The ''Abhidharmakośabhāṣya'' (, lit. Commentary on the Treasury of Abhidharma), ''Abhidharmakośa'' () for short (or just ''Kośa'' or AKB), is a key text on the

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 ...

written in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

by the Indian Buddhist scholar

Vasubandhu Vasubandhu (; Tibetan: དབྱིག་གཉེན་ ; floruit, fl. 4th to 5th century CE) was an influential Indian bhikkhu, Buddhist monk and scholar. He was a philosopher who wrote commentary on the Abhidharma, from the perspectives of th ...

in the 4th or 5th century CE. The ''Kośa'' summarizes the

Sarvāstivādin The ''Sarvāstivāda'' (; ;) was one of the early Buddhist schools established around the reign of Ashoka (third century BCE).Westerhoff, The Golden Age of Indian Buddhist Philosophy in the First Millennium CE, 2018, p. 60. It was particularl ...

Abhidharma in eight chapters with a total of around 600 verses and then comments on (and often criticizes) it. This text was widely respected and used by schools of

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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

and

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

. Over time, the ''Abhidharmakośa'' became the main source of

and Sravakayana Buddhism for later

Mahāyāna Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...

Buddhists. In the ''Kośa'', Vasubandhu presents various views on the Abhidharma, mainly those of the

Sarvāstivāda The ''Sarvāstivāda'' (; ;) was one of the early Buddhist schools established around the reign of Ashoka (third century BCE).Westerhoff, The Golden Age of Indian Buddhist Philosophy in the First Millennium CE, 2018, p. 60. It was particularl ...

Vaibhāṣika Sarvāstivāda-Vaibhāṣika () or simply Vaibhāṣika () is an ancient Buddhist tradition of Abhidharma (scholastic Buddhist philosophy), which was very influential in north India, especially Kashmir.Westerhoff 2018, pp. 60–61. In various tex ...

, which he often criticizes from a

Sautrāntika The Sautrāntika or Sutravadin (, Suttavāda in Pali; ; ; ) were an early Buddhist school generally believed to be descended from the Sthavira nikāya by way of their immediate parent school, the Sarvāstivādins.Westerhoff, Jan, The Golden Ag ...

perspective. The ''Kośa'' includes an additional chapter in prose refuting the idea of the "person" (''pudgala'') favoured by some Buddhists of the

Pudgalavada The Pudgalavāda (Sanskrit; English: "Personalism"; Pali: Puggalavāda; zh, t=補特伽羅論者, p=Bǔtèjiāluō Lùnzhě; ) was a Buddhist philosophical view and also refers to a group of Nikaya Buddhist schools (mainly known as Vātsīputr� ...

school. The

master Samghabhadra considered that Vasubandhu had misrepresented numerous key points of

Abhidharma in the ''Kośa'', and saw Vasubandhu as a

(upholder of the

sutra ''Sutra'' ()Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aphorism or a collection of aphorisms in the form of a manual or, more broadly, a ...

s). However, Vasubandhu often presents and defends the

Abhidharma position on certain topics (contra

). Because of this, Chinese commentators like Pu Guang do not see Vasubandhu as either a Vaibhāṣika nor as a Sautrāntika.de la Vallee Poussin and Sangpo (2012) (Volume I), p. 10.

Background

The ''Abhidharmakośabhāṣya'' (AKB) is a work of

, a field of Buddhist

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

which mainly draws on the

Abhidharma tradition. This tradition includes various groupings or "schools", the two main ones being Vaibhāṣika and Sautrāntika.de la Vallee Poussin and Sangpo (2012) (Volume I), pp. 2-3. The main source for the Vaibhāṣika tradition (which was based in Kaśmīra) is the ''

Abhidharma Mahāvibhāṣa Śāstra The ''Abhidharma Śāstra'' () is an ancient Buddhist text. It is thought to have been authored around 150 CE. It is an encyclopedic work on Abhidharma—scholastic Buddhist philosophy. Its composition led to the founding of a new doctrinal schoo ...

