Reply To: Is Abhidhama the teachings of the Buddha?

#53033
Lal
Keymaster

“The Buddha said that after he had mahaparinibbana, Only the Dhamma and Vinaya will be our teachers. “

  • There is no contradiction. Abhidhamma is also Dhamma. 
  • Abhidhamma is the same as Dhamma in the Sutta Pitaka, but it is presented a bit differently (systematically and analytically). 
  • Here is a rough analogy that can give the idea. To drive a car, one does not need to understand the physics and engineering of how it is built. However, if the car breaks down while driving, that person cannot fix even a minor problem and could get stuck. However, someone with a bit of knowledge about the car may be able to fix a minor issue. A mechanic with more knowledge about the car’s construction may be able to fix more problems.
  • That is how we should look at Abhidhamma. The more Abhidhamma knowledge one has, the easier it becomes to resolve some issues that may arise while studying suttas
  • Also see “Abhidhamma – Introduction.”

P.S. As discussed in that post, Abhidhamma was not taught to the public at the time of the Buddha. The Buddha described the Abhidhamma framework to Ven. Sariputta, and it took over 200 years for bhikkhus to develop the Abhidhamma theory fully. Only ready parts were recited in the early Sangayanas (Buddhist Councils), and the completed Abhidhamma Pitaka was recited in the third Council about 250 years after the Parinibbana of the Buddha. See #7 in the post.

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