The post in question is: “Does any Object (Rupa) Last only 17 Thought Moments?“.
For those who may not be familiar with the term “vanna rupa” (or “varna rupa”), it is something (person or object) that one sees.
– Sadda rupa is a sound that one hears, rasa rupa is a taste, etc.
Now, the question raised by Tobias requires one to understand the following.
1. There is a sankata out there in the world (a person or an object like a tree).
2. A “picture” of that rupa is captured by the eyes, processed by the brain, and that signal is sent to the cakkhu pasada rupa (which is part of the gandhabba). This “picture” is what is seen by us (or more precisely, our gandhabba or our mental body).
That second one is the vanna rupa. The first one is a sankata that is “out there”.
Let us say we look at a tree. Then the tree is a sankata. It will germinate, grow, and die one day.
If we look at the tree, our eyes capture a “snapshot” of that tree and that “vanna rupa” is seen by us.
– So, what we see is a “picture of the tree” that existed at that precise moment that we looked at it.
– That vanna rupa is captured by the mind within 17 thought moments (in a cakkhudvara citta vithi).
– A moment after we see it, it becomes a “nama gotta”, or a “recorded event” in our mind.
Suppose we never get to see that tree ever again.
– If the tree was unusual for some reason, we may be able to remember it even a couple of years later. But it is possible that someone may have cut off that tree and it may not even be existing at that time.
This is what is needed to be understood. A sankata (the tree) is different from the “picture” that is included in our pancakkhandha. The “picture of that tree” is in our rupakkhandha forever.
If we liked that tree for some reason, it may be part of our rupa upadanakkhadha (a rupa that we like and crave for).
So, I hope your questions are unanswered. This is VERY important, so if it is not clear to anyone, please ask questions.
More details at: “Difference Between Rupa and Rupakkhandha” and “Pancakkhandha or Five Aggregates – A Misinterpreted Concept“.