Final answer:
Nirvana and samsara are Buddhist concepts where nirvana represents the escape from the cycle of rebirth, samsara, through the extinction of all desires. These ideas developed after the 6th century B.C.E. with the spread of Buddhism by Siddhartha Gautama. Nirvana is a state of peace and the end of individual suffering, reached by following the Eightfold Path and respecting all life.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nirvana is intimately related to samsara in Buddhist philosophy as the ultimate goal where a person can escape the continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, which is what samsara represents. The concept of nirvana as the extinguishment of desire and therefore the cessation of suffering is set against the backdrop of samsara, where the soul undergoes rebirth due to the accumulation of karma. This cycle of samsara can only be broken by achieving nirvana, a state of ultimate peace and liberation.
The idea of nirvana in relation to samsara developed after the 6th century B.C.E. with the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha. Siddhartha observed the faults within the hereditary and ritual-centric practices of the Vedic religion and sought a path to enlightenment that rejected the concept of an eternal soul (Atman) and the ultimate reality (Brahman) proposed in the earlier Vedic traditions.
The spread of Buddhism and its doctrines, including that of nirvana and samsara, influenced various cultures and led to the development of different schools of thought. The interconnectivity of all things, a central theme in Buddhism, and the practice of ethical conduct to accrue good karma, could potentially lead to an improved status upon rebirth or the ultimate attainment of nirvana.