Abhidhamma Piṭaka
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The ''Abhidhamma Piṭaka'' (English: ''Basket of Higher Doctrine;'' ) is the third of the three divisions of the Pali Tripitaka, the definitive canonical collection of
scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...
of
Theravada ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...
Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
. The other two parts of the Tripiṭaka are the
Vinaya Piṭaka The ''Vinaya Piṭaka'' (English: ''Basket of Discipline'') is the first of the three divisions of the Pali Tripitaka, the Pali Canon, definitive canonical collection of Buddhist texts, scripture of Theravada Buddhism. The other two parts of ...
and the
Sutta Piṭaka The ''Sutta Piṭaka'' (also referred to as ''Sūtra Piṭaka'' or ''Suttanta Piṭaka''; English: ''Basket of Discourse'') is the second of the three division of the Pali Tripitaka, the definitive canonical collection of scripture of Therava ...
. The ''Abhidhamma Piṭaka'' is a detailed scholastic analysis and summary of the Buddha's teachings in the ''Suttas''. Here the ''suttas'' are reworked into a schematized system of general principles that might be called ' Buddhist Psychology'. In the ''Abhidhamma'', the generally dispersed teachings and principles of the suttas are organized into a coherent science of Buddhist doctrine."Abhidharma Pitaka." Encyclopædia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008. The ''Abhidhamma Pitaka'' is one of several surviving examples of
Abhidharma The Abhidharma are a collection of Buddhist texts dating from the 3rd century BCE onwards, which contain detailed scholastic presentations of doctrinal material appearing in the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries. It also refers t ...
literature, analytical and philosophical texts that were composed by several of the
early Buddhist schools The early Buddhist schools refers to the History of Buddhism in India, Indian Buddhist "doctrinal schools" or "schools of thought" (Sanskrit: ''vāda'') which arose out of the early unified Buddhist monasticism, Buddhist monastic community (San ...
of India. One text within the ''Abhidhamma Pitaka'' addresses doctrinal differences with other early Buddhist schools. Study of the ''Abhidhamma Pitaka'' and
Theravāda Abhidhamma The Theravada Abhidhamma tradition, also known as the Abhidhamma Method, refers to a scholastic systematization of the Theravāda school's understanding of the highest Buddhist teachings ( Abhidhamma). These teachings are traditionally believed ...
is a traditional specialty pursued in depth by some Theravada monks. The ''Abhidhamma Pitaka'' is also an important part of Theravada Buddhist liturgy that is regularly recited at funerals and festivals.


Etymology and overview

''Abhi'' means "higher" and ''dhamma'' here refers to the teaching of the Buddha. Thus ''Abhidhamma'' constitutes the 'Higher Teaching' of the Buddha. In the Preface to his translation of Bhadanta Anuruddhàcariya's ''
Abhidhammattha-sangaha The ''Abhidhammattha-saṅgaha'' (English: The Compendium of Things contained in the Abhidhamma; ) is a Pali Buddhist instructional manual or compendium of the Abhidhamma of the Theravāda tradition. It was written by the Sri Lankan monk Ācari ...
'', Narada Maha Thera states: 'Abhidhamma, as the term implies, is the Higher Teaching of the Buddha. It expounds the quintessence of his profound doctrine.' ''A Manual of Abhidhamma''; Narada Mahathera; 1st ed, 1956.
According to the
two truths doctrine The Buddhism, Buddhist doctrine of the two truths (Sanskrit: '','' ) differentiates between two levels of ''satya'' (Sanskrit; Pāli: ''sacca''; meaning "truth" or "reality") in the teaching of Gautama Buddha, Śākyamuni Buddha: the "conventiona ...
the Buddha adapted his teaching according to the level of education, intellectual capacity and level of spiritual development of those whom he came into contact with. The bulk of what the Buddha taught was aimed towards a class of human being he referred to as ''puthujjana''. These were essentially ordinary people engaged in worldly pursuits. In the words of the Buddhist scholar Narada Mahathera: 'The ''Dhamma'', embodied in the
Sutta Pitaka Sutta may refer to: *The Pali version of the Sanskrit term Sutra **In Buddhism, a discourse of the Buddha: see Sutra ''Sutra'' ()Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indi ...
, is the conventional teaching (Pali: ''vohāra desanā''), and the Abhidhamma is the ultimate teaching (Pali: ''paramattha desanā'')'.


