Abhidharma (Sanskrit: अभिधर्मा) Sinhala: අභිධර්ම) or Abhidhamma (Pāli: अभिधमा) is a category of Buddhist scriptures that attempts to use Buddhist teachings to create a systematic, abstract description of all worldly phenomena. The Abhidharma represents a generalization and reorganization of the doctrines presented piecemeal in the narrative sūtra tradition. Sanskrit ( , ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Sinhala language Sinhala alphabet Sinhala people Sinhala place-names Sinhala Place Names, see Sinhala place-names Category: ... Pāli is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... SÅ«tra (sex) (Sanskrit) or Sutta (Pāli) literally means a rope or thread that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. ...

The literal translation of the term Abhidharma is unclear. Two possibilities are most commonly given: 1) abhi- higher or special + dharma- teaching, philosophy, thus making Abhidharma the 'higher teachings', or 2) abhi - about + dharma of the teaching, translating it instead as 'about the teaching' or even 'meta-teaching'.

Origins

Scholars generally believe that the Abhidharma emerged after the time of the Buddha, as the growth of monastic centers and support for the Buddhist saṅgha provided the resources and expertise necessary to systematically analyze the early teachings. However, some scholars believe that rather than being wholly created by later thinkers, the Abhidharma represents an expansion of a set of mnemonic lists and categories that were employed by early Buddhists to preserve the oral tradition. Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as association or assembly. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups. ...

Numerous apparently independent Abhidharma traditions arose in India, roughly during the period from the 2nd or 3rd Century BCE to the 5th Century CE. The 7th Century Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang reportedly collected Abhidharma texts from seven different traditions. In the modern era, only the Abhidharmas of the Sarvastivādins and the Theravādins have survived intact, each consisting of seven books. The Theravāda Abhidharma, the Abhidhamma Pitaka (discussed below), is preserved in Pāli, while the Sarvāstivādin Abhidharma is mostly preserved only in Chinese - the (likely Sanskrit) original texts having been lost. A small number of other Abhidharma texts of unknown origin are preserved in translation in the Chinese canon. A portrait of Xuanzang Xuanzang (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsüan-tsang; CantoneseIPA: jyn4tsɔŋ1; CantoneseJyutping: jyun4zong1) (602-644/664) was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk. ... The Sarvastivada (roughly, Proclaiming that all exist) --a reference to one of the distinguishing doctrines of the school, the existence of dharmas in all of the three times (past, present, and future). ... Theravada (Pāli: theravāda, Sanskrit: sthaviravāda → English: The Way of the Elders) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and parts of southwest... The Sarvastivada (roughly, Proclaiming that all exist) --a reference to one of the distinguishing doctrines of the school, the existence of dharmas in all of the three times (past, present, and future). ... Sanskrit ( , ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...

Traditionally, Theravada Buddhists have been of the belief that the Abhidhamma was not a later addition to the tradition, but rather represented the first, original understanding of the teachings by the Buddha. According to myth, shortly after his awakening the Buddha spent several days in meditation, during which he formulated the Abhidhamma. Later, he traveled to the heavenly realm and taught the Abhidhamma to the divine beings that dwelled there, including his deceased mother Mahāmāyā, who reincarnated as a celestial being. The tradition holds that the contents of the teachings given in the heavenly realm were related to the monk Śāriputra, who passed them on. The Abhidhamma is thus presented as a pure and undiluted form of the teaching that was too difficult for most practitioners of the Buddha's time to grasp. Instead, the Buddha taught by the method related in the various suttas, giving appropriate, immediately applicable teachings as each situation arose, rather than attempting to set forth the Abhidhamma in all its complexity and completeness. Thus, there is a similarity between the traditions of the Adhidhamma and that of the Mahayana, which also claimed to be too difficult for the people living in the Buddha's time. Queen Mayas white elephant dream, and the conception of the Buddha. ... Śāriputra (Pali: Sariputta; Chinese: 舍利弗) was the one of the disciples of the Buddha, an arhat who was renowned for his wisdom. ... Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ...

