Nirvana

Mahamati Bodhisattva then addressed the Buddha, "As for entering nirvana, Bhagavan, what is meant by 'nirvana?'"

The Buddha replied, "Witnessing the transformation of the habit-energy of self-existence of the repository consciousness, the will, and conceptual consciousness, this is what is meant by nirvana. The nirvana of other buddhas and myself is the realm that is empty of self-existence.

"Moreover, Mahamati, nirvana is the realm of the personal realization of buddha knowledge. It is free from the existence or nonexistence of projections of permanence or impermanence. And why is it not permanent? Because projections of individual or shared characteristics are impermanent. Therefore it is not permanent. And why is it not impermanent? Because it is the personal realization attained by all sages of the past, the present, and the future. Therefore it is not impermanent.

"Mahamati, nirvana is not annihilation or death. If nirvana were death, there would be the continuity of something reborn. And if nirvana were annihilation, it could be characterized as something created. Therefore, nirvana is free from annihilation and free from death. This is why it is the refuge of practitioners.

"Moreover, Mahamati, nirvana isn't lost, and it isn't found. It isn't impermanent, and it isn't permanent. It doesn't have one meaning, and it doesn't have multiple meanings. This is what is meant by nirvana."

---The Lankavatara Sutra---