In many fictional religions, it's common for some kind of afterlife to be promised to those who remain faithful as the natural conclusion to their spiritual journey, especially if the belief system is based on the Judeo-Christian tradition in some way. However, some fictional belief systems opt for a different approach based on the concept of Nirvana.
Here, rather than abiding by the status quo and achieving an afterlife in accordance with the natural state of affairs, the follower of this spiritual practice must resist the status quo in order to attain an ultimate state of bliss. In the Buddhist precepts that introduced the term, Nirvana represents freedom from all earthly anxieties and from the eternal cycle of death and rebirth, which can only be achieved by cutting oneself off from attachments like greed and ignorance.
Similarly, fictional philosophies based on this pursuit require the aspirant to devote themselves to achieving a state of bliss and/or freedom by gradually cutting themselves off from their old lives or from earthly things. What form this Nirvana takes varies wildly depending on the faction or individual pursuing it, for though Ascending to a Higher Plane of Existence is a popular variant, there are forms that exist in physical reality; they don't even have to be religious or purely spiritual in nature, instead taking the form of a philosophy with a distant but tangible end goal.
It's not uncommon for such philosophies to make their Buddhist inspiration plain, complete with meditation in the lotus position, robes, chanting, and shaven heads. However, it's also very common for more overtly fantastical elements to be involved in this gradual ascent towards fantasy Nirvana, including such things as magical rituals, Enlightenment Superpowers, and impossibly-advanced technology. Some darker variants on this trope may even feature violence, mass-murder, or a transformation into a Demon of Human Origin.
As this is a strictly-fiction trope, no real-life examples and no examples from religion, please.
Compare and contrast The Promised Land. Has nothing to do with the band Nirvana. See also Earn Your Happy Ending.
Examples
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Fan Works
- One of the many factions in The Land of What Might-Have-Been is a secret society known as the Amorphous League. Regarding their bodies as prisons, they regularly imbibe a magic potion that imbues them with shapeshifting powers in the hope that they can eventually attain a state of being known as "Shapelessness." Reaching this level of existence takes decades of training and numerous advancing doses of potion, and requires the aspirant to progressively abandon their original identity, especially since successive doses of the potion gradually erase their distinguishing features and even their sex. However, at the end of this path, an aspirant will no longer require potion to shapeshift, existing in a state of unending transformation and freed from bodily constraints at last. Their leader, Leoverus AKA the First of the Shapeless AKA the alternate Cowardly Lion, has attained this state by the start of the story; Glinda joins the League later in the story, and in the epilogue, one of Elphaba's premonitions reveals that she successfully attains Shapelessness.
Literature
- The B'Omarr Order of Star Wars Legends pursue a form of spiritual enlightenment that requires them to gradually distance themselves from physical sensations, allowing them to hone their minds and increase their mental powers. At the very end of their spiritual development, the monks achieve enlightenment and attain a state of freedom from all physical needs in which they are free to contemplate the universe for all eternity. The only trouble is that this state is attained surgically, with the enlightened brain contemplating eternity from a jar kept deep in the vaults under Jabba's palace. On the upside, the enlightened brains don't appear to mind, and occasionally get to roam about the building on spider droids if they ever have business outside their meditations. On the downside, monks who have violated the rules of the Order in some particularly egregious way are punished by being jarred up before they're fully enlightened, leaving the offender silently screaming for all eternity.
Live-Action TV
- In the Stargate-verse, Ascension is a classic pathway towards Ascending to a Higher Plane of Existence with a great deal of inspiration taken from Buddhism. Along with achieving Enlightenment Superpowers, the key to the process is elevating the mind, resolving the unfinished business tying you to the physical world, and achieving inner peace; achieving this state of mind will allow you to transcend physical existence and spend all eternity observing the universe as a godlike Energy Being. This usually takes years of introspection, but Daniel Jackson is able to fast-track the process on his deathbed with help from Oma Desala, allowing him to make peace with his life as it was and Ascend. Furthermore, numerous illicit shortcuts exist throughout the various series - hence why malevolent Ascended beings like Anubis and the Ori exist.
Tabletop Games
- Mage: The Ascension:
- The eponymous Ascension is something that most Traditionalist mages aspire to, representing the ultimate freedom from doubt and earthly constraints. Upon attaining this state of being, it's believed that an Ascended mage is no longer hampered by Paradox or any of the other laws that prevent them from making their vision of reality the norm... so, needless to say, it's a near-impossible rarity in the setting, and how one obtains it remains unknown. For good measure, mages actually reincarnate thanks to their Awakened Avatars, making the Buddhist influence even stronger. In Ascension, "Judgement" ends with Paradox finally biting the dust, whereupon everyone on the planet Ascends - allowing every possible vision of reality to become the norm simultaneously and allowing literally everyone a happy ending.