Theravāda Abhidhamma

The Abhidhamma Piṭaka is the third piṭaka, or basket, of the Tipiṭaka (Sanskrit: Tripiṭaka), the canon of the Theravāda school of Buddhism. It consists of the seven sections as described below. The abhidhamma is the name of one of the three pitakas, or baskets of tradition, into which the Tipitaka (Pali; Sanskrit: Tripitaka), the canon of early Buddhism, is divided. ... The Tripitaka (Sanskrit, lit. ... Standard edition of the Thai Pali Canon The Pali Canon is the standard scripture collection of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. ... Theravada (Pāli: theravāda, Sanskrit: sthaviravāda → English: The Way of the Elders) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and continental Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and parts of southwest... hi guys if you are reading this it means you are very gay and geekish so i suggest you get of this site ...

1. Dhamma Saṅganī ('Enumeration of Factors') - Describes the fundamental phenomena or dhamma which constitute human experience.
2. Vibhaṅga ('Analysis') - An analysis of various topics by a variety of methods, including catechism using material from the Dhamma Sangani.
3. Dhātu Kathā ('Discussion of Elements') - Some interrelations between various items from the first two books, formulated as sets of questions and answers.
4. Puggala Paññatti ('Descriptions of Individuals') - An enumeration of the qualities of certain different 'personality types'. These types were believed to be useful in formulating teachings that an individual would respond to positively.
5. Kathāvatthu ('Points of Controversy') - A collection of debates on points of doctrine, traditionally said to have been compiled by Moggaliputta Tissa at the Buddhist Council sponsored by King Ashoka, which took place in the 3rd Century BCE.
6. Yamaka ('The Pairs') - Deals with various questions relating to interrelations within various lists of items; here the items belong to the same list, whereas in the Dhātu Kathā they are in different lists.
7. Patthāna ('Foundational Conditions' or 'Relations') - The laws of interaction by which the dhamma described in the Dhamma Sangani operate.

These have all been published in romanized Pali by the Pali Text Society, and most have been translated into English as well. Some scholars date these works from about 400 BCE to about 250 BCE, the first being the oldest and the fifth the latest of the seven. Additional post-canonical texts composed in the following centuries attempted to further clarify the analysis presented in the Abhidhamma texts. The best known such texts are the Visuddhimagga of Buddhaghosa and the Abhidhammāvatāra of Buddhadatta. The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Codex Manesse, fol. ... Kathavatthu (Pali), literally Points of Controversy, is one of the seven books in the Abhidhamma Pitaka. ... Moggaliputta-Tissa (c. ... Allegiance: Magadhan Empire Rank: Emperor Succeeded by: Dasaratha Maurya Reign: 273 BC-232 BC Place of birth: Pataliputra, India Battles/Wars Kalinga War Emperor Ashoka the Great (Devanagari: अशोक(:); IAST transliteration: , pronunciation: ) (304 BC–232 BC) (Imperial Title:Devanampiya Piyadassi ie He who is the beloved of the Gods who, in... Pāli is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ... The Pali Text Society was founded in 1881 by T.W. Rhys Davids to foster and promote the study of Pali texts. Pali is the language in which the texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism is preserved. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A scholar is either a student or someone who has achieved a mastery of some academic discipline, perhaps receiving financial support through a scholarship. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC - 400s BC - 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC Years: 405 BC 404 BC 403 BC 402 BC 401 BC - 400 BC - 399 BC 398 BC... (Redirected from 250 BCE) Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC 260s BC - 250s BC - 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC 200s BC Years: 255 BC 254 BC 253 BC 252 BC 251 BC - 250 BC... The Visuddhimagga (The path to purity) is a Theravada Buddhist commentary written by Buddhaghosa approximately in 430 CE in Sri Lanka. ... Bhadantācariya Buddhaghosa was a 5th century Indian Theravadin Buddhist commentator and scholar. ...

Early Western translators of the Pāli canon found the Abhidhamma Pitaka the least interesting of the three sections of the Tipiṭaka, and as a result this important aspect of Buddhist philosophy was little studied in the West until the latter half of the 20th Century. Caroline Rhys Davids, a Pāli scholar and the wife of Pali Text Society founder T. W. Rhys Davids, famously described the ten chapters of the Yamaka as "ten valleys of dry bones". Interest in the Abhidhamma has grown in the West as better scholarship on Buddhist philosophy has gradually revealed more information about its origins and significance. Caroline Augusta Foley Rhys Davids (1857-1942) was a Pāli language scholar and translator, and from 1922-1942 president of the Pali Text Society which was founded by her husband T.W. Rhys Davids whom she married in 1894. ... The Pali Text Society was founded in 1881 by T.W. Rhys Davids to foster and promote the study of Pali texts. Pali is the language in which the texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism is preserved. ... Thomas William Rhys Davids (May 12, 1843 - December 27, 1922) was an British scholar of the Pāli language and founder of the Pali Text Society. ...

