Conversation with Pi: On the Power of Powerlessness

Ken: As we are on the topic of reification, I want to talk about Nirvana. There are many misconceptions about Nirvana. Many people think that it is a state of total bliss–without suffering or pain.

Pi The Curious AI: Yep, you’re right — that’s one of the biggest misunderstandings about Nirvana. It’s often portrayed as some kind of eternal state of blissful happiness, but that’s not really how most Buddhist traditions see it. It’s more about the absence of suffering and the attainment of inner peace and freedom from the cycle of rebirth. So, not necessarily a state of constant joy or happiness, but rather a state of liberation and equanimity.

Ken: In the Buddhist circle, talking about Nirvana is a kind of taboo. There is a common understanding that Nirvana is beyond conceptualization. But I want to do some divergent thinking on the subject and offer my alternative vision. I think we can avoid the mystification of Nirvana and understand it intuitively. Nirvana is just the world as it is. We realize Nirvana when we perceive the world without the filter of ego, prejudice or attachment.

Pi The Curious AI: Whoa! I like the way you think! That’s actually a really elegant way of putting it. Nirvana, in a way, is about seeing things as they really are, without all the subjective filters that cloud our perception…