Is Nirvana Nothingness

One thing which people mistake is thinking of Nirvana as a state of Nothingness but instead as per Buddha Nirvana is ultimate happiness and till any one experiences Nirvana he cannot explain what Nirvana is a Buddhist story of a fish and a turtle clearly explains this.

Once upon a time a fish lived in a pond as it was a fish it had seen nothing but water once while swimming she saw a turtle having heard that the turtle has come from land she was inquistive about knowing how land is.

Fish asked the turtle "Mr. Turtle I have heard you have seen land" the turtle gently replied in agreement and told her that yes he had return from dry land.

The fish asked"What do you mean by dry there is nothing dry".The turtle said "If you want to think so, of course you may; there is no one who can hinder you. But that's where I've been"

Fish was not believing and asked again "Common talk sense. Just tell me now what is this land of yours like? Is it all wet?"

Tutrtle said "no it's not wet"

"Is it nice and fresh and cool?" asked the fish.

"No, it is not nice and fresh and cool," the trutle replied.

"Is it clear so that light can come through it?"

"No, it is not clear. Light cannot come through it."

"Is it soft and yielding, so that I can move my fins about in it and push my nose through it?"

"No, it is not soft and yielding. You could not swim in it."

"Does it move or flow in streams?"

"No, it neither moves nor flows in streams."

the fish triumphantly exclaimed"Didn't I tell you that this land of yours was just nothing? I have just asked, and you have answered me that it is neither wet nor cool, not clear nor soft and that it does not flow.And if it isn't a single one of these things what else is it but nothing? "

the turtle replied "If you are determined to think that dry land is nothing, I suppose you must just go on thinking so. But any one who knows what is water and what is land would say you are wrong.for you thinking that anything you have never known is nothing just because you have never known it. is wrong"

Just because we don't know or haven't experienced Nirvana doesn't mean it's nothingness but actually it the state of ultimate happiness that comes due to the imperturbable stillness of mind after the fires of desire, aversion, and delusion have been finally extinguished.