[Skt. nirvāna]: Liberation; literally, the "unbinding" of the mind from the mental effluents (āsava), defilements (kilesa), and the round of rebirth (vaṭṭa), and from all that can be described or defined. As this term also denotes the extinguishing of a fire, it carries the connotations of stilling, cooling, and peace. (According to the physics taught at the time of the Buddha, a burning fire seizes or adheres to its fuel; when extinguished, it is unbound.) "Total nibbāna" in some contexts denotes the experience of Awakening; in others, the final passing away of an arahant.