Origins

Tradition holds that the Buddha thought out the Abhidhamma immediately after his enlightenment then taught it to the
gods A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...
some years later. Later, the Buddha repeated it to Sariputta who then transmitted it to his disciples. This tradition is evident in the Parivara, a late text from the
Vinaya Pitaka The Vinaya (Pali and Sanskrit: विनय) refers to numerous monastic rules and ethical precepts for fully ordained monks and nuns of Buddhist Sanghas (community of like-minded ''sramanas''). These sets of ethical rules and guidelines devel ...
, which mentions in a concluding verse of praise to the Buddha that ''this best of creatures, the lion, taught the three pitakas''. Modern Western scholarship, however, generally dates the origin of the Abhidhamma Pitaka to sometime around the third century BCE, 100 to 200 years after the death of the Buddha. Therefore, the seven Abhidhamma works are generally claimed by scholars not to represent the words of the Buddha himself, but those of disciples and scholars. Abhidharma literature likely originated as elaboration and interpretation of the suttas, but later developed independent doctrines. The earliest texts of the Pali Canon have no mention of the texts of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka. The Abhidhamma is also not mentioned in some reports of the
First Buddhist Council Since the Mahaparinirvana of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, Buddhist monastic communities, the "''sangha''", have periodically convened for doctrinal and disciplinary reasons and to revise and correct the contents of the Buddhist ...
, which do mention the existence of the texts of the
Vinaya The Vinaya (Pali and Sanskrit: विनय) refers to numerous monastic rules and ethical precepts for fully ordained monks and nuns of Buddhist Sanghas (community of like-minded ''sramanas''). These sets of ethical rules and guidelines devel ...
and either the five Nikayas or the four
Agamas Religion *Āgama (Buddhism), a collection of Early Buddhist texts *Āgama (Hinduism), scriptures of several Hindu sects *Jain literature (Jain Āgamas), various canonical scriptures in Jainism Other uses * ''Agama'' (lizard), a genus of lizards ...
. Other accounts do include the Abhidhamma.
Rupert Gethin Rupert Mark Lovell Gethin (born 1957, in Edinburgh) is Professor of Buddhist Studies in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and codirector of the Centre for Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol, and (since 2003) president of ...
however suggests that important elements of Abhidharma methodology probably go back to the Buddha's lifetime.''Foundations of Buddhism'',
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 1998, page 48
A. K. Warder and Peter Harvey both suggested early dates for the Matrikas on which most of the Abidhamma books are based. These ''matrika'', or matrices, were taxonomic lists that have been identified as likely precursors to fully developed Abhidharma literature.


Contents

The Abhidhamma Piṭaka consists of seven books: *
Dhammasaṅgaṇī The Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Pāli; ; ), also known as the ''Dhammasaṅgaha'', is a Buddhist scripture, part of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism. It is the first of the seven texts of the Abhidhamma Pitaka. The book begins with a ''matika'' (P ...
( or ) *
Vibhaṅga The () is a Buddhist scripture, part of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism, where it is included in the Abhidhamma Pitaka. One known English translation is contained in ''The Book of Analysis'', first published in 1969.tr U Thittila, 1969/19 ...
() * Dhātukathā (dhātukathā) * Puggalapaññatti (-paññatti) *
Kathāvatthu Kathāvatthu (Pāli) (; abbreviated Kv, Kvu; ) is a Buddhist scripture, one of the seven books in the Theravada Abhidhamma Pitaka. The text contrasts the orthodox Theravada position on a range of issues to the heterodox views of various interlocu ...
(kathā-) * Yamaka * Paṭṭhāna (paṭṭhāna) The Pāḷi Abhidhamma collection has little in common with the Abhidharma works recognized by other
early Buddhist schools The early Buddhist schools refers to the History of Buddhism in India, Indian Buddhist "doctrinal schools" or "schools of thought" (Sanskrit: ''vāda'') which arose out of the early unified Buddhist monasticism, Buddhist monastic community (San ...
."Buddhism." Encyclopædia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008.Kanai Lal Hazra, Pali Language and Literature - A Systematic Survey and Historical Survey, 1994, Vol. 1, page 415


