Kogen Mizuno gives, as a
definition
of abhidhamma in his Index to the Pali Canon (Part II, p.
Abhidharmakosabhasyam-Vol-1-Vasubandhu-Poussin-Pruden-1991
D.
--is today preserved in Chinese translations, translations carried out largely by Hsuan-tsang in the mid-7th century; and the bulk of the later Abhidharma literature--dating from the 5th to the 12th century--is largely preserved in Tibetan translation.
Only a small but important portion of this literature has been preserved in its original Sanskrit: Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakosabhdsyam, and its commentary, Yasomitra's Vydkhyd.
The student of the Abhidharma is therefore obliged to develop a reading ability in Buddhist Chinese, Tibetan, and of course, Sanskrit and Pali.
A significant Abhidhamma literature exists in the Pali language, a very close
dialect of Sanskrit (the word "Abhidharma" is Sanskrit, the word "Abhidhamma" is
Pali). In this Pali tradition of Theravada Buddhism (the predominant form of
Buddhism in Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia), the Abhidhamma
forms one of the Baskets (Pali: Pitaka) of canonical Buddhist scriptures, and so
assumes the role of canonical authority. Even though the Pali Canon, the Tipitaka,
was closed at the Third Council of the Theravadins held in approximately 237 B. C,
Abhidhamma works continued to be composed after this date, although with less
frequency. Theravadin scholar-monks continued to study the Abhidhamma, and
this tradition gave rise to a subcommentarial literature composed in both Pali and
the regional languages of South and Southeast Asia (Singhalese, Burmese, Thai,
etc. ). Much of this later, post-canonical Pali Abhidhamma literature remains
l
unpublished, and almost all of it remains untranslated into any Western language. So too only a small portion of the Sanskrit language Abhidharma literature exists in English translation, although at the present time slightly more exists in
French.
Although English language materials for the study of the Abhidharma
literature are quite limited,--especially when viewed in comparison with the bulk of the extant literature of this tradition,--there are some excellent books which may be read with profit by the beginning student of Buddhist philosophy.
? xxii Translator's Preface
The student would do well to read the excellent essay by Chogyam Trungpa Rimpoche, Glimpses of the Abhidharma (Boulder, Prajna Press, 1978) which distills the essential message of Buddhist scholasticism and demonstrates the importance of the Abhidharma to the sddhaka of the still vital Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Another excellent work of great benefit to the student of Abhidharma is Prof. Herbert V. Guenther's Psychology and Philosophy in the Abhidharma (New Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass, 1st edition, 1970, and many subsequent editions) which gives the author's presentation and analysis of the content of both the Northern or Sanskrit Abhidharma tradition with that of its Southern or Pali cousin.
***
It may not be out of place here to say a few words, by way of a niddna, concerning my involvement with the Abhidharmakosabhasyam.
In the years 1964 to 19661 was enrolled in Tokyo University, in the Department
2 of Indian and Buddhist Studies, where I studied the text of Gyonen's Risshu-koyo
under the direction of Prof. Akira Hirakawa. After I had finished my studies on this
text, I asked Prof. Hirakawa what he would recommend I study next. He asked me if
I wanted to continue with Vinaya studies,--Prof. Hirakawa's specialty,--but I
replied that I should like to study another field of Buddhism. Prof. Hirakawa then^
recommended that I begin the study of Buddhist philosophy in the traditional
Japanese, the Kusharon). 1 replied that this would be a fine idea, and so in token of my new direction in study, Prof. Hirakawa gave me a set of books dealing with the philosophy of the Kusharon, the ten volume set, Kusharon-kogi ("Lectures on the Kusharon"), a work which is the compilation of a series of 238 lectures given on the Kusharon by one Rev. Horei Sakurai (1861-1923). Rev. Sakurai was a cleric of the Higashi Honganji Tradition of Jodo Shin Buddhism, and was the incumbent
4 (jushoku)oftheHakutojitemple,FukuokaPrefecture,Kyushu. Rev. Sakuraigave
these lectures in Kyushu in the last decade of the 19th century, and they were published in 1898 (Meiji 31) by the Shisokan, Kyoto: the set of Sakurai's lectures that Prof. Hirakawa gave me had in turn been given to him by his teacher, Prof. Shoson Miyamoto (1893-1984) and so contained the annotation of both of these scholars.
