Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c35.s3.t5.5

v2.c35.s3.t5.5

The *Kathāvatthu* (I. 6) presents the arguments and counter arguments of the Sarvāstivādins and the Theravādins thus: The Sarvāstivādins maintain that all *dharmas* exist but not always and everywhere and in the same form. In reply to the question whether khandhas which are all different by nature exist uncombined (*ayogam*), they answer in the negative. This, however, gives an opportunity to the Theravādins to show the fallacy that if all exist then both micchādiṭṭhi and sammādiṭṭhi exist together. Then again by equating past and future to present, the Theravādins show that if past and future exist then their existence should be predicated in the same way as of the present,¹ which the S. deny, saying that past and future exist but not exactly in the same way as one would speak of the present.