.'' The other main tradition of Sarvāstivāda philosophy were those masters who were called "westerners" (Pāścāttya) or "outsiders" (Bāhyaka) and they were mainly based in

Gandhara Gandhara () was an ancient Indo-Aryan people, Indo-Aryan civilization in present-day northwest Pakistan and northeast Afghanistan. The core of the region of Gandhara was the Peshawar valley, Peshawar (Pushkalawati) and Swat valleys extending ...

. These masters (later known as Sautrāntikas) did not fully accept the Vaibhāṣika philosophy and compiled their own Abhidharma texts, such as the ''Abhidharma-hṛdaya'' by Dharmaśrī'','' which was the first Abhidharma text to provide a series of verses with prose commentary (this is the style that the ''Kośa'' follows). This work was very influential on subsequent Abhidharma texts (which imitated its style) and various commentaries were written on it. The ''Abhidharmakośabhāṣya'''s style and structure is based on these Sautrāntika Abhidharma works. According to K.L. Dhammajoti, in the AKB'','' Vasubandhu often favors the opinion of the

school against the Sarvāstivāda Vaibhāṣikas (when there is a dispute). For example, he criticizes the doctrine of the existence of the three times (past, present, future), a central

doctrine. However, this is not always the case and he seems to have sometimes also favored certain Vaibhāṣika doctrines (contra Sautrāntika), including the reality of certain mental factors (caittas), the notion of the conjunction () of mind () and mental factors and also the Sarvāstivāda doctrine of simultaneous causation (') which was rejected by Sautrantika masters like Śrīlāta.

Content Overview

The text is divided into the following chapters.

1: The Exposition on the Elements ('' dhātu-nirdeśa'')

The first chapter of the work outlines the various conditioned and unconditioned factors (dharmas) that constitute sentient existence. This chapter mainly goes over the five aggregates, the sense fields, and the "eighteen dhātus"''.'' It also analyses which of the elements are pure or impure.Hanner, O. (2021, March 25). Abhidharmakośabhāṣya (Treasury of Metaphysics with Self-Commentary). ''Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion.'' Retrieved 4 Jan. 2025, from https://oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-718.

2: The Exposition on the Faculties (''
indriya ''Indriya'' (literally "belonging to or agreeable to Indra") is the Sanskrit and Pali term for physical strength or ability in general, and for and specifically refers to the ''five spiritual faculties'', the five or six sensory faculties, and the ...
-nirdeśa'')

The second chapter examines three interconnected topics, starting with the twenty-two sense faculties (indriya), which govern specific aspects of sentient life. These include the six sense faculties, the male and female sex faculties, the faculty of life force, five feeling faculties (e.g., pleasure and equanimity), five spiritual faculties (e.g., faith and wisdom), and three pure faculties related to spiritual attainment. Vasubandhu also discusses the

list of seventy-five factors, categorized into matter (

rūpa Rūpa () means "form". As it relates to any kind of basic object, it has more specific meanings in the context of Indic religions. Definition According to the Monier-Williams Dictionary (2006), rūpa is defined as: :* ... any outward appearanc ...

), mind (citta), mental factors ( caitasika), conditioned factors dissociated from mind (cittaviprayuktasaṃskāras), and unconditioned factors (asaṃskṛta). This chapter further explores the simultaneous arising of conditioned factors, focusing on the interaction between mind moments (citta) and their accompanying thought concomitants. This leads into a broader discussion of causality, where Vasubandhu identifies the various types of causes (hetu), results (phala), and conditions (pratyaya). Finally, the chapter explains how conscious events (cittas) succeed one another in causal sequence.

3: The Exposition on the World (''loka-nirdeśa'')

The third chapter addresses

Buddhist cosmology Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the Universe according to Buddhist Tripitaka, scriptures and Atthakatha, commentaries. It consists of a temporal and a spatial cosmology. The temporal cosmology describes the ...