Sakurai's book is a very useful scholarly tool, since his lectures were based on the text of the Kusharon (in Hsuan-tsang's Chinese translation) and the Chinese commentaries on this work by Fa-pao and P'u-kuang, two masters who had worked
manner, that is, with the study of Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakosabhasyam (in 3
? 5
directly with Hsiian-tsang. 1 began reading Sakurai's work in June of 1966 and
completed it several months later. My reading of Sakurai's work taught me two things: 1) the commentaries of Fa-pao and P'u-kuang are both valuable sources of information about the contents of the Kusharon as seen through the eyes of two eminent Chinese scholar-monks, since they record the oral teaching of Hsiian-tsang concerning many of the philosophical positions presented in the Kusharon; but 2) for a thorough understanding of the Kusharon, it would be desirable, and in many places necessary to read the text of this work in its original language, Sanskrit.
At approximately this same time (the middle of 1966) a xerox copy of the Romanized Sanskrit text of the First Chapter (the Dhatuntrdesa) of the Abhidharmakosabhasyam began to circulate privately among the students in the Department of Indian and Buddhist Studies at Tokyo University. I was told that this copy was typed out from photographs secretely taken of a manuscript copy of the Abhidharmakosabhasyam discovered by Rahula Samkrtyayana at the Sa-lu Monastery in Tibet in May of 1934. The photographs were taken of the manuscript which was then kept at the K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute, Patna; the desire of the Japanese to see the original text of the Abhidharmakosabhasyam was so great, and the publication of this text had been delayed so long, that "drastic means" were called for, and, I was later told, a Japanese nun had secretely taken pictures of the manuscript and brought them back to Japan. In any case, I now had the First Chapter of the Sanskrit text of the Abhidharmakosabhasyam in my hands, and, upon my return to the United States, I began to study the text in earnest.
To aid my study and my subsequent teaching, I translated portions of Louis de La Vallee Poussin's French translation of the Abhidharmakosabhasyam (Brussels, Institute Beige des Hautes Etudes Chinoises, 1923 -1931; reprint edition, 1971) into English. I began with the Ninth Chapter (the Pudgala-pratisedha) and not with the First Chapter, holding to the Asian superstition that one will never finish a work if one begins on its first page; I also Romanized the Sanskrit text of the Ninth Chapter, by now available in Prof. P. Prahdhan's first edition (Patna, K. P.
Jayaswal Research Institute, 1967), and for two years I taught this Chapter as part
of a Seminar in Reading Buddhist Texts at Brown University (Providence, Rhode
6
Island). Reading and teaching this Chapter reinforced my earlier thought,
namely that the Abhidharmakosabhasyam can best be understood from its Sanskrit original.
I then translated the First Chapter from the French of de La Vallee Poussin, and compared it with the original Sanskrit of Pradhan, and so began my work on a full translation from the French of de La Vallee Poussin, collated with the Sanskrit original of the text.
Translator's Preface xxiii
? xxiv Translator's Preface
De La Vallee Poussin's annotation is based on three major sources. First, the greater part of his commentary, both in his footnotes and frequently in the body of the text itself, is based on the commentaries of Fa-pao and P'u-kuang: these Chinese masters are responsible for determining the filiation of many of the philosophical positions, objections, andreplies ("The Vaibhasikas maintain", "The Sautrantikas object", etc ) in the text. Likewise Fa-pao and P'u-kuang were responsible for supplying most of the references to passages quoted from the Agamas, the Jndnaprasthdna (and its related pddasdstras, the Prakaranapdda, the Vijndnakdya, etc. ), the Vibhdsd, and the works of Samghabhadra. In their commentaries, Fa-pao and P'u-kuang also traced the development of many of the Abhidharmakosabhdsyam's ideas into later Chinese Mahayana thought.
