The Difference Between Ultimate Liberation and Non-Ultimate Liberation

The liberating wisdom that frees one from the bondage of birth and death within the three realms is the same. However, the Buddha's liberation is ultimate: He has ended not only segmented birth-and-death (pariccheda-maraṇa) but also transformational birth-and-death (parināma-maraṇa), with not a trace of ignorance binding His mind; therefore His liberation is ultimate. The liberation of an arhat is not yet ultimate—there is still ignorance, and transformational birth-and-death (parināma-maraṇa) has not yet been ended. An arhat liberated by wisdom still must wait until worldly conditions come to an end before he can leave the three realms and be liberated from birth and death, whereas an arhat liberated in both ways need not wait for the right time; he can leave the three realms and be liberated from birth and death at any moment.