Here, “upa” and “dāna” are the key terms. They mean “keeping close” and “to give.” As we know, “dāna, sila, bhāvanā” are key components of Buddhist living.
- Then “ādāna” is the opposite of“dāna,” i.e., to “receive or get,”
- Thus, ‘upādāna‘ (“upa” + “ādāna”) is to “pull toward oneself” or “keep close to oneself.” Furthermore, “upādāya” means “to help or assist with the ‘upādāna‘ process. Thus, “upādāya rupa” helps with inducing craving.
- ‘Upādāna‘ is triggered by taṇhā. In Paticca Samuppada, “taṇhā paccayā upādāna.”
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Tobias asked; ” how could the disciples figure out or put together the Abhidhamma theory 200 years after the Buddha’s passing? “
- You perhaps did not read the post “Abhidhamma – Introduction.” Please do so.
- Keep in mind that the Buddha explained the Abhidhamma framework to Ven. Sariputta in detail; you need to read that post.
- Furthermore, those bhikkhus were all Arahants. Abhidhamma was finalized at the Third Buddhist Council (roughly 200 years after the Buddha), and the whole Tipitaka was written down only about 500 years after the Buddha (again by all Arahants).
P.S. Compiling the Abhidhamma theory is not an easy task. I read somewhere the following analogy. Using the Sutta Pitaka to attain Nibbana is like making a cake with a recipe, where one starts with the raw ingredients—like flour and sugar. In Abhidhamma, one can also explain the composition of flour and sugar at the atomic/molecular level.
