"distinctionists." The Vibhajyavādins held that dhammas exist in the present, but not that they exist in the future. With regards to past dhammas, those wholesome or unwholesome dhammas that had already brought forth its fruit or effect were said not to exist, but those which had not yet brought forth a karmic effect could be said to have some efficacy. The Sarvāstivāda Vijñānakāya states their position as defended by Moggaliputtatissa as: "The past and future are not; the present and the unconditioned exist." The Vibhajyavādins also held that out of all dhammas, only Nirvana was an unconditioned (asankhata) dhamma, against the view of the Sarvāstivāda which also held that space was an unconditioned dhamma. Another difference with the Sarvāstivāda hinged on the issue of gradual versus sudden attainment. The Vibhajyavādins held that at stream entry, understanding of the four noble truths came at once (ekābhisamaya), while the Sarvāstivāda asserted that this happened only gradually (anupubbābhisamaya). Vibhajyavādins also asserted that arhats could not regress or fall back to a lower state once they attained arhatship. The Vibhajyavādins also rejected the doctrine of the intermediate state between rebirths (antarabhava). Doctrines of the Vibhajyavādins can be seen in the Kathāvatthu, traditionally attributed to elder Moggalipputtatissa by the Theravada. The earliest layer of this text could date as far as the reign of Ashoka. However, neither the Theravādin Kathāvatthu nor the Sarvāstivāda Vijñānakāya contain any reference to Vibhajyavāda as a separate school, indicating that perhaps during the time they were recorded there was not yet a formal schism between the Sarvāstivāda and the Vibhajyavāda. The Visuddhimagga of Buddhaghosa, a fifth century Sri Lankan work meanwhile, mentions that the Visuddhimagga was written at the request of Sanghaphala, "a member of the lineage of the Mahaviharasins, illustrious Theriyas, best of Vibhajjavādins". Branches The Vibhajyavādins are not recorded uniformly by early Buddhist traditions as being a distinct sect, nor being associated with any one period of time. Some scholars believe that there was no separate "Vibhajyavāda" sect, but that the term vibhajyavāda was sometimes affixed to the name of a school to indicate that it differed from the main school on some doctrines. In this sense, they would be vibhajyavādins of that particular school. The name was applied to a variety of communities across the Indian subcontinent. The major ones were: Dharmaguptaka, located mainly in the North-West of the Indian subcontinent but also spreading along the Central