The Buddha · Theology
The goal of the entire Buddhist path is <em>nirvana</em> - but the Buddha described it almost entirely by what it is <em>not</em>. Understanding this strange, central word means grasping both the deepest promise and the deepest mystery of his teaching.
You learned that nirvana is the ‘blowing out’ of the fires of craving, and that the Buddha described it mostly by negation. Reconstruct what is extinguished, why he stayed silent on its ultimate nature, and the distinction between nirvana-in-life and final nirvana, in your own words.
Leads to Arthur Schopenhauer.
Begin this lesson →epoché — a humanities education that remembers you.