The Mind-Moment

A mind-moment (cittakkhaṇa) is the tiniest unit of mental life — a single flicker of consciousness that arises, does its work, and passes away before the next one takes its place. The Abhidhamma teaches that these moments follow one another so rapidly that what feels like one smooth, continuous experience is really a stream of countless separate moments, much like a film that seems to move but is made of still frames. Seeing this helps us understand that the mind isn't a fixed, solid "thing" but a flowing process — which is why even strong moods and thoughts never last and always give way to the next moment.