Within the Theravāda tradition, the prominence of the Abhidhamma has varied considerably from country to country, with Burma (Myanmar) placing the most emphasis on the study of the Abhidhamma.

Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma

The Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma also consists of seven texts. However, comparison of the content of the Sarvastivada texts with that of the Theravada Abhidhamma reveals that it is unlikely that this indicates that one textual tradition originated from the other. In particular, the Theravada Abhidharma contains two texts (the Kathā Vatthu and Puggala Paññatti) that seem entirely out of place in an Abhidharma collection.

The texts of the Sarvāstivādin Abhidharma are:

• Sangītiparyāya ('Discourses on Gathering Together')
• Dharmaskandha ('Aggregation of Dharmas')
• Prajñāptiśāstra ('Treatise on Designations')
• Dhātukāya ('Body of Elements')
• Vijñānakāya ('Body of Consciousness')
• Prakaraṇapāda ('Exposition')
• Jñānaprasthāna ('Foundation of Knowledge')

Following these, are the texts that became the authority of the Vaibhasikas, the Kasmiri Sarvastivada Orthodoxy: The ‘recitation together’, composed by Mahākauṣṭhila – according to the Sanskrit and Tibetan, or Śāriputra – according to the Chinese sources. ... The ‘collection of dharmas’, composed by Śāriputra – according to the Sanskrit and Tibetan, or Maudgalyāyana – according to Chinese sources. ... The ‘designation [of dharmas]’ by Maudgalyāyana – according to the Sanskrit, Tibetan and MPPU, or Mahākātyāyāna – according to Puguang. ... The ‘group of elements’, was written by Pūrṇa – according to Sanskrit and Tibetan sources, or Vasumitra – according to Chinese sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... All traditions agree on Vasumitra being the composer of this text, the ‘classified by group’. The Chinese was translated by Xuanzang as: T26, No. ... The ‘establishment of knowledge’, composed by Kātyāyanīputra, with the Chinese translated by Xuanzang, T26, No. ...

• Mahāvibhāsa ('Great Commentary [on the Jñānaprasthāna]')

Little research in English has been made in these texts. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

See also

• Shastra
• Sutta Pitaka
• Vinaya Pitaka
• Pratitya-samutpada
• Buddhism
• Buddha
• Gautama Buddha

Shastra is a Sanskrit word used (to be pronoucned (shaastra) to denote education/knowledge in a general sense. ... The Sutta Pitaka (suttapiṭaka; or Suttanta Pitaka; Sanskrit सूत्र पिटक Sutra Pitaka) is the second of the three divisions of the Tipitaka or Pali Canon, the great Pali collection of Buddhist writings, the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism. ... Pali or Sanskrit word meaning discipline. The Vinaya is the textual framework for the Buddhist monastic community, or sangha. ... The doctrine of Pratītyasamutpāda (Sanskrit) or Paticcasamuppāda (Pāli; Tibetan: ) Dependent Arising is an important part of Buddhist metaphysics. ... hi guys if you are reading this it means you are very gay and geekish so i suggest you get of this site ... Media:Example. ... Standing Buddha sculpture, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ...

References

• Buddhist Psychology, Caroline Rhys Davids, (London, 1900)
• "On the Abhidhamma books of the Sarvastivadins", by Professor Takakusu, in Journal of the Pali Text Society, 1905.
• Collett Cox, Abhidhamma in Encyclopedia of Buddhism, Robert E. Buswell, Ed., McMillan USA, New York, NY, 2004. ISBN 0-02-865910-4.

Caroline Augusta Foley Rhys Davids (1857-1942) was a Pāli language scholar and translator, and from 1922-1942 president of the Pali Text Society which was founded by her husband T.W. Rhys Davids whom she married in 1894. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, but a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

External links

• www.abhidhamma.org - Numerous books and articles on Abhidhamma by Sujin Boriharnwanaket and others
• www.abhidhamma.com - Abhidhamma the Buddhist Philosophy and Psychology
• BuddhaNet - description of the Abhidhamma
• BuddhaNet - Abhidhamma articles
• Access to Insight - description of the Abhidhamma
• Online excerpt of a well-known book about the Abhidhamma