ĀRANYAKA PERIOD,

1. Inference (anumāna) 2. Perception (pratyakṣa) a) eyes b) eye consciousness c) object, form 1) eye consciousness 2) contact 3) feeling 4) perception 5) volition 6) one-pointedness Sautrāntikas introduced their own teaching called „theory of momentariness“ (kṣanavāda). According to them the momentary things represent their annihilation. That means the destruction of the form of the momentariness which appears along with the thing itself. Everything ceases as soon as it rises, it doesn't survive in the next moment of something existed or stayed on, it is eternal. According to the common theory, the sky or ākāsa (space) exist, but causes are actually nonexistent in the form of entities and they are devoid of all potentiality. They cannot be called even momentary,
because it is like „a son of a barren woman.“ There is a two-fold source, given by the Sautrāntikas to realize the nature of the world: a) inference (anumāna) b) perception (pratyakṣa) The perception is accepted even in Theravāda tradition. In Matubindika Sutta there are given three constituents which must be present for a complete preception: 1) The physical eye (cakkhu) 2) The eye consciousness 3) A form Furthermore, there are given six other processes: 1) Cakkhu viññāṇa 2) Phassa (Skt. Sparśa) 3) Vedanā 4) Saññā - »Yaṃ vedeti taṃ sañjānāti.« 5) Vitakka - »Yaṃ sañjānāti taṃ vitakketi.« 6) Papañca - »Yaṃ vitakketi taṃ papañceti.« Sautrāntikas depending on the perception, classify the dhammās. Therefore, there are these dhammas: 1) Rūpa are 8 - 4 kinds of subjective forms (upādāna) and 4 kinds of objective forms (upādāya)
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2) Vedanā are 3 – sukha, dukkha and na sukha na dukkha. 3) Saññā are 6 – 5 senses and viññāṇa. 4) Viññāṇa are 6 as 5 kinds of consciousness and mind consciousness. 5) Saṅkhārā are 20 – 10 wholesome and 10 unwholesome. According to the Sautrāntikas, language can do nothing for the perception. Because with the language, we are going to understand something that we experienced. And their view is that we can experience the world without language.8 The Sthaviravādins or Theravādins give the following statement regarding the nature of world: »Yaṃ kiñci samudayaṃ dhammaṃ, taṃ sabbaṃ nirodha dhammaṃ« (Anything originated changed)9 »Aniccā vata saṅkhārā, uppāda vaya dhammino.« (All originated things are impermanent, they arise and vanish.) »Uppattiyā sahevedaṃ, maranaṃ āgataṃ sadā.« (With the birth it gets the death.) Sautrāntikas have given a statement to explain the nature of the world: „Kśanikānaṃ nāsti deshāntaragamanaṃ yatrayivothpattih tattrayiva vinashah.“ (The nature of vanishing is begun with the origination.) In Theravāda tradition there is given a time for the existence. Intsutarattu Sutta gives the following question: »Tattha rūpaṃ daṇda nirodhaṃ garu parivattīti cittaṃ khippaṃ nirodhaṃ lahu parivattan'ti.« The matter is changing slowly, but consciousness (citta) is changing quickly. »Nāhaṃ bhikkhave aññaṃ eka dhammam'pi samanu passāmi. Evaṃ lahu pariyattaṃ yathidaṃ bhikkhave cittaṃ.« „Monks! I cannot see anything, which changes more rapidly than consciousness.“ As it is given in Abhidhammattha Saṅgaha, Mahā Cittakkhana has three characteristics: 1) uppāda (birth, rise, appearing) 2) ṭhīti (existence, process, being) 3) bhaṅga (death, destruction, disappearing) 17 such cittakkhanas are one moment of rūpa's existence. That means that rūpa's moment lasts the duration of 51 consciousnesses (17 cittakkhanas x 3 (uppāda, ṭhīti, bhaṅga) = 51).