The Buddhist Doctrine Of Momentariness: A Surve... Guide

The doctrine serves as a vital tool for . By realizing that the "self" is not a permanent soul but a collection of momentary physical and mental aggregates ( skandhas ), practitioners can dismantle the attachments that lead to suffering ( dukkha ). Description Kṣaṇa

: We perceive stable objects (like a table or a person) because the series of moments ( santāna ) occurs too fast for ordinary perception to detect the breaks, similar to how a movie film creates the illusion of smooth motion. The Buddhist doctrine of momentariness: A surve...

The "stream" or continuum of causally linked momentary events that gives the appearance of a persistent object. The doctrine serves as a vital tool for

: Buddhist logicians argued that only momentary things are real because real existence requires the ability to produce an effect. A permanent, unchanging entity would be causally inert and therefore non-existent. Historical Development The "stream" or continuum of causally linked momentary

The doctrine was not present in the earliest discourses of the Buddha, which were more pragmatic about change. It emerged as a systematic theory during the and was later refined by prominent scholars such as Vasubandhu , Dignāga , and Dharmakīrti .

: Nothing is static; the universe perishes and is "re-created" every instant.