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.

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.

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2015 in the subject Theology - Miscellaneous, grade: 3.80, , course: Master Degree in Buddhist Studies, language: English, abstract: The Dhammasangani is a summary of the key principles of the other six books of the Pāli Abhidhamma Pitaka. Its contents was written according to the Buddha’s teaching, which uncover every latent and functional bits of our subtler interior strata that comprises the 89 consciousness, the 52 mental concomitants, and total 279 corporeal phenomena—explicitly analyse and explain these often unseen complexities within us, from the psychological, philosophical, moral and ethical aspects. This is a book which lays the solid foundation theories and principles for its practical side of the Samantha-Vipassanā. The present work is the result of almost a year of inquiry into the fundamental tenets of the Dhammasangani in the Theravada school of Abhidhamma. There were daunting yet enriching challenges in the preparation of the work such as the encounters with sometimes the ambiguous or different explanations for certain terms and principles from some of the translated modern literatures of the Dhammasangani. For such cases I made consultation to the Pāli texts of the Dhammasangani, to its commentary Atthasālinī and the sub-commentary Dhammasangani-Mūlatīkā. Subsequent consultations to the Pāli-English dictionaries by P.T.S. and others, are also sometimes faced with different renderings. My decision in such cases was including all their suggested meanings relevant to that context, and sometimes giving my recommended choice to what looked like is the obvious answer, and stating my reasons whenever that was necessary. Another difficult task was to still following the topical layout of the Dhammasanghani but to steer clear of its traditional way of catechetical exposition, and at the same time able to present as much as of its theories and essence as possible. We know that a well-presented table speaks a thousand words. Hence the several tables that I have created and every detailed explanations followed thereto, should be the effective analytical study guides for the new students. The concept of the tables and also much of the contents of the work, have drawn a great deal of the ideas from post-canonical literatures of the Abhidhammattha-sangaha, Visuddhimagga, and the mentioned Chinese sources. My decision to also include the succinct Chinese definitions for the Abhidhamma terminologies is primarily to facilitate those bilingual readers to more comprehensibly understand the connotative nuances of the words in Pāli, by comparison of the English and Chinese translations.

This book examines the states in question based on four principles: including, not-including, association, dissociation. There are 371 states of inquiry which consist of 105 internal states, are taken from the first 13 Chapters of the second book, Vibhanga; and 266 external states, are taken from triads and dyads in Dhammasangani. These 371 states are first examined in Chapter 1 whereby states of inquiry from the subsequent thirteen chapters are later based on. These states are examined using fourteen methods, through the different combinations of states and different combinations of the four principles, for answers in terms of aggregates, bases, and elements. These fourteen methods end with 2453 states of inquiry which allow us to examine all conceivable mental phenomena with reference to the three schemata of aggregates, bases, and elements. I have included a chart and analytical answers, not whole numbers but in specifics, for every of these states of inquiry. I have also provided 35 charts by various other classifications in appendixes as references to the contents and as supplementary guide.

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.

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.