What Is Nibbāna? Is It a Realm?

Question: Would Bhante please explain what Nibbāna really is? There are some who have the point of view that Nibbāna is a realm – a realm of emptiness or a realm in which desire ceases. In Buddhism there are six realms; could Nibbāna be the seventh realm? 問:尊者,可不可以請您解釋一下,什麼是涅槃?有人認為涅槃是一種生存界?就像是空界或無欲界。在佛教裏有六道,那麼涅槃有可能是第七道嗎?

Answer: Nibbāna is outside of the thirty-one planes of existence. It is beyond the planes of existence. It is not a realm.
答:涅槃是在三十一界之外,它超越了生存地,它不是一種生存界。

There are three types of loka – okāsa-loka, satta-loka, and saṅkhāra-loka. Okāsa-loka refers to the realms in which beings dwell. Satta-loka refers to all the beings that live in the different realms. From the ultimate point of view, both okāsa-loka and satta-loka are just arising and perishing. They are just ultimate mentality and materiality which are arising and perishing. Therefore they are called saṇkhāra-loka. If you look with insight knowledge at the realms in which all the various beings live, or at the beings which are living in the different realms, both beings and realms are all just arising and perishing. They are nothing other than the arising and perishing of ultimate mentality and materiality. Therefore they are called saṇkhāradhamma, or saṅkhāra-loka. Furthermore, both okāsaloka and satta-loka are just concepts (paññatti). If we break these concepts down into ultimate reality, they are just ultimate mentality and materiality. This is the connection between these three loka, these three worlds.

有三種世間(loka):「空間世間(okāsa-loka)、行世間(saṅkhāra-loka)和有情世間(satta-loka)。」空間世間,是有情眾生居住的生存界。有情世間,是指居住在不同生存界的一切有情眾生。從究竟的觀點而言,空間世間和有情世間只有生滅,只是在生滅的究竟名色法,所以它們被稱為行世間。如果你以觀智去觀察眾生所居住的不同生存界,或居住在不同生存界的眾生,眾生與生存界都只是在生滅。在究竟名色法的生滅以外,別無其他了。這就是它們被稱為行法或行世間的原因。而且,空間世間和有情世間都只是一種概念(paññatti)。如果我們把這些概念分解到最究竟的層次,它們只是究竟名色法。這就是三種世間彼此之間的關係。

Nibbāna is unconditioned (asaṅkhata). To attain Nibbāna, which is Unconditioned Dhamma (asaṅkhata dhamma), you need to know and see conditioned dhamma, which is saṇkhāra dhamma. When meditators contemplate impermanence, suffering and non-self, they see the perishing of these conditioned dhamma (saṅkhāra dhamma), and so they want to be free from the constant arising and perishing of these conditioned dhamma. Instead, they want to attain the complete cessation of arising and perishing – which is the Unconditioned Dhamma, Nibbāna.
涅槃是無為法(asaṅkhata),為了證得涅槃,為了證得無為法,你需要瞭解及看到行法(saṅkhāra dhamma)。當禪修者在隨觀無常、苦、無我時,他們看到這些行法的壞滅,所以他們希望能從這些恆常生滅的有為法中解脫出來。他們希望能獲得生滅的止息─就是無為法─涅槃。

Nibbāna is not a realm. Nibbāna is that which is realised by the attainment of Path and Fruition.
Nibbāna is akaṭa – it is not done by anyone, nor is it caused by anything.
Nibbāna is amata – it is deathless.
Nibbāna is santisukha – it is real happiness.
Nibbāna is appaccaya – it is causeless.
It isn’t the case that Path Knowledge makes Nibbāna appear; rather, the attainment of Path Knowledge realises Nibbāna. Nibbāna exists all the time. If it were caused by Path Knowledge, it would be conditioned dhamma. It is not conditioned dhamma; it is unconditioned dhamma. It exists whether the Buddha arose in the world or whether the Buddha didn’t arise in the world. However, it is only when the Buddha arose in the world that the way to attain and realise Nibbāna was discovered, and it was so discovered by the Buddha.
 涅槃不是一種生存界。涅槃是透過證得道果而證悟的。
涅槃屬於無作(akata)─它不是任何人去造作,也不是任何東西能夠造成的。
涅槃是─不死(amata);
涅槃是─寂樂(santisukha),真實的樂;
涅槃是─無緣(appaccaya),它無造作因。
並不是道智促使涅槃的出現,而是獲證道智而證悟涅槃。涅槃是永恆存在的。如果涅槃是道智促成的,那麼涅槃就是有為法。涅槃不是有為法,它是無為法。不論佛陀有沒有出現於世間,涅槃都一直存在。然而,只有佛陀出現世間之後,證悟涅槃之道路才被開啟,而開啟這一條道路者就是佛陀。

Nibbāna is not some sort of realm which all the Fully Enlightened Buddhas and all the Arahants enter. Nibbāna is not a realm at all. Only while the Enlightened Ones are alive in this physical body can they attain or realise Nibbāna anytime by entering Fruition. This is an attainment they can practically experience in this very life, and not a realm they enter after they pass away.
涅槃,不是一種生存界,不是所有佛陀或阿拉漢去的地方。涅槃,絕對不是一種生存界。而只有活在這個世間,還有色身的證悟者,可以透過隨時進入果定體證涅槃。涅槃,是一種證悟,可以在此生實際經驗到,而不是等到入滅後才進入的生存界。

Source:
EXPECTATION DERIVED FROM ONE’S OWN POINT OF VIEW
Selected Questions and Answers
[主觀與期待]-精选问答篇
Ven. Revata尊者 雷瓦達