Peace and the Unconditioned: Nibbāna as the Supreme Pacification
Vivek Kumar
International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research October 31, 2025 DOI: 10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i05.59253 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that early Buddhist discourse construes peace as the pacification (upasama) culminating in nibbāna rather than as emotional calm or social quietism, and that "supreme happiness" (nibbānaṁ paramaṁ sukhaṁ) denotes qualitative freedom from affliction, not hedonic pleasure. Proposes that the path works as a technology of pacification through ethical discipline, concentration, and insight, and that peace is the non-arising of stress grounded in dependent origination's cessation. |
Abstract
Abstract This article argues that early Buddhist discourse in the Sutta Piṭaka construes peace not as mere emotional calm or social quietism but as the pacification (upasama) that culminates in nibbāna, the unconditioned. Reading key formulae “nibbānaṁ paramaṁ sukhaṁ,” “stilling of all formations” (sabbasaṅkhārasamatho), and epithets such as santi (peace) and khema (security) the study clarifies how “supreme happiness” denotes qualitative freedom from affliction rather than hedonic pleasure. It maps the semantic field of peace within the soteriological sequence nibbidā virāga nirodha upasama/vimutti, and shows how the path functions as a technology of pacification: ethical discipline (sīla) removes remorse and fear, concentration (samādhi/jhāna) stills the hindrances and unifies attention, and insight (vipassanā) discloses anicca–dukkha anattā, deconstructing craving and clinging. The article addresses common misreadings (nihilism, quietism) and proposes that the Nikāyas present peace as the non-arising of stress grounded in dependent origination’s cessation, with practical implications for contemplative training and communal concord.