A hyper-subtle positive medium
Nirvana has never been identified with the three marks of existence, namely, impermanence, suffering, and lack of self. Nor has nirvana been identified with the Five Aggregates (i.e., the psychophysical being) which constitutes the first noble truth of suffering. He who would hope to find nirvana has to seek it where the Five Aggregates are not. Hence, it cannot be found in form, feelings, perception, volitional formations, or sensory consciousness. It lies elsewhere than in the human world. This explains why nirvana has other names like moksha (emancipation), vimukti (liberation), nihsarana (escape), viveka (detachment), lokuttara (supermundane), nibbuti, (rest), acyuta (imperishable), kevalam (the only), anidassanam (the invisible), amata (immortal), satyam (truth), param (supreme), etc.
From the aforementioned we can say without hesitation that nirvana is a positive state; something real but not temporally so, the way phenomenal objects are, all of which are impermanent, etc. When the Buddha in the Sutta-Nipatta says Where there is no-thing (akicanam), where naught is grasped (andnam) this is unconditioned reality; moreover it is a positive no-thing reality that is absent of phenomena. According to the Buddha, There is not measure to him who has gone to rest (i.e., nirvana); he keeps nothing that could be named.
At this point it is worth mentioning that it is easy to fall into the state of mind that conceives nirvana to be indeterminate absence. But for those who take this all too common road they are not properly treating nirvana as a positive, which can only be acquainted with through gnosis and deep meditation. To really approach nirvana one must first totally believe that nirvana points to a hyper-subtle, positive medium which because of our ignorance, we continually fail to recognize. And rather than firmly believe it is real! , instea d, we toy around with all manner of conceptualizations about nirvana which would be like King Arthur's Knights sitting around drawing pictures of what they imagine the Holy Grail to be like rather than actually setting out to find it as if it were real!
