kemoSabe

"Forse the enigma of Nirvana is identical to the enigma of sleep; in the Upanishads it is written that men immersed in deep sleep are the universe. According to Sankhyam, the condition of the soul in deep sleep is the same that it will reach after liberation. The liberated soul is like a mirror upon which no reflection falls. [...] We already know that Nirvana means «extinction». For us, the extinguishing of a flame is equivalent to its annihilation; for the Indians, the flame exists before it is lit and persists after it has been extinguished. To light a fire is to make it visible; to extinguish it is to make it disappear, not destroy it."