Nirvana is an experience of the Unconditioned which defies any description. Any description of Nirvana is not a description of Nirvana, and that is the most that can be said about Nirvana. There are no reference points in Nirvana on which to base a description. - William Hamilton
Samsara
Samsara might be understood as the state of being bound by greed, hate and ignorance – or as a veil of illusion that hides true reality. In traditional Buddhist philosophy, we are trapped in samsara through one life after another until such time as we find awakening through enlightenment.
However, the best definition of samsara, and one with more modern applicability may be from the Theravada monk and teacher Thanissaro Bhikkhu: "Instead of a place, it's a process: the tendency to keep creating worlds and then moving into them."
And note that this creating and moving, it doesn't just happen once, at birth. We're doing it all the time.
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