Complete Quietus (Parinirvana)
The demise of the mortal body, which appeared to the world as the Buddha, is called the “Complete Quietus” (Parinirvana). At the age of eighty, the “mortal body,” that was already “depersonalized” by the Bodhisatta, on the day of awakening, expired on a full-moon-day of May.
This death, of the mortal body, is called Pari-Nirvana today, which term does not mean death, though it is often mistaken to mean, the death of the Buddha. A “Buddha,” who is one who has awakened from the “dream of existence” is immortal, because he has ceased to exist as a body, mind, or soul; even though the body, which is mistaken to mean the Buddha, is living. One has to exist in some form before one can die. If one does not exist, how can one die? Therefore, it is an inaccuracy to state that the Buddha ever died. This is the reason why it is extremely important for a Buddhist to understand the meaning of this “Awakening” of the Buddha.
Once, when I was abroad, I met a Christian lady. She asked me who I was. When I explained to her that I was a Buddhist monk, she said to me, “Buddha died, Christ did not die.” I answered, “Well, I do not want to start an argument with you my lady, I can only say that you are sadly mistaken. If you want to understand further, please come to my temple.” I gave her my address card, but she never came. She was not interested in listening to my answer. I didn’t get the chance to make her understand that, strictly speaking, a Buddha cannot die, because “He” did not “exist” as a “person.” Bodhisatta the ascetic awoke from the “dream” of “being a “self,” in a “world” that exists. This way, he was transformed into a fully awake “non-existent” Buddha. He did so by depersonalizing his personality, including the body, with which people identify him.
According to Christian belief, Christ did die, and was resurrected. But, according to Buddhist thinking, the Buddha never died, because “He” never “existed.” The greatness of Christ, according to the Christians, lies in his “rising from the dead.” According to Buddhist thinking everyone rises from the dead. Where as, the greatness of the Buddha lies, according to the Buddhists, in “His” not dying at all. This contrast reveals a very important fundamental difference between the Buddhist and Christian ways of thought.