It is the Unformed, the Unconditioned, the End,
the Truth, the Other Shore, the Subtle,
the Everlasting, the Invisible, the Undiversified,
Peace, the Deathless, the Blest, Safety,
the Wonderful, the Marvellous,
Nibbana, Purity, Freedom,
the Island,
the Refuge, the Beyond.
~ S 43.1-44
Having nothing,
clinging to nothing:
that is the Island,
there is no other;
that is Nibbana, I tell you,
the total ending of ageing and death.
~ SN 1094
“There is an island, an island which you cannot go beyond. It is a
place of nothingness, a place of non-possession and of nonattachment.
It is the total end of death and decay, and this is why
I call it Nibbana [the extinguished, the cool].
“There are people who, in mindfulness, have realized this and
are completely cooled here and now. They do not become slaves
working for Mara, for Death; they cannot fall into his power.”
~ SN 1092-5 (Ven. Saddhatissa trans.)
“That which is the exhaustion of greed, of hate, and of
delusion, is called Nibbana.”
~ S 38.1
“This truly is the most peaceful and refined, that is to
say, the stilling of all formations, the forsaking of all acquisitions
and every substratum of rebirth, the fading away of craving,
cessation, Nibbana.”
~ A 10.60
“The remainderless fading, cessation, Nibbana
comes with the utter ending of all craving.
When a bhikkhu reaches Nibbana thus through not clinging,
there is no renewal of being;
Mara has been vanquished and the battle gained,
since one who is Such has outstripped all being.”
~ Ud 3.10
“Enraptured with lust, enraged with anger,
blinded by delusion, overwhelmed, with mind ensnared,
people aim at their own ruin, at the ruin of others, at the ruin of
both, and they experience mental pain and grief. But if lust,
anger and delusion are given up, one aims neither at one’s own
ruin, nor at the ruin of others, nor at the ruin of both, and they
experience no mental pain and grief. Thus is Nibbana visible in
this life, immediate, inviting, attractive, and comprehensible to
the wise.”
~ A 3.55
“Just as a rock of one solid mass remains unshaken by
the wind, even so neither visible forms, nor sounds, nor odours,
nor tastes, nor bodily impressions, neither the desired nor the
undesired, can cause such a one to waver. Steadfast is their
mind, gained is deliverance.”
~ A 6.55
“Cessation of greed, of hatred and of delusion is the
Unformed, the Unconditioned
the End,
the Taintless,
the Truth,
the Other Shore,
the Subtle,
the Very Hard to See,
the Unweakening,
the Everlasting,
the Undisintegrating,
the Invisible,
the Undiversified,
Peace,
the Deathless,
the Supreme Goal,
the Blest,
Safety,
Exhaustion of Craving,
the Wonderful,
the Marvellous,
Non-distress,
the Naturally Non-distressed,
Non-affliction (Unhostility),
Fading of Lust,
Purity,
Freedom,
Independence of Reliance,
the Island,
the Shelter,
the Harbour,
the Refuge,
the Beyond, .”
~ S 43.1-44 (edited, Ñanamoli Bhikkhu trans.)
“I considered: ‘This Dhamma that I have realized is
profound, hard to see and hard to understand, peaceful and
sublime, unattainable by mere reasoning, subtle, to be
experienced only by the wise.’ But this generation delights in
worldliness , takes delight in worldliness, rejoices in
worldliness. It is hard for such a generation to see this truth,
namely, specific conditionality, dependent
origination. And it is hard to see this truth,
namely, the stilling of all formations, the relinquishing of all
attachments, the destruction of craving, dispassion,
cessation, Nibbana. If I were to teach the Dhamma, others would
not understand me, and that would be wearying and
troublesome for me.”
~ MV 1.5, S 6.1, M 26.19
“In whom exist no inner stirrings,
Having passed beyond being this or that,
Free from fear, blissful and sorrowless,
The devas are not capable of seeing him.”
~ Ud 2.10 (John D. Ireland trans.)
Just as the bourn is not known
Of the gradual fading glow
Given off by the furnace-heated iron
As it is struck with the smith’s hammer,
So there is no pointing to the bourn
Of those perfectly released,
Who have crossed the flood
Of bondage to sense desires
And attained unshakeable bliss.
~ Ud 8.10 (John D. Ireland trans.)
Ajahn Pasanno
The Island: An Anthology of the Buddha’s Teachings on Nibbāna
http://www.forestsangha.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=278%3Athe-island-an-anthology-of-the-buddhas-teachings-on-nibbna&catid=3%3Atalks-by-ajahn-pasanno&Itemid=25