- By contrast, the Nephandi pursue Descension through a philosophy known as the Path of Screams. The exact meaning of the freedom it promises varies: some say that the path concludes with the Nephandus banishing themselves to a hell of their choosing, while others claim their Nirvana is a Descent to a lower plane to become a monstrous devil-god ruling over their own private reality. For good measure, The Book of Madness addresses this goal in a dark mimicry of Buddhism, even describing the Aswadim - who have delayed their own Descension in order to show prospective students the path - as "Bodhisattvas of the Void." Ascension flip-flops on this: "Judgement" rewards the Nephandi with the hells they always wanted to punish themselves with, while "Hell On Earth" brings Descension to all the Fallen by dividing the world into their eternal empire.
- The eponymous beings of Promethean: The Created seek to escape the negative spiritual ailments that set them apart from mortals and attain souls of their own, becoming human in the process. This spiritual pursuit, known as the Great Work, requires a Promethean to endure great hardships, years of study, lethal hazards, and even face the temptation to abandon their Pilgrimage and become Centimani. For good measure, no two Pilgrimages are alike, so learning from the example of others is difficult verging on impossible. At the end of this journey is the New Dawn, in which the Promethean becomes one of the Redeemed: now mortal, the Redeemed no longer projects Disquiet or Wastelands, possess few if any memories of their time as a Promethean, and likely only have a few remaining supernatural abilities, if at all. On the downside, this state leaves the Redeemed vulnerable to the Disquiet of other Prometheans... not to mention all the other things that prey on ordinary humans in this setting.
- Vampire: The Masquerade:
- It is believed that by regaining Humanity and learning to feel remorse again, vampires can attain a state known as Golconda, suppressing the Beast within them and becoming an Ascended Demon. The exact details of how one attains this state are vague, possibly requiring spiritual advice from one of the Iconnu, and the journey itself is fraught with numerous dangers that might end with a failed seeker plunging through the Wassail and degenerating into a mindless wight. However, actually achieving Golconda can put the character on a level that few vampires can even imagine: the potential benefits include freedom from frenzying, mastery of Disciplines beyond their limits, massively reduced dependence on blood, and even the possibility of becoming human again. So far, the only vampire to have ever attained Golconda is Saulot... and in keeping with the overall darkness of the setting, he's either dead or has fallen out of Golconda entirely.
- Members of the Tzimisce clan who follow the Path of Metamorphosis pursue an enlightened state of being known as Azhi Dahaka and believe that they can attain it through their use of Vicissitude. Like Golconda, the exact nature of Azhi Dahaka is vague, as are the means of attaining it; some believe that it's an expression of their superiority to mortals, others believe that it's a demonstration of the clan's connection to the Eldest, but the general consensus is that Azhi Dahaka is a state in which one achieves ultimate separation from nature and becomes an entirely self-sufficient being through the power of will. Once again, only the Tzimisce Eldest himself has gotten anywhere near this state, and he was diablerized during the Middle Ages. However, it turns out that the Eldest faked his death and has been preparing himself for Azhi Dahaka ever since: in the Gehenna scenario "The Crucible Of God", the Eldest reveals that he has attained this state as biological godhood, transcending his body and assimilating the entire human race.
Video Games
- The Elder Scrolls series has several "ascended" states, the most famous and most in line with the trope being CHIM. To achieve CHIM, one must become aware of the nature of Anu's Dream but exist as one with it and maintain a sense of individuality. This allows one to escape the "cycle of death and rebirth" implied to be the fate of mortal souls who are not claimed by one of the series' various deities or bound to the mortal world. Dunmeri (Dark Elven) Physical God Vivec (typically depicted with a Buddhist-inspired bald head and in a Levitating Lotus Position) claims to have achieved this level, while Mankar Camoran in Oblivion claims that the Deity of Human Origin Talos has also achieved it. Some sources claim that this was Lorkhan's intended purpose for Mundus, the mortal plane, to serve as a "testing ground" of the spirit and provide an opportunity to achieve a higher state. Even these works don't make it clear exactly what CHIM is, though it is hinted in more esoteric lore that it is the realization of being a fictional character in a fictional world, followed by breaking loose from the laws of said world using "powers" and abilities normally reserved for a Player Character (ex. Save Scumming, Pause Scumming, use of the Master Console, use of the Construction Set Level Editor, etc.) Take, for example, Vivec's explanation of what happens when he "dies", which sounds suspiciously like reloading a saved game:
Vivec: "When I die in the world of time, then I'm completely asleep. I'm very much aware that all I have to do is choose to wake. And I'm alive again. Many times I have very deliberately tried to wait patiently, a very long, long time before choosing to wake up. And no matter how long it feels like I wait, it always appears, when I wake up, that no time has passed at all."
