There are two kind of annihilation, an
empirical one called destruction and a transcendental one called
evanescence or impermanence. The first is the annihilation said of
a jar, which when drop, broke into pieces. The second refer to
imperceptible gradual, constant deterioration over time of a jar,
which is the very essence of reality of all things. As Santiraksita has pointed out, reality itself is
called annihilation as what is ultimately real has only the
duration of a moment of existence. Its essence is impermanent, it
is dynamic and indivisible. It cannot be divided such that
non-existence should follow upon existence as its impermanent
arises simultaneously with its production.
Transcendental ultimate reality is a never
beginning and never stopping, infinitely graduated, constant
change. There is nothing permanent, no static element in this
process. An everlasting substantial Soul or matter is pure
imagination. There is in every next moment not the slightest bit
left of what has been existent in the former moment. Every
momentary thing is annihilated as soon as it appears, because it
does not survive in the next moment as if it does, it would mean
eternity because it would survive in the third and all the
following moments. Static means eternal. If matter exist it
necessarily is eternal, if it does not exist, being is necessarily
instantaneous. The first view is advocated in the theist religion,
the second in Buddhism. Transcendental annihilation is not produced
by occurring causes. Since existence itself is constant
annihilation, it will go on existing, being annihilated and
changing without needing in every case any cause of annihilation.
The elements of existence are automatically evanescent and
impermanence, they do not need any additional circumstance in order
to produce that change which is going on always and by itself.
Reality is characterized as efficiency it can also be characterized
as evanescence or annihilation.
The theory of momentariness can also be
look at from the fact that everything necessarily must have an end.
There is nothing at all that does have an end to itself. This can
be seen in things like fire, light, sound and even in our thoughts,
which are ever changing at every moment. This knowledge can also be
deducted without any sensory experience. The annihilation of a
thing need not have to depend on any special causes for it to end.
Example, the destruction of a jar does not necessarily depend on
the stroke of a hammer to destroy it. In this case, it is just a
special cause, it is not a necessity. If all thing need to depend
on special cause for their end, then there will be empirical
objects which would never have an end, and we will be landed with
empirical objects that will exist for eternity, which is
impossible.
What is the meaning of change? It means
either that one thing is replaced by another thing, or that the
thing remains the same, but its condition or quality, has changed,
has become another quality. Buddhist does not object to the first
meaning, since there is a change at every moment, the thing will be
at every moment replaced by another thing. The realist believes in
the existence of real substances along with real moving qualities
situated upon it.
When for example, gold is melted down from
solid to liquid, to the realist the matter is still ‘the same’, but
its condition is other. The cause producing the destruction, fire
cannot annihilate the matter, but they can destroy its condition
and produce a change. The thing disappears no absolutely, but
conditionally, in functional dependence upon the causes which
produce the change. To the Buddhist this is impossible. The thing
must either remain or go it cannot do both at once, changing and
remaining. If it has changed, it is not the same. Melted gold and
solid gold are two ‘other’ objects.
To the Buddhist, the separate existence of
a permanent, eternal, durable thing is denied, only the passing
qualities alone, an absolute qualities not belonging to any eternal
substance is maintained to be real.