In 1869 (Meiji 2), the eminent Japanese scholar-monk, Kyokuga Saeki
(1828-1891) published his edition of the Kusharon, the so-called Kando edition 7
of the Kusharon, or simply, the Kando-bon Kusharon. Saeki's edition is rich with annotation placed at the top (or "crown", kan-) of the page of text. In his Kando-bon edition of the Kusharon, Saeki gives all of the various references first found by Fa-pao and P'u-kuang: he gives the name of the source, its volume and page number, and in the marginal notes to the text, Saeki also gives the filiation of thought ("The Vaibhasikas maintain", etc. , as above) first traced out by Fa-pao and P'u-kuang.
Louis de La Vallee Poussin translated the Abhidharmakosabhdsyam from the Sanskrit as preserved by Yasomitra, and from the Chinese of the Kando-bon edition of the Kusharon. In fact, almost all of de La Vallee Poussin's references to the Vibhdsd and his marking of the filiation of the thought in the body of the text, are taken directly from the work of Saeki. In those instances where the attribution of a philosophical position is not in the body of the Sanskrit text, but is based on de La Valine Poussin's reading of Saeki, I have kept the attribution, but have enclosed it in [square brackets] in the body of the translation. And when in his footnotes de La Vallee Poussin refers to "the Japanese editor", he is refering to Kyokuga Saeki.
In all instances, I have kept de La Vallee Poussin's footnotes, since they are a valuableguidetothephilosophyoftheAbhidharmakosabhdsyam, andtoitsroots in earlier literature; my only addition to his work is that I have searched out the Taisho Canon references to these works, since de La Valle'e Poussin did not have the Taisho Canon at his disposal when he was working on the Abhidharma- kosabhdsyam. (He did however have the Taisho Canon at his disposal when he was working on the Vijnapti-mdtrata-siddhi of Hsuan-tsang, cf. his Le Siddhi de Hiuan-tsang). In the few instances where I was unable to find the Taisho Canon
? references, I have kept the annotation as given by de La Vallee Poussin.
Also in many places in the text de La Valine Poussin added a great deal of explanatory material: this I have also kept, since without it many important passagesintheAbhidharmakosabhasyam wouldremainunintelligible. Also,since
deLaValleePoussindidnothaveaSanskritcopyofthe Abhidharmakosabhasyam as an integral text, but only as it was quoted in the body of Yasomitra's Vydkhyd, he grouped many of the padas of the Karikas into single Karikas (as did Hsiian- tsang). TheSanskritmanuscriptoftheAbhidharmakosabhasyam howeverdivides various Karikas into five or six different padas: I have divided these Karikas into their various padas to match the structure of the Sanskrit original.
In fact, it was my original intention to publish this work with the English translation on the right facing page, and the Romanized Sanskrit on the left facing page, and much work by me and my assistant, the Bangladeshi Bhikkhu, Ven. Lokananda, went into preparing the text in this manner. Unfortunately due to the high cost of publishing this work, this format had to be abandoned, but I hope that some day the Abhidharmakosabhasyam may be reissued in this format.
A second concern of de La Vallee Poussin was to give the original Sanskrit of the Karikas and to reconstruct those passages in the Bhdsyam which were of special importance or difficulty: since the Sanskrit of the Abhidharmakosa- bhasyam is now widely available, I have omitted all of these footnotes with the mention that in almost all cases, de La Vallee Poussin was correct in his reconstructions!
A third source for de La Vallee Poussin's references was this great Belgian scholar's encyclopediac knowledge of Indian Buddhist literature: these footnotes have of course also been kept, and it is they that stand as perhaps our greatest legacy from Louis de La Vallee Poussin.
