Item Details

Nirvāṇa in Early Buddhist Inscriptions

Issue: Vol 36 No. 2 (2019)

Journal: Buddhist Studies Review

Subject Areas: Religious Studies Buddhist Studies

DOI: 10.1558/bsrv.40416

Abstract:

Nirvāṇa is often considered the quintessential goal of the Buddhist path. In this article, I focus on one aspect of the conceptualization of nirvāṇa that becomes apparent through an analysis of its occurrence in early Indian epigraphy. Surveying pre-Gupta inscriptions, it becomes clear that the aspiration for nirvāṇa has one recurring feature attached to it; the aspiration of the donor for the attainment of nirvāṇa — whether for themselves or others — occurs when the donation is connected in some way or another to the relics or figural or non-figural representations of the historical Buddha. This suggests that the idea of being in the Buddha’s presence grew in importance in relation to the efficacy of religious practice in this period. The same ideas can be seen emerging in the later canonical Pāli Apadāna, and connect to developments in the emergence of Mahāyāna.

Author: Alice Collett

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