B NIRVANA

The process of attaining nirvāṇa begins with understanding the first truth, the nature of duḥkha and
the various types of unsatisfactory circumstances and suffering that afflict sentient beings in cyclic
existence. When some people hear this, they fear that reflecting on their suffering may only make it
worse, and therefore believe that no benefit would come from learning the Buddha’s teachings. This
would be true if it were impossible to free ourselves from the causes of duḥkha. However, since the
root cause of duḥkha, ignorance — a mental factor that misapprehends reality and grasps phenomena
as inherently existent — is erroneous, it can be eliminated by the wisdom that sees things as they
really are — as empty of inherent existence. By gradually eradicating ignorance and other afflictions,
we can bring greater satisfaction and freedom into our lives. After all its causes have been
accumulated, we attain the final true cessation of duḥkha and its causes, nirvāṇa. While nirvāṇa may
sound like a far- off goal, we can easily see steps going in that direction: the more we cease anger, the
greater harmony we experience, and the more our greed diminishes, the greater contentment we have.
As we gradually reduce ignorance and afflictions through the application of wisdom, tranquility and
fulfillment correspondingly increase, culminating in nirvāṇa.