The Signless and the Deathless: On the Realization of Nirvana

In this edifying study, Buddhist monk Analayo (Early Buddhist Oral Tradition) combs through early Buddhist writings that examine how to achieve nirvana by sidestepping the mind’s habitual methods for constructing experience out of raw sensory data. The author begins with a discussion of the nimitta, or sign—the “characteristic mark of things” that is picked up by the mind to make “sense of experiences through the operation of perception” and reinforces the notion that permanence exists in the world (“To perceive is to grasp a sign of permanence in something.... A sign has to remain unchanged until one returns to it,” according to Buddhist thinker Ñāṇananda). Analayo argues that “signless” concentration can be achieved by cultivating “sense restraint,” which requires one to “notice when... processing of the sensory data takes up biased signs and veers off into unwholesome territory,” thereby paving the way for nirvana, which entails “a complete stepping out of the construction of experience.” Though Analyo’s forays into subtle differences in early Buddhist discourses (for example, differences between Chinese and Pali terms) can feel esoteric, he presents text-based Buddhist theory with methodical clarity and exacting attention to detail. Though best suited for those with some Buddhist knowledge already under their belts, this is sure to enlighten. (Oct.)