刹那

Etymology 1
From, a transliteration of.

Originally a Buddhist term meaning the smallest possible moment in time: a split-second. Carries favorable connotations of "precious" from the Buddhist teaching that one should live well even in the shortest moment of time.

This reading is now archaic and is falling into disuse.

Noun

 * 1) see setsuna below

Etymology 2
→

Shift in pronunciation from sechina above, using the kan'yōon of setsu for the first kanji.

This reading is now the most common.

Noun

 * 1) an instant, a moment
 * 2)  the smallest unit of time, of varying lengths depending on tradition:
 * 3) roughly 0.11 seconds, defined as 1/65th of a, where a danshi is 1/12,000th of a day or 7.2 seconds
 * 4) 0.002 seconds, defined as 1/60th of a, where a nen is 1/60th of a
 * 5) 1/75th of a second, defined as 1/6,480,000th of a day
 * 6)  by extension from the  meaning, an extremely small number: 10-18,

Derived terms

 * : momentary, transient, ephemeral
 * : the principle or philosophy of living in the moment