Momentariness (kṣaṇikatva) in Abhidhamma thought paints reality as a fast-moving carousel of fleeting events. Every dhamma—whether mental or material—arises, exists for an instant, then vanishes without a trace. Rather than seeing objects as stable “things,” this framework treats them like frames in a film reel: each frame is complete in itself, yet the perception of continuity is only a clever trick of the mind’s rapid sequencing.

According to the Abhidhamma, life’s very fabric is woven from these nano-moments. A thought flickers into being, peaks, and dissolves before the next thought even knows it’s in the game. Physical phenomena behave the same way—each moment of solidity is like a pop-up ad on a web page: here today, gone tomorrow. This insight undercuts any belief in permanent selfhood or unchanging substances. By examining experience at its most microscopic level, it becomes clear there is no enduring “I” to cling to—only a kaleidoscope of passing occurrences.

In the digital age, kṣaṇikatva finds fresh resonance. High-speed cameras capture a hummingbird’s wings in slow motion, revealing countless micro-motions that our eyes ordinarily miss. Social media feeds scroll by in a blur, each post vanishing almost as soon as it appears. Such modern examples echo the Abhidhamma’s insistence that grasping for permanence is like trying to hold water in a sieve.

When this teaching sinks in, life shifts from rigid expectations to a fluid dance with impermanence. Clinging loosens its grip, and dealing with change—whether a tweet that vanishes or the ever-shifting mind—feels less like wrestling with a dragon and more like riding a wave.