  A third type of absence, called ‘constant’ or ‘absolute’ absence (atyantābhāva) is illustrated by constructions of the form “The pot is not on the ground”. The Manual of Reason states (TS 87) that what distinguishes this type of absence is that it is located in the three times—past, present and future. This seems odd, as it might be that the pot is on the ground at some times but not others. Perhaps the point is that the locus of the absence here is a spatial entity rather than a temporal one. For example, the construction “Heat is not in ice” illustrates this kind of absence. Perhaps, furthermore, the force of this negation is that the pot is never located on the ground—hence we cannot speak of the prior or posterior absence of the pot (for these concepts are defined in terms of times when the pot is present). (E.g. Udayana’s definition of a substance as that which does not have a constant absence of qualities.)