These statements are incorrect
- An Arahat exists after parinibbana
- An Arahat does not exists after parinibbana
- An Arahat is neither exists or not exists after parinibbana
Because they are based on a wrong premise: “The Arahat exists before parinibbana”. The person we refer does not exists because he or she is nothing more than a shadow of continuity of the constantly appearing and disappearing khandhas. One analogy we have in the modern world is watching a movie. A movie is a series of pictures presented in 25 frames or more per second. The frames appear and disappear very fast. Because we cannot perceive their appearance and disappearance, to us it looks like a character in the movie exists constantly throughout the story. If someone ask us where is the character is in the real world, we would reply with a confused look saying, “what do you mean, it is only a movie, the character does not really exists”. Even the frames that build the character image have appeared and disappeared a thousand times.
In the contrary, Nibbana is like something that exists in the real world, it is not based on something that constantly appear and disappear like the khandhas.
So to call Nibbana nihilism cannot be further than the truth. Instead, when realizing Nibbana, we are migrating from a fake existence to real existence.