俱舍論疏 12.7

12.7

On the Śāstra's words, "The assembly of multiple conditions [...] traversing a single atom": Within the answer there are two parts: first, stating the Sautrāntika answer; second, stating the Vaibhāṣika answer. This is the first. In the Sautrāntika answer there are two aspects: First, a dharma previously lacking intrinsic nature is the future; having obtained its nature and then perished, it is the past; having obtained its nature and not yet perished is called the present. Precisely this moment of having obtained its nature and not yet perished is called a single kṣaṇa. Second, or when an active dharma traverses a single atom, it is called a single kṣaṇa. The spatial quantity of an atom is minimal, and the temporal quantity of a kṣaṇa is minimal. If traversing two or more atoms were called a single kṣaṇa, the kṣaṇa would have a before and after, and would not be the absolute minimum of time; if traversing a single atom took two kṣaṇas, the atom's quantity would have parts, and the atom would not be the absolute minimum. For this reason, it is said that traversing a single atom is called a single kṣaṇa. Question: If the moment when dharmas obtain their intrinsic nature is called a single kṣaṇa, and the moment of obtaining their intrinsic nature is precisely a single thought-moment (citta-kṣaṇa), why does the Renwang Banruo say, "In a single thought-moment there are ninety kṣaṇas, and in a single kṣaṇa there are nine hundred arisings and ceasings"? Answer: Arising and ceasing are subtle; only a Buddha can know them. The minds of Hīnayāna practitioners are coarse and perceive arising and ceasing as coarse; the minds of the Buddhas are subtle and perceive arising and ceasing as subtle. Hence they differ. Now, examining the Sautrāntika explanation: if an active dharma traverses a single atom, it is not known whether this motion takes the absolute fastest or takes a slightly slower speed? If it takes a slightly slower speed, relative to the fast there would still be a before and after to serve as the absolute minimum. If it takes the absolute fastest, consider the four continents: their diameter is 1,200,300,450 yojanas; the circuit of the solar disc around the four continents is roughly 3,000,000 yojanas; one yojana is roughly eighteen li minus eighty bu; 3,000,000 yojanas is roughly over 50,000,000 li. Counting bu per li, it already exceeds [the number of kṣaṇas in] a day and night, yet in a day and night there are only 6,480,000 kṣaṇas. The number of bu already exceeds this, not to mention feet (chi), inches (cun), and other faster objects. It is not clear what the master of the treatise intended by this.