AN INTERPRETATION TO ‘ABHIDHAMMA’ AND DISCUSS THE REASONS WHICH LED TO ITS EMERGENCE AS A SEPARATE PIṬAKA

Theravāda Buddhist Tipiṭaka consists of Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidhamma. The teaching of the Abhidhamma has been considered as absolute Dhamma. The prefix ‘abhi’ has been used to explain it as: »Kenatthena abhidhamm Dhammātireka Dhammavisesatthena atireka visesatthadīpako hetthabhi-saddo.« The method which is presented in it is different from Sutta Piṭaka.

The teaching of Sutta Piṭaka can be seen everywhere. Buddha has used common examples and language to explain the Dhamma. Therefore, it has also been identified as sappariyāya desanā. But Abhidhamma is called Nippariyāya desanā – it is teaching with the help of technical terms to explain scholastic topics. It has been analyzed and divided in systematical way rather than Sutta Piṭaka, therefore the system of classification is called the Abhidhamma bhājaniya.

Ven. Buddhaghosa has mentioned if somebody wants to understand the Dhamma correctly, he should first study the Abhidhamma. On discussing the Abhidhamma a few questions arise why it was not taken as a separate piṭaka at the fist and second Council. At that time it is believed that there were only Dhamma and Vinaya. Anyway, Abhidhamma was included in the Dhamma. During the Buddha's time some of the monks discussed Abhidhammakathā and Abhivinayakathā. Further, they said that there are two nidānas for Abhidhamma – Abhidhamma nidāna and Desanā nidāna.

The Buddha memorized the Abhidhamma at Ratanakara near the Bodhi tree in the fourth week of His enlightenment. This the whole things considered as Abhidhamma nidāna. He once spent vassa retreat in Tāvatiṃsa Heaven and preached Abhidhamma to his mother-god. From there He came to the human world and preached it to ven. Sāriputta and ven. Sāriputta continued to deliver it to his five hundred disciples.

A.K. Warder gave an opinion that during the first council the Abhidhamma existed as Mātikā. Those monks, while compiling Abhidhamma, they collected the topic Mātikā first. Those Mātikā and other necessary explanations can be found in the Saṅgīti Sutta, Dasuttara Sutta of Dīgha Nikāya

The Buddha preached the Dhamma in common language with narratives, places, personages and other forms of communication. Some monks could misinterpret it in various ways. So, in order to prevent the misinterpretation of the Dhamma and make it in a more systematic, philosophical way, they formed Abhidhamma as a separate piṭaka. Kathāvatthuppakaraṇa was compiled by Moggaliputtatissa Thera and was added to the then extant six texts during the third council. Therefore, the modern scholars believed that as a result of systematic compilation of Dhamma, these Abhidhamma books were made by Buddhist scholar monks.

Though Abhidhamma was nor preached by the Buddha, it is considered to be the real teaching of the Buddha as it contains the Dhamma of the Buddha himself. Sarvastivādins also believed that the Abhidhamma has been preached by the Buddha, mentioned in Abhidharmakośavyakhya.