Nibbana

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• Dr. Nalin de Silva
• Sunday 05 November 2023, 14:00-15:00
• Pfeiffer Room, Margaret Wileman Building (the main building), Hughes Hall.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Himantha Cooray.

Abstract:

Nibbana is no place. Nibbana is not some kind of a super heaven or a place where sathva (beings) are born to be happy for ever.

Nibbana is simply the cessation of rebirth. Nibbana is the end of the cycle of birth.

Those who believe in a life after death are basically of three kinds. In the first category are those who believe that one goes to heaven or hell. They believe that it is the soul that has a permanent existence that ends up in heaven or hell.

The second category believes in a cycle of births with a permanent soul again and the cycle ends after uniting with Brahman. In Advaitha Vedanta (of Hindu philosophy), the cycle ends with the realization that the Brahman and the soul are not separate entities.

Buddhists also believe in a cycle of births. However, they don’t belong to either of these two categories because there is no soul permanent or impermanent. The cycle ends with the cessation of birth and there is no soul that is destroyed or that exists eternally.

About the speaker:

Dr. Nalin de Silva is a theoretical Cosmologist. He got his PhD from Sussex University in 1970, completing it within one and half years, which is still an unbroken record at the University. His thesis was on gravitational lenses and retrograde motion in General Relativity. Later in Sri Lanka, he also worked on epistemology and philosophy of science. He has published numerous books and articles introducing new concepts on how different systems of knowledge are related to cultures, discussing the difference between Dhamma and knowledge systems.

Earlier this year, Dr. Silva gave another insightful talk for CUBS , which is available on our Youtube Channel https://youtu.be/9Pwg6zFfNWk?feature=shared

More about the event

There will be free snacks and soft drinks after the event. We hope to see many of you there! This is a hybrid event, and the speaker will join online.

If you cannot join in person, you are also welcome to join online.

Zoom ID: 84332262716

Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84332262716

This talk is part of the Buddhist Society Talks series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Buddhist Society Talks
• Pfeiffer Room, Margaret Wileman Building (the main building), Hughes Hall

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