Abhidharma

Lore & Background

The Abhidharma developed from early Buddhist lists or matrices (mātṛkās) of key teachings. According to modern scholars, the canonical Abhidharma texts emerged after the time of Gautama Buddha, in around the 3rd century BCE, and are generally claimed not to represent the words of the Buddha himself but those of later Buddhist thinkers. The Vinaya accounts of different schools offer various and sometimes conflicting narratives regarding the canonical status of Abhidharma, with some mentioning that there was some kind of Abhidharma to be learned aside from the sūtras and Vinaya. There are different types of Abhidharma literature. Early canonical works, such as the Pali Abhidhamma Piṭaka, are mainly summaries and expositions of early Buddhist doctrinal lists with their accompanying explanations. Later post-canonical works were written as large treatises (śāstra), commentaries (aṭṭhakathā), or smaller introductory manuals. Numerous schools of Abhidharma existed in India, such as the Theravada and the Vaibhāṣika, which are more developed philosophical works including many innovations and doctrines not found in the canonical Abhidharma. Two interpretations of the term 'Abhi-dharma' are common. According to Bhikkhu Anālayo, the initial meaning in the earliest texts was simply a discussion concerning the Dharma, or talking about the Dharma. The other interpretation, where abhi is interpreted as meaning 'higher' or 'superior', and thus Abhidharma means 'higher teaching', seems to have been a later development.

Reader's Guide

The Abhidharma represents a major achievement of classical Indian philosophy, described by Erich Frauwallner as 'among the major achievements of the classical period of Indian philosophy.' It is an abstract and highly technical systemization of Buddhist doctrine, simultaneously a philosophy, a psychology, and an ethics, all integrated into the framework of a program for liberation. The Abhidharma method seeks to avoid the inexactitudes of colloquial conventional language and state everything in psycho-philosophically exact language, aiming to best express the Buddhist view of 'ultimate reality' (paramārtha-satya). Western scholars have considered the Abhidharma to be the core of what is referred to as 'Buddhism and psychology,' while others describe it as a Buddhist phenomenology or equate it with process philosophy. The Theravādin and Sarvāstivādin Abhidharmikas generally considered the Abhidharma to be the pure and literal description of ultimate truth and an expression of perfect spiritual wisdom, while the sutras were considered conventional and figurative teachings. Abhidharma remains an important field of scholarship among the Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna schools of Buddhism, and its legacy continues in the systematic study of Buddhist doctrine.

Did You Know?

• The earliest Abhidharma texts date from the 3rd century BCE.
• The term 'Abhidharma' can mean either 'about the dharma' or 'higher teaching,' with the latter being a later development.
• The Abhidharma method seeks to state everything in psycho-philosophically exact language, avoiding colloquial inexactitudes.
• The ancient core of Abhidharma consisted of lists called mātṛkās, which were used as aids for memorization and teaching.