Kṣaṇikavāda
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kṣaṇikavāda (T. skad cig ma/skad cig ma smra ba; C. chanalum 刹那論) is translated as "doctrine of momentariness," etc. It refers to the doctrinal position "emblematic of the Sautrāntika school of the mainstream Buddhist tradition."[1]
Christian Bernert states:
- Momentariness refers to the idea that phenomena are in a subtle but constant state of change; things exist for a single moment and instantly pass away. As long as causes and conditions are similar, the resulting phenomenon will have a similar appearance (similar, but not identical, since the causes and conditions needed for the production of a given thing are themselves also in a state of flux). This momentary nature thus accounts for the fact that things eventually grow old in a way that is perceptible to the naked eye. Generally when relating to phenomena, however, we do not directly perceive the reality of subtle impermanence. What we relate to is the mental image of those objects formed in the mind, the mere cognition or representation (vijñapti; rnam rig) of things, which we then identify as the objects themselves. In a way, we could say that the world we live in is like ever-flowing water, but the world we think in is like a frozen image. Meditation techniques such as the close applications of mindfulness (smṛtyupasthāna; dran pa nyer gzhag) are used to counteract such mistaken perceptions of the world.[2]
See also
- kṣaṇa (instant, moment, etc.)
Notes
- ↑ Robert E. Buswell Jr., Donald S. Lopez Jr., The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism (Princeton: 2014), s.v. kṣaṇikavāda
- ↑ Adorning Maitreya's Intent: Arriving at the View of Nonduality, translated by Christian Bernert (Snow Lion, 2017). "Tanslator's Introduction"
External links
skad cig ma, Christian-Steinert Dictionary