, describing the threefold world where sentient beings reside: the realms of desire (kāma-dhātu), realm of form (rūpya-dhātu), and the formless realm (arūpya-dhātu). Vasubandhu also explains the intermediate state ( antarabhava) between death and rebirth and elaborates on dependent origination ( pratītya-samutpāda), which accounts for cyclic existence without an enduring self (atman). He also depicts the receptacle world (bhājana-loka), detailing its physical structure— Mount Sumeru, continents, and oceans—and its

cosmogony Cosmogony is any model concerning the origin of the cosmos or the universe. Overview Scientific theories In astronomy, cosmogony is the study of the origin of particular astrophysical objects or systems, and is most commonly used in ref ...

, temporal cosmology of kalpas and dissolution.

4: The Exposition on Karma (''karma-nirdeśa'')

Chapter four of the Kośa is devoted to a study of action i.e.

karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

. This chapter explores the metaphysics of action, focusing on its most basic form, particularly bodily action. Debates on this topic include the Pudgalavādin view that action is movement, the

claim that it is shape, and Vasubandhu's

position that it is intention (

cetanā Cetanā (Sanskrit, Pali; Tibetan Wylie: sems pa) is a Buddhist term commonly translated as "volition", "intention", "directionality", etc. It can be defined as a mental factor that moves or urges the mind in a particular direction, toward a speci ...

) directed toward the body. The chapter distinguishes between informative actions, observable by others, and non-informative actions, internal to the agent, with mental action playing a crucial role in karmic retribution (vipaka). It also includes the Buddhist classification of ten virtuous and non-virtuous paths of action (karmapatha), concluding with a discussion of the effects of actions, though deferring details of their processes to later sections.

5: The Exposition on the Underlying Tendencies (''anuśaya-nirdeśa'')

This chapter centers on latent dispositions or proclivities (anuśaya), the dormant state of mental afflictions ( kleśa). These are subconscious dispositions that remain inactive until specific causes and conditions trigger them into active defilements, termed “envelopments” (paryavasthāna). Their importance in the Buddhist path lies in their role in motivating karma, which sustains saṃsāric existence. Six primary proclivities are identified: attachment (

rāga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...

), hostility ( pratigha), ignorance ( avidyā), conceit ( māna), doubt ( vicikitsā), and afflicted views ( dṛṣṭi). A major debate covered in this chapter is that between the Sarvāstivāda and Sautrāntika positions on defilement. The Sarvāstivādins view the proclivities (anuśaya) as ultimately existent factors (dharmas) that transform into active defilements, treating "proclivity" and "envelopment" as synonymous. In contrast, Vasubandhu’s Sautrāntika perspective denies their ultimate existence, interpreting proclivities as forces (śākti) within the mind stream that lead to afflictions through transformation. Vasubandhu likens proclivities to seeds (bīja) that mature into fruits (phala). This discussion extends to the nature of past and future dharmas, with Sarvāstivāda asserting their existence and Sautrāntika rejecting unnecessary ontological entities.

6: The Exposition on Paths and Persons (''mārgapudgala-nirdeśa'')

The sixth chapter describes the path to liberation, structured around the

four noble truths In Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths (; ; "The Four Arya (Buddhism), arya satya") are "the truths of the noble one (the Buddha)," a statement of how things really are (Three marks of existence, the three marks of existence) when they are seen co ...

and the schema of the five paths. Vasubandhu addresses concerns such as why the first truth emphasizes

suffering Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, may be an experience of unpleasantness or aversion, possibly associated with the perception of harm or threat of harm in an individual. Suffering is the basic element that makes up the negative valence (psyc ...

and not pleasure. He also provides definitions of conventional and ultimate truths. Meditative practices, including mindfulness of breathing, the loathsomeness of the body, and the four foundations of mindfulness, are explained and categorized under the path of preparation (prayogamārga). The subsequent paths are the path of insight (darśanamārga), the path of cultivation (bhāvanāmārga), and the path of no further training (aśaikṣamārga), correlating with levels of defilement purification and the stages of attainment: stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner, and

arhat In Buddhism, an ''Arhat'' () or ''Arahant'' (, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana (Buddhism), Nirvana'' and has been liberated from the Rebirth (Buddhism ...

