What Time Is It?

In Dhammasangani, the concept of time based on events, moments, and movements eventually assessing past, present, and future. It further adds that 'thought' also is a combination of these three factors. The verses from 1038 to 1041 of Dhammasangani throw the idea of past, present, and future.

Take one cup of salt and two cups of water. Salt and water ‘have come to pass’ so these are 'present'. Pour the salt into water, 'saline water' has not been created just at the very moment of pouring salt into water, thus 'saline water' is 'Future'. When all salt completely dissolved, both water and salt become 'past' because in the solution, water and salt do not remain as two separate entities. Now it is completely a different 'thing' or a solution irrespective of its ingredients ('dissolved' or 'changed'). Now in final stage, a solution has come up. It is 'present' because it has been caused to arise or 'that has been created'.

In the duration of dissolving process, two 'present things' salt and water join to make a 'future saline' and on the event of becoming of 'saline' both water and salt disappear and become 'past'. The event or moment or movement of becoming of 'saline' has actually manifested these sequences of 'present', 'future', ‘past’ and again ‘present’.

Hence, the question is: the duration for dissolving of salt into water, is what?

If the clock shows 30 minutes for that event or movement or moment whether we can take the entire time of 30 minutes as present? In true sense the clock has run for 30 minutes parallely with dissolving process but normally we would assess that it is the dissolving process that takes 30 minutes.

In scientific interpretation becoming of 'future' saline continues even at the last moment of a salt molecule, i.e., 'present' dissolving into 'present' (water) and ultimately dissolved and extincted completely and the water and salt turn past, the 'future' saline becomes 'present'.

So if we observe moment of dissolving action, actually 'present' is becoming 'past' and 'future' simultaneously. That means, present extends to past and future. Hence the Buddha has only one time that is "eternal present".