Nirvana: Concept, Imagery, Narrative

by Steven Collins

The idea of nirvana (Pali nibbāna) is alluring but elusive for non-specialists and specialists alike. Offering his own interpretation of key texts, Steven Collins explains the idea in a new, accessible way - as a concept, as an image (metaphor), and as an element in the process of narrating both linear and cyclical time. Exploring nirvana from literary and philosophical perspectives, he argues that it has a specific role: to provide 'the sense of an ending' in both the systematic and the narrative thought of the Pali imaginaire. Translations from a number of texts, including some dealing with past and future Buddhas, enable the reader to access source material directly. This book will be essential reading for students of Buddhism, but will also have much to teach anyone concerned with Asia and its religions, or indeed anyone with an interest in the ideas of eternal life or timelessness.

Genres: Buddhism

204 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 2010

Reviews

[Craig Kissho · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skipped from pages to pages, going back and forth but still find this book incredibly hard to read. Understandly, a lot of Buddhist concepts are hard to grasps, yet i cant help but suspect that the writing style is simply incoherent. It makes me wonder who this book is really wriiten for (perhaps the author himself?). Instead of explaining or discussing what Nirvana is, the book simply repeats what is written in some ancient texts about the idea. Not sure how the lengthy translations of the Buddhavamsa, with its highly dubious and fantastical claims, fit into the whole theme of the book either.