. Additionally, the thirty-seven factors conducive to awakening ( bodhipakṣikadharma) are discussed in this chapter.

7: The Exposition on Wisdom (''jñāna-nirdeśa'')

The seventh chapter outlines the ten types of knowledge (

jñāna In Indian philosophy and religions, ' (, ) is "knowledge". The idea of ''jñāna'' centers on a cognitive event which is recognized when experienced. It is knowledge inseparable from the total experience of reality, especially the total or divin ...

) attained by those at advanced spiritual levels. These include knowledge of factors (dharmajñāna), subsequent knowledge (anvayajñāna), mundane conventional knowledge (lokasaṃvṛtijñāna), knowledge of others’ minds (paracittajñāna), and knowledge of the four noble truths (suffering, its origin, cessation, and the path). Advanced forms include knowledge of exhaustion (kṣayajñāna) and non-arising (anutpādajñāna), unique to arhats, representing certainty in the completion of tasks related to the truths. The chapter differentiates these types of knowledge from right view ( samyagdṛṣṭi) and receptivity (kṣānti), while also exploring their qualities and characteristics.

8: The Exposition on Meditative Attainment (''samāpatti-nirdeśa'')

The eighth chapter delves into meditative attainments (samāpatti), offering a detailed analysis of absorptions (

samādhi Statue of a meditating Rishikesh.html" ;"title="Shiva, Rishikesh">Shiva, Rishikesh ''Samādhi'' (Pali and ), in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivati ...

). It describes the qualities of the four meditations ( dhyāna) of the form realm, the four formless perception spheres (āyatana), and the attainment of cessation ( nirodhasamāpatti). Vasubandhu highlights three key types of samādhi: the samādhi of emptiness (

śūnyatā ''Śūnyatā'' ( ; ; ), translated most often as "emptiness", " vacuity", and sometimes "voidness", or "nothingness" is an Indian philosophical concept. In Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, and other Indian philosophical traditions, the concept ...

), leading to the realization of selflessness; the samādhi of signlessness ( animitta), focusing on the nirvana free of characteristics; and the samādhi of wishlessness ( apraṇihita), fostering detachment from all phenomena. The chapter also explores the four immeasurables ( brahmavihāra)—loving-kindness ( maitrī), compassion (

karuṇā () is generally translated as compassion or mercy and sometimes as self-compassion or spiritual longing. It is a significant spiritual concept in the Indic religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Hinduism In Hinduism, is o ...

), joy (

muditā ''Muditā'' (Pāli and Sanskrit: मुदिता) is a dharmic concept of joy, particularly an especially sympathetic or vicarious joy—the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people's well-being. The traditional paradigmatic exam ...

), and equanimity (

upekṣā () is the Buddhist concept of equanimity. As one of the brahmaviharas or "virtues of the "Brahma realm" (), it is one of the wholesome mental factors (( ) cultivated on the Buddhist path to nirvāna through the practice of jhāna. Pali litera ...

)—alongside three additional frameworks of concentration: the eight liberations (vimokṣa), the eight spheres of mastery (abhivāyatana), and the ten totality spheres (kṛtsnāyatana).

9: The Refutation of the View of a Self (''atmavāda-pratiṣedha'')

This additional concluding treatise critiques notions of individuality, targeting two key perspectives. The first is the Pudgalavāda view, which posits the existence of a person (pudgala) distinct yet not separate from the five aggregates. Vasubandhu challenges this with arguments from reason and scripture, particularly addressing the school’s fire-and-fuel analogy. The second critique targets the concept of an enduring self ( ātman), upheld in various forms by all six orthodox Indian schools. Vasubandhu addresses objections from putative Hindu philosophers, tackling issues such as the no-self doctrine's compatibility with memory, agency (e.g., walking), and the differentiation of individual consciousness streams.

