This book provides an effective guide to especially Buddhist practitioners for gauging their daily progress as to path cultivation. It begins with a schedule, enumerating conventional Abhidhamma groups of the 5 aggregates, 12 bases, 18 elements, Truth, 22 faculties, follows by the exposition of individual-types by units, twofold, threefold, up to descriptions under tenfold. Nearly all of its designations are identical parallels drawn from the ten Nipatas of the Anguttara Nikaya with only some minor variations and omissions. Other designations are also found, sometimes as fragmentary descriptions, sometimes with different meanings, in the various suttas of the Nikayas. For the benefit of the readers, I have referenced these relevant suttas in the schedule, and I have also given necessary exposition to these referenced suttas in the subsequent Chapters. This book analyses 390 types of individual, or more specifically, types of monks and nuns, although some of the designations do overlap. These are unequivocal norms of measurements drawn up as a yardstick for providing advice to the declining monastics as well as a good manual for advancing progress of the assiduous monastics.

The Abhidhamma, the third great division of the early Buddhist teaching, maps out with remarkable rigor & precision the inner landscape of the mind to be crossed through the practical work of Buddhist meditation. In this groundbreaking book, Venerable Nyanaponika Thera penetrates Abhidhamma's formidable face to make its principles intelligible to the thoughtful reader of today.

This book covers the eighteen treatises of the original scripture of Vibhanga, the second book of the Theravada Abhidhamma corpus. A total of 273 tables, 30 diagrams, and lucidly-defined outlines of points and summaries are used extensively throughout this book to present the contents of the original text as lively as possible to readers. The treatises are divided into three distinct groups. The first group containing the Five Aggregates, Twelve Sense-Bases, Eighteen Elements, Four Noble Truths, Twenty-Two Controlling Faculties, and Dependent Origination, are the fundamental requisites for developing our right views and wisdom. The second group contains the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, Four Right Strivings, Four Means to Accomplishment, Seven Factors of Enlightenment, Noble Eightfold Path, and Jhana, provide the basis for practicing wisdom using the different approaches, all of which are interdependent modular functions connecting one to another. The third group contains the Illimitables, Precepts, Analytical Insight, kinds of Knowledge, numerical list of defilement, and kernel of the Buddha's teaching - provide supplementary information illuminated in extensive details not apropos to being dealt with in the preceding twelve Chapters.

A lucid explanation of the basic contours of the Theravada Abhidamma system for serious students of Buddhist thought. The renowned Sri Lankan scholar Y. Karunadasa examines Abhidhamma perspectives on the nature of phenomenal existence. He begins with a discussion of dhamma theory, which describes the bare phenomena that form the world of experience. He then explains the Abhidhamma view that only dhammas are real, and that anything other than these basic phenomena are conceptual constructs. This, he argues, is Abhidhamma’s answer to common-sense realism—the mistaken view that the world as it appears to us is ultimately real. Among the other topics discussed are the theory of double truth (ultimate and conceptual truth), the analysis of mind, the theory of cognition, the analysis of matter, the nature of time and space, the theory of momentary being, and conditional relations. The volume concludes with an appendix that examines why the Theravada came to be known as Vibhajjavada, “the doctrine of analysis.” Not limiting himself to abstract analysis, Karunadasa draws out the Abhidhamma’s underlying premises and purposes. The Abhidhamma provides a detailed description of reality in order to identify the sources of suffering and their antidotes—and in doing so, to free oneself.

Abhidhamma has the fearsome reputation of being somewhat juiceless to a beginner. I was delighted to find that in the introductory chapter Bhikkhu Bodhi gives his explanation of the four-fold ultimate realities in a very clear, calm, exact and expressive way. He brings to the subject a distinctively passionate voice and profound care and respect for the unfathomable wisdom of the Buddha. This is a brilliant gem of a guidebook and will lead the reader to new dimensions of the wisdom of the Buddha. Book jacket.

Dhammasaṅgani is the fundamental first book of the Pali Abhidhamma Pitaka. Its contents represent quintessence of the entire Theravada Abhidhamma philosophy. This book elaborates in considerable detail in six chapters, covering important topics on couplets and triplets of the Abhidhamma matrix, and couplets of the Suttanta matrix in the first chapter; the 89 states of consciousness (cittas) in the second chapter; 52 mental concomitants (cetasikas) and explain how each of these cetasikas correlates with the 89 states of consciousness in the third chapter; all aspects of corporeality in the fourth chapter; detail as to how the terms in each cluster from Abhidhamma matrix are to be applied are explained in the fifth chapter; enumerated expositions on the unconditioned element are given in the last chapter. Dhammasaṅgani expounds all conceivable phenomenal existence with these four ultimate realities: states of consciousness, mental concomitants, corporeality, and Nibbana. Many useful charts are included and explained in this book for assisting readers and students in enhancing their understanding.