An Existence of Time: A Critical Study in Theravãda Buddhist Philosophy

Abstract

This article entitled An Existence of Time: A Critical Study in Theravãda Buddhist Philosophy was critically made to answer a philosophical question that is time in Theravãda philosophy objective or subjective or both? This is a documentary study. In the analytical study of existence of time in Saravãstivãda and Sautrantika, Sanskrit era of Buddhist schools of thought, it was found that according to Saravãstivãda’s viewpoint, the time exists objectively and subjectively and it also exists all three times, past, present and future. According to Sautrantika’s viewpoint, the time becomes subjective and it basically exists only in the present. As regards a school of Theravãda Buddhist philosophy, Pãli era, the time become both objective and subjective; the objective time is the time of which things flow in accordance with the law of Idappaccayatã and the subjective time basically refers to human beings’ realization of Dhamma. It, therefore, can be said that the existence of time in Theravãda Buddhist philosophy, Pãli era, totally differs from the existence of time in the standpoints of Saravãstivãda and Sautrantika because they had the different viewpoints of the existence of things resulting in different existence of time. In this, a researcher reasonably disagreed with such Saravãstivãda’s claim of the existence of permanent times, past, present and future because it cannot explain the end of suffering and a researcher also disagreed with Sautrantika’s claim of the existence of present time and the view that things were dynamic and annihilated because such views bring about a difficulty in understanding of Dhamma in the present moment of a human being and when one cannot attain timely Dhamma and thereby one cannot realize Nibbãna. As far as the time is concerned, a researcher actually agreed with Theravãda Buddhist philosophical viewpoint of the existence of time, Pãli era, because such existence of time is the real state of absolute truth based on the law of Idappaccayatã; this can explain timely Dhamma and its realization leading to the complete liberation, Nibbãna.