# The temporal "size" and divisibility of discrete citta and rūpa moments

**URL:** <https://classicaltheravada.org/t/the-temporal-size-and-divisibility-of-discrete-citta-and-rupa-moments/2450>\
**Category:** Abhidhamma\
**Tags:** abhidhamma, vipassana, ciitaja-rupa, citta\
**Created:** [June 1, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/the-temporal-size-and-divisibility-of-discrete-citta-and-rupa-moments/2450 "2026-06-01T13:22:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 4

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**Author:** ![RobertK](https://classicaltheravada.org/user_avatar/classicaltheravada.org/robertk/32/1498_2.png) [@RobertK](https://classicaltheravada.org/u/RobertK)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2026, 1:41am UTC](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/the-temporal-size-and-divisibility-of-discrete-citta-and-rupa-moments/2450/4 "2026-06-02T01:41:20Z")

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> [@Paulo](#):
>
> - **Size of Materiality vs. Mentality:** Does a single, discrete moment of _rūpa_ have the exact same temporal size as a single moment of _citta_? (Note: Please I ansking strictly about singular, individual moments, not aggregates or streams of moments).

No. Rupa arises and ceases slower than mentality.

> [@Paulo](#):
>
> - **Soteriological Impact:** If rūpadhammas and cittas possess a fixed, irreducible duration (āyu ), and considering the model where the lifespan of one rūpa equals exactly seventeen mind-moments (cittakkhaṇas?), what is the practical soteriological significance of this discrepancy? How does understanding this precise ratio impact the path?

Because the path is seeing the world as it really is. And the world is simply the arising and passing of conditioned namas and rupas.  
Rupa is very different from nama, mentality, and one of those differences is the rate of the rise and fall.

_evametaṃ yathābhūtaṃ sammappaññāya daṭṭhabbaṃ._  
this should be seen as it really is with right wisdom.

Also see this thread:

> [@The rapidity of the rise and fall and are the actual individual realities known?](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/the-rapidity-of-the-rise-and-fall-and-are-the-actual-individual-realities-known/999/1):
>
> This is from a discussion I had on dhammawheel. Alex123: The issue is: In the “Discourse on Elements” (Dhatukatha) book, page XXVII it says commentary to Dhatukatha claims that 10^12 of cittas (a trillion! 1,000,000,000,000) arise per second. The sub-commentary raises the number to 10^15 cittas per second. I don’t dispute the claim. I wonder if the number is meant to be taken literal or not. I do not know. Maybe this number was meant to be taken literal (the commentator thought that way) bu…

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