Dhammasaṅganī

The Dhammasaṅgani (''Summary of Dharma'') is a manual of ethics for monks. It begins with a mātikā (translated as matrix) which lists classifications of
dhamma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold'' or ''to support' ...
s (translated as phenomena, ideas, states, etc.). The mātikā starts with 22 threefold classifications, such as good/bad/unclassified, and then follows with 100 twofold classifications according to the
Abhidhamma The Theravada Abhidhamma tradition, also known as the Abhidhamma Method, refers to a scholastic systematization of the Theravāda school's understanding of the highest Buddhist teachings ( Abhidhamma). These teachings are traditionally believed ...
method. Many of these classifications are not exhaustive, and some are not even exclusive. The mātikā ends with 42 twofold classifications according to the sutta method; these 42 are only used in the Dhammasaṅgani, whereas the other 122 are used in some of the other books as well. The main body of the Dhammasaṅgani is in four parts. The first part goes through numerous states of mind, listing and defining by lists of synonyms, factors present in the states. The second deals with material form, beginning with its own mātikā, classifying by ones, twos and so on, and explaining afterwards. The third explains the book's mātikā in terms of the first two parts, as does the fourth, by a different method (and omitting the sutta method).


Vibhaṅga

The Vibhanga (''Division'' or ''Classification'') consists of 18 chapters, each dealing with a different topic. For example, the first chapter deals with the five aggregates. A typical chapter consists of three parts. The first of these parts explains the topic according to the sutta method, often word-for-word as in actual suttas. The second is Abhidhamma explanation, mainly by lists of synonyms as in the Dhammasaṅgani. The third employs questions and answers, based on the mātikā, such as "How many aggregates are good?"


Dhātukathā

The Dhātukathā (''Discussion of Elements'') covers both the matika and various topics, mostly from the Vibhaṅga, relating them to the 5 aggregates, 12 bases and 18 elements. The first chapter is fairly simple: "In how many aggregates etc. are good dhammas etc. included?" The book progressively works up to more complicated questions: "From how many aggregates etc. are the dhammas dissociated from attention etc. dissociated?"


Puggalapaññatti

The Puggalapaññatti (''Designation of Person'') starts with its own mātikā, which begins with some standard lists but then continues with lists of persons grouped numerically from ones to tens. This latter portion of the mātikā is then explained in the main body of the work. It lists human characteristics encountered on the stages of a Buddhist path. Most of the lists of persons and many of the explanations are also found in the Anguttara Nikaya.


Kathāvatthu

The Kathāvatthu (''Points of Controversy'') consists of more than two hundred debates on questions of doctrine. The questions are heretical in nature, and are answered in such a way as to refute them. It starts with the question of whether or not a soul exists. It does not identify the participants. The commentary says the debates are between the Theravāda and other schools, which it identifies in each case. These identifications are mostly consistent with what is known from other sources about the doctrines of different schools.Bareau, ''Les Sectes bouddhiques du Petit Véhicule'', Ecole Française d'Extrême Orient, Saigon, 1955 It is the only portion attributed to a specific author, Moggaliputta.


Yamaka

The Yamaka (''Pairs'') consists of ten chapters, each dealing with a different topic; for example, the first deals with roots. A typical chapter (there are a number of divergences from this pattern) is in three parts. The first part deals with questions of identity: "Is good root root?" "But is root good root?" The entire Yamaka consists of such pairs of converse questions, with their answers. Hence its name, which means pairs. The second part deals with arising: "For someone for whom the form aggregate arises, does the feeling aggregate arise?" The third part deals with understanding: "Does someone who understands the eye base understand the ear base?" In essence, it is dealing with psychological phenomena.


Paṭṭhāna

The Paṭṭhāna (''Activations'' or ''Causes'') deals with 24 conditions in relation to the matika: "Good dhamma is related to good dhamma by root condition", with details and numbers of answers. This Paṭṭhāna text comprise many cause and effects theory detail expositions, limitation and unlimitation of to their direction depended nature with ultimate.


