mundane conventions to serve as a common basis for understand-
ing, as my present visit illustrates. It is necessary that I and all of
my Arahant disciples appear in our original mundane forms so that
others, like yourself, have a means of determining what our appear-
ance was like. If we did not appear in this form, no one would be able
to perceive us.^28
“On occasions when it is necessary to interact with conventional
reality, vimutti must be made manifest by the use of suitable conven-
tional means. In the case of pure vimutti, as when two purified cittas
interact with one another, there exists only the essential quality of
knowing – which is impossible to elaborate on in any way. So when
we want to reveal the nature of complete purity, we have to bring in
conventional devices to help us portray the experience of vimutti. We
can say that vimutti is a ‘self-luminous state devoid of all nimittas rep-
resenting the ultimate happiness’, for instance, but these are just widely-
used, conventional metaphors. One who clearly knows it in his heart
cannot possibly have doubts about vimutti. Since its true character-
istics are impossible to convey, vimutti is inconceivable in a relative,
conventional sense. Vimutti manifesting conventionally and vimutti
existing in its original state are, however, both known with absolute
certainty by the Arahant. This includes both vimutti manifesting itself
by means of conventional constructs under certain circumstances, and
vimutti existing in its original, unconditioned state. Did you ask me
about this matter because you were in doubt, or simply as a point of
conversation?”“I have no doubts about the conventional aspects of all the
Buddhas, or the unconditioned aspects. My inquiry was a con-
ventional way of showing respect. Even without a visit from you