Is Nibbana a happy state for the living?

Q & A
1

I think that Nibbana is not a happy state for the living unless you practice Jhana.

2

Can you elaborate?

3

What is the reason for an Arahant has to practice Jhana?
Another reason is Arahant also affected by the bodily pain.

4

What is the reason for an Arahant has to practice Jhana?
Another reason is Arahant also affected by the bodily pain.

I always imagined that an Arahant’s actions would be spontaneous and beyond intentionally having to “practice” anything…but maybe I was wrong.

5

Something running somewhat counter to this would be SN48.18 that says that an arahant is someone who has completed and fulfilled the five faculties (one of which is jhana). The degree of jhana needed to get to arahantship is a somewhat controversial question. Surely, though, an arahant will afterwards have some degree of jhana in which he can have a “pleasant abiding”.

6

Maybe it has been a habit for that specific Arahat. I assume someone who uses jhana to achieve Nibbana has practice it a very lot of times.

7

There is a specific EBT where the Buddha says ‘monks, do not think I am leading you into suffering upon enlightenment’ and describes the mind of an arahanth to a degree- I cant remember which sutta it is, but I remember reading it with interest. So I don’t think an arahanth suffers so that he has to abide in jhana all the time because of it. In fact the whole point of the path to the cessation of suffering, the noble eightfold path is that it leads to the cessation of suffering and not even more suffering so much so that they have to abide in the absorbed jhanic state. Even someone who hasn’t attained enlightenment, but thinks they have wouldn’t think they have to be in a jhana all the time, because they are in so much of suffering?

I think arahanths have to wait for days, weeks and months to fly by (as per some theragatha) and the only way to kill time would be to enjoy it- blamelessly absorbed in jhana. There is another sutta which says they contemplate aggregates etc ie practice vipassana as well- as pleasant abiding! So it seems that any form of samadhi (ie samatha or vipassana) in which time is not felt, will do. Also they must be doing it, like the Buddha did, to escape illness, pain etc.

with metta