The two Paradigms
There is more to the relationship between Buddhism and Siva. Every person who goes into meditation begins to feel as if one has gone out of one’s normal life, and is spending some time on vacation. As one progresses in meditation, the time comes when one begins to feel that the hours of meditation is the real home and the time one is not meditating is the vacation.
Here we begin to experience a paradigm shift. The time in meditation is spent in the paradigm of experience and the time in ordinary life is the time spent in the paradigm of existence. It is possible to toggle between the two paradigms the existential and the experiential, as we have mentioned earlier.
It is interesting to note that Siva is seen in two forms: Siva in meditation, and Siva in dance. These two forms of Siva can be seen as the two paradigms: the Siva in dance is the existential paradigm, and Siva in meditation is the experiential paradigm.
We have already spoken of the two forms of Nibbāna (Nirvana): (1) Saupādisesā and (2) Anupādisesā (Itivuttaka 44 – p38):
(1) Saupādisesā Nibbāna (Nirvana) = the existential mode
(2) Anupādisesā Nibbāna (Nirvana) = the experiential mode
These two terms are defined quite differently in the traditional Theravada school of thought today. It is as follows:
(1) Saupadisesa Nibbāna (Nirvana) = Experience of the Buddha or emancipator, while living.
(2) Anupadisesa Nibbāna (Nirvana)= Experience of the Buddha or emancipator, after death.
This interpretation of the modern Theravada school of Buddhism is similar to the Hindu idea of Jeevan mukta and Videha mukta.
(1) Jeevan mukta – (saupadisesa)
(2) Videha mukta – (anupadisesa)