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Matter
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up of the combining atoms. Other thinkers of the Vaibhāșika school maintained that although the atoms combined to form a gross body, there remained always an intervening space between them. Yet a third view among some of the Vaibhāșika philosophers was that atoms when combining came in closest contact with each other, so that no space intervened between them. The first of these views is represented in modern times by the school of Maxwell while the second and the third are implied in the theory of Boscovitch.
VASUBANDHU'S CRITICISM
The first of the above Vaibhāșika doctrines of combination is criticised by Vasubandhu:
'षण्णां समानदेशत्वात् पिण्डः स्यादणु मात्रकः।' If the six combining atoms coincide with each other, the result is nothing other than an atom. That is to say, Vasubandhu points out that if the atoms are Niravayava having like geometrical points positions but no magnitude, any number of them by combining with each other would fail to produce a gross thing having magnitude. The second view is criticised on the ground.
. 'रुपश्लोषो हि सम्बन्धो द्वित्वे स च कथं भवेत् ।' If the two atoms continue to remain two independent atoms by having an intervening space between them,
how can we say that they are combined? Vasubandhu's criticism of the third theory of the Vaibhāșika's has already been stated:
'षट्केन युगपद् योगात् परमाणोः षडंशता।' If a combination of six atoms coming from six directions be possible with one particular atom, then the latter must be held to have six parts (upon which the former
six get themselves impinged). The atoms, however, are premised to be absolutely simple and to have no parts. The Sūnyavāda and the Vijñānavāda sections of the Buddhist school end their criticism of
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