The Central Conception of Buddhism and the Meaning of the Word "Dharma" c19.s3.1

c19.s3.1

*Vaibhāṣika* (does not feel discountenanced by this series of arguments, and says :) We Vaibhāṣikas, nevertheless, maintain that the past and the future certainly do exist. But (regarding the everlasting essence of the elements of existence, we confess) that this is something we do not succeed in explaining, their essence is deep (it is transcendental), since its existence cannot be established by rational methods.¹ (And as to the use we make of the notion of time in common life, it is contradictory. We use) the expression: "what appears vanishes" (implying that the same element appears and disappears, e.g.) "some matter appears and disappears". But we, likewise, say "one thing appears, another disappears", implying that one element, the future one, enters into life, and another one (the present one), stops. We also speak of the appearing of time (itself "the time is come"), because the element which enters into life is included in the notion of time. And we speak about being born "from time", since the future includes many moments (and only one of them actually enters into life).