The Text and its Translations

The Sanskrit original of the ''Abhidharmakośabhāṣya'' was lost for centuries, and was known to scholarship only through Chinese and Tibetan translations. The work was of such importance to the history of Indian thought that in the 1930s, the great scholar Rāhula Sāṅkṛtyāyana (1893–1963) even re-translated the verses into Sanskrit, from Tibetan, and wrote his own Sanskrit commentary on them. However, during a subsequent visit to Tibet, Sāṅkṛtyāyana discovered an ancient palm-leaf manuscript of 367 leaves that contained not only Vasubandhu's verses, but his lost commentary. In 1967 and then in a revised edition of 1975, Prof. P. Pradhan of Utkal University finally published the original Sanskrit text of the ''Abhidharmakośabhāṣya'', Vasubandhu's great work summarizing earlier traditions of the Vibhāṣā school of Buddhist philosophy. The ''Abhidharmakośa-kārikā'' (the verses) and the ''Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya'' (the auto-commentary) were translated into Chinese in the 6th century by Paramārtha (T1559). They were translated again in the 7th century by

Xuanzang Xuanzang (; ; 6 April 6025 February 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (), also known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva, was a 7th-century Chinese Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making ...

(T1560 & T1558). Other translations and commentaries exist in Tibetan, Chinese, Classical Mongolian and

Old Uyghur Old Uyghur () was a Turkic language spoken in Qocho from the 9th–14th centuries as well as in Gansu. History Old Uyghur evolved from Old Turkic, a Siberian Turkic language, after the Uyghur Khaganate broke up and remnants of it migrated ...

. The verses and the commentary were first translated into a European language by Louis de La Vallée-Poussin, published in 1923–1931 in French, which is primarily based on Xuanzang's Chinese translation but also references the Sanskrit text, Paramārtha's Chinese translation, and the Tibetan. Currently, three complete English translations exist. The first by Leo M. Pruden in 1988 and the second by Gelong Lodrö Sangpo in 2012 are both based on La Vallée-Poussin's French translation. The third by Masahiro Shōgaito in 2014 is a translation of the Uighur translation of Xuanzang's Chinese translation. * * * *

Commentaries

There are many commentaries written on this text.

Indian Commentaries

Indian Buddhist commentaries include:de La Vallee Poussin & Sangpo (2012), p. 92 * Samghabhadra (5th century CE), ''Abhidharmakośa-śāstra-kārikā-bhāṣya'' (Tibetan: '). This is a brief summary of the ''Abhidharmakośa''. * Samghabhadra (5th century CE), ''Nyāyānusāra''. This text critiques Vasubandhu's exposition on numerous points and defends the Vaibhasika orthodox views against Vasubandhu and other Sautrāntikas such as the elder Śrīlāta and his pupil Rāma. It only survives in a Chinese translation by

. * Yashomitra (6th c. CE), ''Abhidharmakośa-ṭīkā'' or ''Abhidharmakośa-sphuṭārthā'' (''chos mngon pa'i mdzod kyi 'grel bshad (don gsal ba)'' * Sthiramati (6th c. CE), ''Abhidharmakoṣa-bhāṣya-ṭīkā-tattvārtha'' (''chos mngon pa mdzod kyi bshad pa'i rgya cher 'grel pa, don gyi de kho na nyid'') * Dignaga (6th c. CE), ''Abhidharmakośa-vṛtti-marmapradīpa'' (''chos mngon pa'i mdzod kyi 'grel pa gnad kyi sgron ma'') *Purnavardhana, ''Abhidharmakośa-ṭīkā-lakṣaṇānusāriṇī'' (''chos mngon pa mdzod kyi 'grel bshad mtshan nyid kyi rjes su 'brang ba''). Purnavardhana was a student of Sthiramati. * Purnavardhana, ''Abhidharmakośa-ṭīkā-lakṣaṇānusāriṇī'' (2nd commentary, but with same name as the first) * Śamathadeva (date unknown), ''Abhidharmakośa-ṭīkopayikā'' (''chos mngon pa'i mdzod kyi 'grel bshad nye bar mkho ba,'' Derge no. 4094 / Peking no. 5595), a handbook of the ''Kośa'' that quotes passages from the

Mūlasarvāstivāda The Mūlasarvāstivāda (; ) was one of the early Buddhist schools of India. The origins of the Mūlasarvāstivāda school and their relationship to the Sarvāstivāda remain largely unknown, although various theories exist. The continuity of t ...

