Nirvana’s paradox?

I am struggling with a Nirvana paradox. If I approach cravings (thirst or tanha) as a buddhist, I want to gradually via the Middle Way and meditative practices eliminate them all. But isn’t the striving for nirvana (the extinction of tanha) also a craving or ‘thirst’ (tanha)?

I end up having a thirst for Nirvana which to reach I must cease all thirst (cravings). A paradox

I asked MSFT CoPilot to answer the paradox, and like a human it avoided the real question and deflected – or at least for me, insufficiently answered.

In Buddhism, the pursuit of nirvana and the extinction of craving are deeply interrelated, yet may seem paradoxical at first glance. Here’s how they can be reconciled:

  1. Understanding Craving: Craving, or tanha, is seen as the root cause of suffering. It is the thirst for sensory pleasures, existence, and non-existence that leads to a cycle of rebirths and ongoing dissatisfaction.
  2. Path to Nirvana: Nirvana is the ultimate goal in Buddhism—an enlightened state where the fires of greed, hatred, and delusion are extinguished. It’s characterized by profound peace and liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth (samsara).
  3. Extinction of Craving: Achieving nirvana involves the gradual extinguishment of craving. The cessation of tanhaleads to the cessation of suffering. This is central to the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, which provide the framework for ethical conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom.
  4. The Middle Way: The Buddha emphasized the Middle Way, avoiding both extreme self-indulgence and extreme self-mortification. This balanced approach encourages a gradual and mindful reduction of cravings without harsh suppression.
  5. Transformation Through Practice: Through practices like meditation, mindfulness, ethical living, and wisdom, one can transform and ultimately let go of cravings. This path fosters a deep understanding of the impermanent and unsatisfactory nature of worldly desires.

In essence, striving for nirvana and the extinction of craving are two sides of the same coin in Buddhism. The active pursuit of spiritual practices gradually diminishes craving, leading to the ultimate state of nirvana.

Another response tried to use the Buddha’s language to differentiate different types of Nirvana

Buddha reconciles striving for nirvana and the extinction of thirst and craving by identifying two types of nirvana: sopadhishesa-nirvana (nirvana with a remainder) and parinirvana or anupadhishesa-nirvana (nirvana without remainder, or final nirvana)1. Nirvana is the state where one is liberated from ignorance, attachment, and delusion, and it is the ultimate liberation from the cycle of rebirth and the cessation of suffering3. In the Buddhist tradition, nirvana is interpreted as the extinction of the “three fires” or “three poisons” of greed, aversion, and ignorance4. When referring to a buddha, nirvana is the great nondwelling state of enlightenment that falls neither into the extreme of samsaric existence nor into the passive state of cessation attained by an arhant.

I find neither helpful. One way out of this paradox is to qualify thirsts – the thirst for nirvana is ok, but the thirst for worldly ‘things’ is not.

In the Buddhist tradition, nirvana is described as the extinguishing of the fires that cause suffering. These fires are typically identified as the fires of attachment (raga), aversion (dvesha) and ignorance (moha or avidya)

https://encyclopediaofbuddhism.org/wiki/Nirvana

Wikipedia continues with that vein

One literal interpretation translates nir√vā as “blow out”,[23] interpreting nir is a negative, and va as “to blow”,[23] giving a meaning of “blowing out” or “quenching”.[14] It is seen to refer to both to the act and the effect of blowing (at something) to put it out, but also the process and outcome of burning out, becoming extinguished.[13][quote 3] The “blowing out” does not mean total annihilation,[14] but the extinguishing of a flame. The term nirvana can also be used as a verb: “he or she nirvāṇa-s,” or “he or she parinirvānṇa-s” (parinibbāyati).[24][quote 4]

In the Buddhist tradition, nirvana, “to blow out”,[25] has commonly been interpreted as the extinction of the “three fires”,[5] or “three poisons”,[6][7] namely of passion or sensuality (raga), aversion or hate (dvesha) and of delusion or ignorance (moha or avidyā).[7]

Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_(Buddhism)

A shaman might answer with something like … what you are looking for is under your nose. no striving required, open your eyes, ears, …. was that how Zen folks found satori?

Images from MSFT CoPilot