nirodhe ye vimuccanti, te janā maccuhāyino.
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-- ITI51 dhātusutta
Symbolically it is referred to as 'reaching the end of the world'.
"na kho panāhaṃ, āvuso, appatvā lokassa antaṃ dukkhassa antakiriyaṃ vadāmi. api ca khvāhaṃ, āvuso, imasmiṃyeva byāmamatte kaḷevare sasaññimhi samanake lokañca paññapemi lokasamudayañca lokanirodhañca lokanirodhagāminiñca paṭipadanti.
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-- SN2.26 rohitassasuttaṃ
"nissitassa calitaṃ, anissitassa calitaṃ natthi. calite asati passaddhi, passaddhiyā sati nati na hoti. natiyā asati āgatigati na hoti. āgatigatiyā asati cutūpapāto na hoti. cutūpapāte asati nevidha na huraṃ na ubhayamantarena . esevanto dukkhassā"ti.
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-- UD74 catutthanibbānapaṭisaṃyuttasutta
There's nothing you can do to stop. Stopping means stopping doing. This is as far as activity can take you on the path. All you can do is watch and wait—without the faintest glimmer of interest—as things cool down by themselves.
This is expressed in the famous Bāhiya Sutta as:
"tasmātiha te, bāhiya, evaṃ sikkhitabbaṃ – ‘diṭṭhe diṭṭhamattaṃ bhavissati, sute sutamattaṃ bhavissati, mute mutamattaṃ bhavissati, viññāte viññātamattaṃ bhavissatī’ti.
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-- UD10 bāhiyasuttaṃ
This is pointing at something very few people get to experience in life—awareness without the proliferation of concepts that usually accompany it. We see the thing and stop there, knowing it as it is, uncoloured by vedanā, concepts, opinions, and active responses. This is the necessary state to be in to make the leap from the normal conditioned world to the unconditioned—from the blazing fire of normal everyday sense experience, to the fire cooling down and going out.*
Q&A
Q: Do you have any questions or doubts at this point?