Tripitaka There are several Buddhist canons, which refers to the various scriptural collections of Buddhist sacred scriptures or the various Buddhist scriptural canons.

. * Unknown author, ''Sārasamuccaya-nāma-abhidharmāvatāra-ṭīkā'' (''chos mngon pa la 'jug pa rgya cher 'grel pa snying po kun las btus'')

Chinese Commentaries

According to Paul Demiéville, some of the major extant Chinese commentaries to the ''Abhidharmakośa include'': * Shen-t'ai (神泰), ''Chü-she lun shu'', originally in twenty Chinese volumes, today only volumes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 17 are extant. * P'u-kuang (普光), ''Chü-she lun chi'' (in thirty-volumes, 7th century), which quotes Shen-t'ai. P'u-kuang also wrote a small treatise on the Kosa. * Fa-pao (法寶), ''Chü-she lun shu'', which quotes Shen-t'ai and P'u-kuang. * Yuan-hui (圓暉), ''Chü-she lun sung shu.'' (俱舍論頌疏) According to Demiéville, this work was "commented upon several times in China and widely used in Japan; it is from this work that the Mahayanists generally draw their knowledge of the ''Kośa''. But from the point of view of Indology, it does not offer the same interest as the three preceding commentaries." Two other disciples of

, Huai-su and K'uei-chi, wrote commentaries on the ''Kośa'' which are lost.de La Vallee Poussin & Sangpo (2012), p. 93.

Tibetan Commentaries

* Chim Lozang Drakpa (1299-1375), ''An Ocean of Excellent Explanations Clarifying the Abhidharma Kośa'' (') *Chim Jampé Yang (13th century), ''Ornament of Abhidharma'' ('), Chim Jampé Yang was a student of Chim Lozang Drakpa. * Rongtön Sheja Kunrig (1367-1449), ''Thoroughly Illuminating What Can be Known'' ('). Rongtön was a great scholar of the Sakya school. * Gendün Drup, First Dalai Lama (1391–1474) ''Illuminating the Path to Liberation'' (') * The Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje (1556–1603), ''An Explanation of the Treasury of Abhidharma called the Essence of the Ocean of Abhidharma, The Words of Those who Know and Love, Explaining Youthful Play, Opening the Eyes of Dharma, the Chariot of Easy Practice'' (') * Mipham Rinpoche (1846–1912), (') * Jamyang Loter Wangpo (1847-1914), ''A Lamp Illuminating Vasubandhu's Intention'' (') *

Khenpo Shenga Khenpo Shenga Rinpoche, also Shenpen Chökyi Nangwa (1871–1927) was a Tibetan scholar in the Nyingma and Sakya (Tibetan Buddhist school), Sakya traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Life Khenpo Shenga he undertook religious study at a relatively you ...

(1871–1927), ''A Mirror for What Can be Known'' (')

Notes

References

Sources

Printed sources

* * * Vallée Poussin, Louis de la, trad. (1923-1931). ''L’Abhidharmakosa de Vasubandhu'', Paris: Paul Geuthner
Vol. 1Vol. 2Vol. 3Vol. 4Vol. 5Vol. 6
* Pruden, Leo M. (1991), Abhidharmakosabhasyam, translated from the French translation by Louis de la Vallée Poussin, Asian Humanities Press, Berkeley. *

Web-sources

External links

Multilingual edition of the Abhidharmakośa in the Bibliotheca Polyglotta
Web archiv
Multilingual edition of the Abhidharmakośa in the Bibliotheca Polyglotta

* ttp://n2t.net/ark:/13960/t4km61j45 Sanskrit text of the Abhidharmakośabhāṣya edited by P. Pradhān and published (2ed) in 1975 {{DEFAULTSORT:Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya Abhidharma Mahayana texts Early Buddhism Buddhism in the Heian period Buddhism in the Nara period