Place in the tradition

The importance of the Abhidhamma Pitaka in classical Sinhalese Buddhism is suggested by the fact that it came to be furnished, not only, like much of the canon, with a commentary and a subcommentary on that commentary, but even with a subsubcommentary on that subcommentary. In more recent centuries, Burma has become the main centre of Abhidhamma studies. However, all of
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
and
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
hold it in high regard. The Abhidhamma Pitika or its summaries are commonly chanted at Theravada funeral ceremonies.


Myanmar (Burma)

In Myanmar, the full Abhidhamma—especially the five volumes of the ''Paṭṭhāna''—is ritually chanted for protection. The ''Paṭṭhāna'', which details the interrelated causes of mental and physical phenomena, is viewed as a symbol of the Buddha's omniscience and a safeguard for his teachings. It is widely believed to protect against all dangers, appease gods, and repel evil spirits. Because of its intense nature, it is often paired with the '' Karaṇīyamettā Sutta'', a loving-kindness chant, to provide balance and relief. The final book of the Abhidhamma Pitaka, the Patthana, is chanted continuously for seven days and nights at an annual festival in
Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553. Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...
.


Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand

In Thailand, an abridged version of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka from ''The Royal Chanting Book'' is chanted at funerals to aid the deceased's transition to the next life. Abhidhamma texts composed in Thailand in the 15th and 16th centuries continued to be preached to lay audiences until the early 20th century. Condensed versions of the seven books of the Abhidhamma Pitaka are some of the most common texts found in Thai and Khmer manuscript collections.Skilling, Peter. “Scriptural Authenticity and the Śrāvaka Schools: An Essay towards an Indian Perspective.” The Eastern Buddhist, vol. 41, no. 2, 2010, pp. 1–47. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44362554. Accessed 25 Feb. 2020. A survey conducted in the early 20th Century by Louis Finot found that the Abhidhamma Pitaka was the only one of the three Pitakas possessed in complete form by most Laotian monasteries.


See also

*
Abhidhammāvatāra ''Abhidhammavatara'' (Pali, also ''Abhidhammāvatāra''), according to Encyclopædia Britannica is "the earliest effort at systematizing, in the form of a manual, the doctrines dealt with in the Abhidhamma (scholastic) section of the Theravada Bud ...
*
Access to Insight Access to Insight is a Theravada Buddhist website providing access to many translated texts from the Tipitaka, and contemporary materials published by the Buddhist Publication Society and many teachers from the Thai Forest Tradition. History Ac ...
*
Buddhist Publication Society The Buddhist Publication Society (BPS) is a publishing house with charitable status, whose objective is to disseminate the teachings of Gautama Buddha. It was founded in Kandy, Sri Lanka, in 1958 by two Sri Lankan lay Buddhists, A.S. Karunaratn ...
* Dhamma Society Fund *
List of suttas Suttas from the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon. * List of Digha Nikaya suttas * List of Majjhima Nikaya suttas * List of Samyutta Nikaya suttas * List of Anguttara Nikaya suttas * List of Khuddaka Nikaya suttas See also * Buddhist texts * I ...
*
Pali Text Society The Pāli Text Society is a text publication society founded in 1881 by Thomas William Rhys Davids "to foster and promote the study of Pāli texts." Pāli is the language in which the texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism are preserved. The ...
*
Pariyatti (bookstore) Pariyatti is a nonprofit organization focused on the Theravadan tradition, based in Onalaska, Washington. It publishes, distributes, sells and donates books and media devoted to the teachings of the Buddha. It has been called "North A ...


References


External links

*
Readable online HTML book of the Dhammasangani (first book of the Abhidhamma)

Vibhaṅga - 'The Book of Analysis'

Dhātukathā - 'Discourse on Elements'

Puggalapaññatti - 'A Designation of Human Types'

Kathāvatthu - 'Points of Controversy'

Yamaka - The Book on Pairs

Paṭṭhāna - The Book of Conditions or 'Conditional Relations' Part 1

Paṭṭhāna - The Book of Conditions or 'Conditional Relations' Part 2
{{Buddhism topics Abhidhamma Pitaka Theravada Buddhist texts Tripiṭaka Buddhist texts Theravada Pali literature Indian literature