The Dhammasaṅgaṇī (

Pāli Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a classical Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Therav� ...

; ; ), also known as the ''Dhammasaṅgaha'', is a Buddhist scripture, part of the

Pali Canon The Pāḷi Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhism, Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant Early Buddhist texts, early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from t ...

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. It is the first of the seven texts of the

Abhidhamma Pitaka The Theravada Abhidhamma tradition, also known as the Abhidhamma Method, refers to a scholastic systematization of the Theravada, Theravāda school's understanding of the highest Buddhist teachings (Abhidharma, Abhidhamma). These teachings are t ...

. The book begins with a ''matika'' (

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

for "matrix"), which is a list of 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, variously translated as ideas, phenomena, states, patterns etc. The text lacks a nidana, though the commentaries record that attempts were made at creating one that depicted the Buddha preaching 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 ...

in one of the heavenly realms.

tradition attributes the Dhammasaṅgaṇī to Sariputra, who is held to have recited the Abhidhamma as part of the sutta texts at the First Buddhist Council, and regards it as one of the canonical teachings that Mahinda brought to

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, ...

from the empire of

Asoka Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was Emperor of Magadha from until his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynasty. His empire covered a large p ...

. Its title is abbreviated 'Dhs' in

scholarship.

Format

Following the ''matika'', the main body of the book is in four parts, as follows. * The first part deals with states of mind, listing and defining factors present in them. * The second deals with material phenomena, classifying them numerically, by ones, twos etc. * The third part applies the material in the first two to explaining the classifications in the matika. * The fourth does likewise, but in a different and sometimes more detailed way, and omitting the sutta method 2-fold classifications. This fourth part is mostly omitted from the old translation, only a few extracts being included. The new translation is complete. Rhys Davids (1900) divisions of the text are as follows:

Translations

Several English translations are available, including: * ''The Dhammasangani'', edited by Edward Müller, 1885, published for the Pali Text Society, by H. Frowde in London * ''A Buddhist Manual of Psychological Ethics'', tr C. A. F. Rhys Davids, Royal Asiatic Society, 1900; reprinted with corrections,

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 ...

, Bristol *''Dhammasaṅgaṇī: Enumeration of the Ultimate Realities'', tr U Kyaw Khine, Department for the Promotion and Propagation of the Sasana, Rangoon, ?1996; reprinted by Sri Satguru Pubns, Delhi, 2 volumes

References

External links

Books for sale of the Dhammasangani (HTML)
{{Buddhism topics Abhidhamma Pitaka Theravada Buddhist texts Buddhist texts Pali literature Buddhist literature

Format

Translations

See also

References

External links