 Gombrich argues that the metaphor of blowing out refers to fires which were kept by priests of Brahmanism, and symbolize life in the world.According to Donald Swearer, the journey to nirvana is not a journey to a "separate reality", but a move towards calm, equanimity, nonattachment and nonself.Thomas Kasulis notes that in the early texts, nirvana is often described in negative terms, including “cessation” ("nirodha"), “the absence of craving” ("trsnaksaya"), “detachment,” “the absence of delusion,” and “the unconditioned” ("asamskrta").