Venerable Guang Xing
The University of Hong Kong
Nirvāṇa is one of the concepts in Buddhism that causes much misunderstanding and misinterpretation as it can be understood from different perspectives. We can understand nirvāṇa from: (1) a moral point of view; (2) an experiential point of view; (3) a knowledge point of view; (4) a psychological point of view; and (5) an ultimate reality point of view. From the experiential point of view, nirvāṇa is nothing but happiness since all suffering (dukkha) has been eliminated. Thus, it is said in the Suttanipata that Nibbāna is described as the highest form of happiness.
(Presented in the 2015 Chulalongkorn Asian Heritage Forum: Understanding Happiness, 16-17 July 2015, Le Meridien Bangkok Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University)