- Mass Effect 2 eventually reveals that the ultimate goal of the geth is to transcend the limitations of their programming and achieve true unity by building a massive Dyson Sphere which their minds can all inhabit, allowing them to exist in a constant state of information-sharing where they will no longer be alone. Legion specifically notes that true geth hope to achieve this through self-determination, with no shortcuts; by contrast, the heretic geth are working for the Reapers in exchange for a Reaper body of their own.
- Rain World: The Precursors became so advanced that they managed to find a way to achieve a state of nirvana free from the pains of reincarnation. In fact, they actually left behind a door to it so lesser beings like Slugcat can find it. It's not actually a door, but a secluded underwater area where a great beast swims around and the only way to enter is to let it eat you. However, unlike all the other predators in the game, it doesn't cause another death, and does indeed allow Slugcat's spirit into a paradise where they're reunited with their family. Similar endings happen with all the Slugcats, where after they get eaten, they briefly swim along with the many other Slugcat spirits before arriving to this paradise, with the only exception of red Hunter slugcat, who can't keep up with the other spirits and sinks deeper into the abyss where a mysterious being seems to catch them.
- Played for horror in Issue 9 of The Secret World: the Fear Nothing Foundation is secretly teaching its youngest members to ascend to "the level above human" - all while posing as a self-help group. In meditation, they are encouraged to imagine "eating the light at the end of the universe", while counsellors cut them off from their parents and encourage total uniformity... until eventually, members begin witnessing visions the Dreamers in meditation. However, it's not until the end that the fully brainwashed members ascend to their new level of existence via a mass suicide, while the only survivor is sent to conduct a suicide bombing on the Tokyo subways. More disturbingly, this method actually appears to have worked, as the abandoned downtown FNF offices are infested with unique spectral entities known as "The Level Above Human," far more powerful and more dangerous than any mere ghost.
Web Original
- SCP Foundation: SCP-7962
is a packet of animate Pepperidge Farm brand Goldfish crackers that are convinced that they can free themselves from corporeal existence and "ascend" by immersing themselves in a source of natural water. Despite the Foundation's best efforts to keep them contained, several of them manage to escape their site and reach a local pond, with one managing to dive in, fully expecting to become one with the water at last. It doesn't: SCP-7962 instances dissolve like any other cracker that's been immersed in water, resulting in an agonizing death that leaves the survivors rethinking this ascension lark.
Western Animation
- American Dad!: In "The Enlightenment of Ragi-Baba", Roger adopts the persona Ragi-Baba and as a result creates a fictional Jonestown-type cult following, all while trying to pursue enlightenment. Hayley, who has spent most of the episode jealous of Roger's popularity and dismissive of his faux-cult, finally convinces him to meditate. In doing so, she and Roger quickly ascend to a higher plane complete with psychedelic visuals and Tame Impala's "Eventually" as the backing track. Eventually the two reach a group of fictional creatures who congratulate them on reaching Nirvana. When Roger is told he must cast aside his earthly possessions, he decides it's no longer worth it and leaves, with multiple creatures following suit.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender is canonically set in an Asian spirituality/philosophy-influenced world where everybody reincarnates (though only The Avatar's is important or addressed). In its Sequel Series, The Legend of Korra, it's shown that Iroh from the original series has somehow exited this cycle and resides in the Spirit World with the non-human origin spirits, which is not where human souls normally go.
- The Midnight Gospel episode "The Annihilation Of Joy" features a prison for simulated entities where the inmates are trapped in a Resurrection/Death Loop; both the prison and the loop can only be escaped by achieving a state of mind clearly based on the search for Nirvana/Moshka, with a dash of Egyptian mythology thrown in. Appropriately, Clancy spends this episode discussing Buddhist philosophy with a psychopomp assigned to Bob, one of the inmates. The episode ends with Bob achieving Nirvana by resisting violence and selfishness, whereupon he ascends into Indra's Net and vanishes out of existence, finally escaping from the endless cycle of death and rebirth.
- In the Love, Death & Robots episode "Zima Blue," the eponymous cyborg artist has been pursuing his own form of Nirvana through a mixture of increasingly ambitious artworks and deep space meditation, trying to find the hidden truth of the universe that can set him free. After a hundred years, his search for truth ends with his final artwork: having started out as a simple pool-cleaning robot that grew beyond its programming, he rebuilds the swimming pool, dives in, disconnects all his modifications and shuts down his higher brain functions, becoming a pool robot once more; in the process, he retains just enough intelligence to achieve pleasure in the knowledge of a job well-done, returning to a state of simple bliss as he resumes cleaning the pool.
