What Does It Feel Like to Be in Nirvana?

Who knows, good householder? Understand?

(Or maybe not so deep for the beginning: Taken there is one not knowing the taste of chocolate. Could one tell him how it tastes? No. Does good householder like chocolate? Then stay with it, if it can satisfy and causes no burdens in regard of supply)

[Note that this isn't given for stacks, exchanges, other world-bindin trades, but for libetation]

It feels like living, as opposed to merely being alive.

True Non-abiding Nirvana is experienced as tathata (suchness). Suchness is the state of attainment of the Third Noble Truth, when there's absolutely no craving for things to be other than they are. Because in suchness there's no conflict between "is" and "should", the dukkha (painful feeling of wrongness) does not arise. Everything is just so.

This includes one's attitude to oneself. There's no craving to be better or to be someone else, the feeling that something is wrong with oneself is completely gone. There's no inner conflict. One is just so. Being just so, one's spontaneous nature can unfold with no hindrance.

This suchness or being just so is characterized by interpretative ambiguity. A buddha leaves things open, not taking one-sided positions, not jumping to conclusions, not oversimplifying, not overgeneralizing. Being free from position, having fully embraced ambiguity, a buddha is free from judgment, therefore free from craving and aversion, free from conceptual boundaries, free from dukkha.

Externally, everything is Great Perfection. Internally, the Buddha-nature spontaneously unfolds. Secretly, there's tremendous compassion for sentient beings still stuck in confusion.

廓然無聖

-- this is how it feels to be in Nirvana.

Nibbana - Destruction of taints is spoken of as Nibbana.

It is also said 'cessation of existence is Nibbana'.

Nibbana element with residue; An Arahant abides without delusion. In that is said to have attained Nibbana in this life. On the account of the absence of delusion there, it is called 'nibbana'. On account of that by which there is still the experience of painful & pleasant feelings it is called 'with residue'

With the breakup of the body and extinguishment of life-force; For him, here in this very life, all that is experienced, not being delighted in, will be extinguished. That, is called the Nibbāna-element with no residue left. Having no residue for the future, Is that wherein all modes of being utterly cease.

Seeing with wisdom the cessation of perception & feeling is that by which one's taints are destroyed.

What Does It Feel Like to Be in Nirvana?

It doesn't feel like anything. In Nibbana phenomena doesn't arise and cease as they do in Samsara, therefore when returning from Nibbana one won't have any conscious recollection of it but one will know that one was away, that the mind went to cessation.

When returning one will feel a deep peace and happiness but that comes after the mind has returned from Nibbana.

You can validate this for yourself in insight meditation by going through the 16 stages of insight by yourself or with a teacher.

Nirvana is the goal of the Buddhist path. The literal meaning of the term is "blowing out" or "quenching". Nirvana is the ultimate spiritual goal in Buddhism. What Does It Feel Like to Be in Nirvana?

Why, I'm glad you ask... just kidding. I wonder how likely it'd be for someone who already attained Nibbana to hang out at online Buddhist forums to describe what it feels like being in one...:-P For the rest of us unenlightened, we can only surmise that it's the state of bliss far far more refined and superior than any worldly bliss one'd ever encounter.

“Bhikkhus, I will teach you the taintless and the path leading to the taintless. Listen to that….

“Bhikkhus, I will teach you the truth and the path leading to the truth…. I will teach you the far shore … the subtle … the very difficult to see … the unaging … … the stable … the undisintegrating … the unmanifest … the unproliferated … the peaceful … the deathless … the sublime … the auspicious … … the secure …. the destruction of craving … the wonderful … the amazing … the unailing … the unailing state … Nibbāna … the unafflicted … dispassion … … purity … freedom … the unadhesive … the island … the shelter … the asylum … the refuge … …” ~~ SN 43.14-43 ~~

The fully liberated ones (called arahants) do not experience any kind of mental suffering. They may experience physical pain which they endure and not suffer mentally from.

They do not have latent tendencies (anusaya), defilements (kilesa), effluents (asava), fetters (samyojana), the five hindrances (pañca nīvaraṇāni), craving (tanha), clinging (upadana) and the fourteen unwholesome mental factors from the Abhidhamma. They do not have the 3 poisons (greed/ lust, aversion and delusion).

They may plan to do something (see this answer), but they never plan to become something or somebody. They don't brood about the past or, dream or worry about the future.

Where the unenlightened feel boredom due to inactivity or feel loneliness due to lack of company, the arahants feel completely at ease and peaceful, and even prefer this. Their mental state is peaceful, free of "noise" and mental agitation of any kind.

They eat or take care of their health only out of necessity for maintenance and not with desires for sensual pleasures or to become something or somebody.

Each of the technical terms mentioned like fetters, hindrances, effluents, defilements, craving, clinging, unwholesome mental factors, 3 poisons etc. are all very detailed and often expand into further lists and definitions - you can search for them on Buddhism.SE.

But if you want a super short summary - it's bliss and peace all the time.

Also please see Dhammapada chapter 7.