z:\ ambedkar\vol 011\vol11 04.indd MK SJ+YS 5 10 2013/YS 18 11 2013 236
236 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
life and not merely in the future ; inviting, attractive, accessible to the wise disciple.”
III
Herein lies the explanation of what consumes man and makes him unhappy. By using this analogy of burning fire to the working of human passions the Buddha has given the most forceful explanation for the unhappiness of man.
What makes man unhappy is his falling a prey to his passions. These passions are called fetters which prevent a man from reaching the state of Nibbana. The moment he is free from the sway of his passions, i.e., he learns to achieve Nibbana, man’s way to happiness is open to him.
These passions, according to the Buddha’s analysis, fall under three groups.
First : that which refers to all degrees of craving or attachment—such as lust, infatuation and greed (lobha).
Second: that which refers to all degrees of antipathy—hatred, anger, vexation or repugnance (dosa).
Third: that which refers to all degrees of ignorance—delusion, dullness and stupidity (moha or avidya).
The first and second fires relate to the emotions and over the whole scale of one’s attitudes and feelings towards other beings, while the third fire relates to all ideas that are in any way removed from the truth.
There are certain misunderstandings about the Buddha’s doctrine of Nibbana.
The word Nibbana etymologically means out blowing, extinguishing.
Taking hold of this root meaning of the word, critics have tried to make nonsense of the doctrine of Nibbana.
They hold that Nibbana means extinction of all human passions which is equivalent to death.
43 They have by this means tried to throw ridicule over the doctrine of Nibbana.
- That such is not the meaning of Nibbana