Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!udel!princeton!phoenix!romeo.cs.duke.edu
From: crm@romeo.cs.duke.edu (Charlie Martin)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Re: Article What is the goal of Hinduism?
Message-ID: <14549@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 15 Mar 90 14:41:47 GMT
References: <14528@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Sender: mukund@phoenix.Princeton.EDU
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Approved: mukund@phoenix.Princeton.EDU

In article <14528@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> epperly@osnome.che.wisc.edu (Tom Epperly) writes:
>Can someone explain the goal of Hinduism?  What is nirvana and why is
>it desirable?
>			Tom Epperly
>			epperly@osnome.che.wisc.edu

I dont think this is the right question; there is no goal, it's all
*lila*, a game or a play.

Nirvana comes from the root for "to extinguish", and means the end of
the ego, the part of you that calls itself "I".  In Buddhism, nirvana is
"desirable" because the one who attains is liberated from the cycle of
samsara, the wheel of birth and death, having to work late to get a
delivery finished, the desire to obtain a paycheck, and taxes.  A Buddha
disappears at the end of the current lifetime, never is reincarnated,
and otherwise gets the week off.
Charlie Martin (crm@cs.duke.edu,mcnc!duke!crm)