***
Back in the United States, one day I happened to meet an old friend, the Rev. Horyu Ito (1911-1985), who was at that time and for many years previous the Rimban of the Higashi Honganji Betsuin in Los Angeles. He asked me what I was studying, and I told him of my work on the Kusharon. He asked me what commentaries I was using, and I told him about the work of Horei Sakurai. Rimban Ito asked me how this work was regarded in Japan, and I told him of the praise that it had received from both Prof. Miyamoto and Prof. Hirakawa, and that a copy of this work was used by them as a symbol of the traditional study of
Translator's Preface xxv
? xxvi Translator's Preface
the Kusharon. Rimban Ito's eyes clouded over, and he said softly, "Horei Sakurai was my father. " From that time on Rimban Ito maintained a close interest in my work on the Kusharon, and it is sad that he did not live to see the completion of this work, a work which owes its very inception to the work of Horei Sakurai
At this point I should like to thank a number of persons who contributed much to the completion of this work: first, Mrs Sara Webb, who has helped me much in translating the finer points of de La Vallee Poussin s French; her aid has been and remains invaluable. I should also like to thank Mr Jean-Louis d'Heilly, who typed much of the translation of the Abhidharmakoiabhdsyam into the computer of the University of Oriental Studies, who rendered me great assistence in making sure that the text was understandable, and who successfully urged me to translate into English the vast bulk of the technical Sanskrit terms kept by de La Vallee Poussin in the body of his text.
I should also like to express my gratitude to my parents, Olivia Maude (Arwedson) and Dr. L. Leo Pruden for their continued support of my studies both in America and in Japan: it is a source of regret that neither of them lived to see the completion of this work.
This work must be dedicated however to the small but eminent band of Japanese scholars whose work on the Abhidhannakofabhasyam has kept alive the flame of traditional Buddhist scholarship in the 20th century, scholars such as Prof. Akira Hirakawa and Prof. Ken Sakurabe. May the merit of this publication
accrue to their health and long life.
Los Angeles Leo M. Pruden June 1986
? 1. For example, Prof. Kogen Mizuno lists some four major and sixteen minor Pali language commentaries to the Abhidhammatthasangaha, a work composed in tenth century Ceylon by the Elder Anuruddha; eighteen of these commentaries were composed in Burma. See Kogen Mizuno, general editor, and U. Vepunla and Tadashi Toda, translators, Abidammattasangaha: Nampo- bukkyo tetsugaku kydgi gaisetsu, p. 16, published by the Abidammattasangahakankdkai, 1980, privately printed See also Mrs. Mabel Bode (=Mabel Haynes Bode), The Pali Literature of Burma, London, Royal Asiatic Society, 1909.
2. Our work on the RisshU-kdyd was published in the Kokuyaku-issaikyo: Wakan-senjutsu-buy vol 97, p. 1-72, Tokyo, Daito-shuppan-sha, 1970.
3. According to an account preserved in the 1321 work, the Genko-shakusho (compiled by Kokan Shiren, 1298-1346), the Far Eastern student of Buddhist philosophy is traditionally supposed to study the Kusharon (=the Abhidharmako/abhdsyam) for eight years, and then follow this with a three years' study of theJo-Yuishikiron (=the Vifnapti-matrata-siddhi). In the words of the adage,
yuishiki sannen, kusha hachinen; (the sequence is reversed for reasons of syllable count).
