“Nibbāna is the Cessation of Becoming”: An Analysis

This article examines the phrase “nibbāna is the cessation of becoming” (bhavanirodho nibbānaṃ) as it appears in Nikāya Buddhism. The term bhava is traslated as “becoming,” although other meanings such as “being” or “existence” are also possible. Becoming is used to describe the persistent notion of “self ” that arises due to clinging to the five aggregates. The belief in this “self ” is the primary cause of one’s continous saṃsāric existence. When an individual eliminates the notion of “self ” in relation to the five aggregates, suffering ceases, which is known as nibbāna. In this context, bhava is not present in someone who has attained enlightenment. This argument examines the commentarial interpretation of the phrase, which equates “the cessation of becoming” with “the cessation of the five aggregates.” The interpretation pertains to the final nibbāna of an arahant attained upon the dissolution of the five aggregates. However, this article emphasizes the attainment of nibbāna through the cessation of the persistent notion of “self ” with regard to the five aggregates. Many scholars in Buddhist traditions assert that bhava and saṃsāra are identical to the same threefold world system of sensuality, form, and formlessness. Beings are born and die again and again within these three realms, and liberation from rebirth signifies nibbāna. Nonetheless, as argued, once enlightenment is attained, bhava and saṃsāra no longer apply to an arahant since s/he has eliminated the notion of “self.” In this context, saṃsāra is characterized as the dynamic effectiveness of dependent co-arising that all conditional factors revolve together, and its beginning point remains undiscoverable and inconceivable. Therefore, one’s saṃsāric existence can only be defined as long as there is a belief in “self ” or “I.” This article contends that the attainment of nibbāna is experiential, showcasing diverse interpretations of nibbāna found in the suttas, in Pāli literature considered to come after the suttas, and among scholars.