The Buddha taught that attaining nirvana ends the cycle of rebirths permanently. That is the sense in that it is permanent. If you want to know how someone can "function" after attaining nirvana, you can read how enlightened beings behave in many sutras and texts.michaeljc wrote: ↑Sat Nov 27, 2021 9:48 am I question that nirvana can be considered to be a permanent state where one is exempt from natural emotions. How could one function? We are talking about a normal man living on earth. Whether he actually achieved nirvana is of no importance.
There is no permanence. This is the very essence of Zen.
You say there is no permanence, but actually nirvana is indeed permanent. It is only conditioned phenomena that are impermanent. If you want to use Zen language: what is the impermanence of your original face? Can you escape it?