4. Much information concerning the life and career of Rev. Horei Sakurai was given to me by Mrs. Kazuko Ito, the widow of Rimban Horyu Ito, and their son, the Rev. Noriaki Ito. I wish to express my appreciation for their aid
5. Fa-pao, whose dates are unknown, worked with Hsuan-tsang on the translation of the Abhidharmakosabhdsyam in 654; he also worked with Hsuan-tsang on his translation of the
Vibhdsd in 659, and in this latter instance he is reported to have objected to Hsuan-tsang's addition of sixteen additional characters to the text for purposes of elucidating an obscure point. Fa-pao is counted, together with P'u-kuang, as one of Hsuan-tsang's major disciples. After Hsuan-tsang's death in 664, Fa-pao is recorded to have worked with I-ching from 700 to 703; under I-ching, Fa-pao served as the proof-reader (ch'eng-i) for some twenty works. See Mochizuki, Bukkyo-daijiten, V. 4661.
P'u-kuang, also an early disciple of Hsuan-tsang, worked on the translation of the Abhidharmakofabhasyam, and in addition is reported to have worked with Hsuan-tsang on his translation of the Maha-Prajfidparamita Sutra in the period 656 to 663. His dates are also unknown. See Mochizuki, op. cit. y V. 4408.
6. I began my teaching of the Abhidharma--more specifically readings from the text of the Abhidharmakosabhdsyam--in the academic year 1970 - 1971 at Brown University, and I have continued this teaching at both the Nyingma Institute (Berkeley, California), and at the University of Oriental Studies (Los Angeles). When I first taught at the Nyingma Institute in the summer of 1971, I prepared a draft translation of my Introduction ("The Abhidharma: The Origins, Growth and Development of a Literary Tradition") for the benefit of the students, to serve as an introduction to the historical process that led to the growth of the Sanskrit tradition of Abhidharma literature. The first part of the essay is a free translation of the introductory seaion (pages 13 to 61) of Prof. Ken Sakurabe's outstanding Japanese translation of the first two chapters of the Abhidharmakosabhdsyam, his Kusharon no kenkyii ("A Study of the Abhi- dharmakosabhdsyam")t Kyoto, Hozokan, 1969 (first edition). The second part of this Introduc- tion is a translation of pages 110 to 114 of Prof. Ryujo Yamada's Bongo Butten no shobunken ("The Manuscript Sources of Sanskrit Buddhism", Kyoto, Heirakuji-shoten, 1959 [first edition]) which deals with the Sanskrit fragments of the Abhidharma literature. This part of the Introduction has also been augmented by the bibliographical material given in volume one of Prof. Akira Hirakawa's Kusharon-sakuin ("Index to the Abhidharmako/abhdsyam'\ Tokyo, Daizo -shuppan kabushiki-kaisha, 1973).
Translator's Preface xxvii
? xxviii Translator's Preface
7. Kyokuga Saeki appears to have been the first to term his works the "kando" editions. His first Kando-bon was his edition of the Kusbaron, the Kando Abidatsuma Kusharon, published by the Hozokan, Kyoto, in 1869. He followed this by Kando editions of the Sankoku-buppo-denzu-engi (1888), and the Yuishiki-sanruikyo-sen'yp and theJo-Yuishikiron (both in 1890). Kando editions were continued after his death (cf. the lmmyo-sanjusanka-honsa-hdsange in 1895) by his disciples and students, Shundo Sugihara and Eto Senabe.
For the life of Kyokuga Saeki, see Mochizuki, op. cit. , 1. 624.
? The Abhidharma:
The Origins, Growth and
Development of a Literary Tradition
Leo M. Pruden
? xxx The Abhidharma
1. Origin and Growth of abhidharma.
JLoday the word abhidharma signifies the third of the Three Pitakas (Skt: Tripitaka) or collections of scriptures that go to make up the full Buddhist Canon. These three Pitakas, or collections, are: 1) the Sutras or Agamas, the words of the Buddha, directed to both laymen and clerics, dealing with a host of different topics: ethics, philosophical questions, legends and tales, etc. ; 2) the Vinaya, directed to the monks and nuns of the Buddhist Sangha, spelling out the prohibitions to be followed by the clerics and injunctions on the carrying out of various seasonal events, adjudicating disputes, the distribution of property, etc. ; and 3) the
1
Abhidharma Pitaka, a number of texts later in compilation than either the Sutra
Pitaka or the Vinaya Pitaka.
