nirvana

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from Sanskrit निर्वाण (nirvāṇa, “blown or put out, extinguished”), from निस् (nis, “out”) + वा (vā, “to blow”), the second part cognate with Russian ве́тер (véter, “wind”), weather, vent and wind.

1. Complete cessation of dukkha; a blissful state attained through realization of sunyata; enlightened experience.
2. State of paradise; heightened or great pleasure or peace; a state of universal perfection and bliss.

   “Welcome to this celebration of legal abortion. I wish January 22 meant more than that. The truth is that we are not winging our way to a state of nirvana for reproductive rights.”

   “Though we don’t all reach nirvana when we swim, swimming may well be that last refuge from connectivity — and, for some, the only way to find the solitary self.”