If the word abhidharma does not signify the Third Pitaka in its totality, then the
word signifies the contents of this Third Pitaka, its style of thinking and writing, and thus a certain type of commentarial literature, the Sastras or commentaries on the Sutras of the Buddha.
Since the Sutras and Vinaya, it is believed, took their essential form before the Third Pitaka was given its final form, the word abhidharma as used in the Sutras and in the Vinaya, was a word that did not signify the Third Pitaka. What then did the word abhidharma signify when it was first used in the Sutras and Vinaya, in the reputed words of the Buddha?
There are two meanings to the word abhidharma: 1) referring to the Dharma; and 2) the higher, or superior Dharma.
The first person interested in the etymology of the term abhi-dharma was N. W. Geiger, in his work, Pali Dhamma (1921), where he states, "abhidhamma originally mean the highest Dhamma; such is the interpretation of later commentators, that is, abhidhamma as uttaradhamma. " The earliest meaning of the word abhidhamma, he held, is "concerning the dhamma, or referring to the dhamma," In the Sutras, indeed,this word always appears in the locative case, as abhidhamme, ("with respect to Dhamma") and in this manner parallels the form abhivinaye ("concerningthe Vinaya').
This definition ("concerning the dhamma") was adopted by the Critical Pali Dictionary (1935,1st edition) where this form was termed (p. 350) a prepositional compound, and the word itself defined as: "as regards the dhamma. "
? 2. Abhidhamma as "higher dhamma".
The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary (1st edition 1921-1925, p. 65) gives the meaning of the word abhidhamma as: "the special Dhamma, i. e. , 1) the theory of the doctrine, the doctrine classified, the doctrine pure and simple (without any admixture of literary grace or of personalities, or of anecdotes, or of arguments ad personam. . . " This is a definition adopted by G. P. Malalasekera, Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, and by Etienne Lamotte, in his Histoire de Bouddhisme indien, p. 1971.
Among the English translations from the Pali Sutras (Pali: sutta; in their collections known as the Nikdyas), C. A. F. Rhys-Davids gives "the advanced teaching of Doctrine" (Dialogues, III, 19. 246); F. L. Woodward gives "extra doctrine" (GradualSayings 1. 276) and "the further doctrine" (Gradual Sayings, V, p. 19, 139 ff); E. M. Hare gives "More-Dhamma" (ibid. 111. 85, IV. 267); and Lord Chalmers gives "quintessential Doctrine" (Further Dialogues 1. 155) and "higher branches of the Doctrine" (ibid. , 1. 133).
Kogen Mizuno gives, as a definition of abhidhamma in his Index to the Pali Canon (Part II, p. 34), the "superior dhamma", the "higher dhamma", and the "most distinguished dhamma".
E. J. Thomas, in his History of Buddhist Thought (p. 159,276) gives "special dhamma" and "further-dhamma" as translations for abhidhamma. T. W. Rhys- Davids defines abhi-dhamma and abhivinaya as "the higher subtleties of the Dhamma and Vinaya".
From the above then we can see that there are two schools of interpretation concerning the meaning of the word abhidhamma, a fact pointed out by I. B. Horner in her article "Abhidhamma Abhivinaya in the First Two Pitakas of the Pali Canon", in Indian Historical Quarterly XII. 3 (Sept. 1941), pp. 291-310. According to Horner, the meaning of the word abhidhamma, in the Pali Canon, "fluctuates" between these two definitions (the non-judgmental "concerning the dhamma", and the judgmental "higher, superior (hence, better) dhamma"), but that in point of fact, these two meanings of the word are not mutually exclusive.
According to Ken Sakurabe, Geiger's definition of abhidhamma ("concerning the dhamma") is correct, whereas the Pali Text Society and I. B. Horner rely overmuch on the traditional interpretations of later Singhalese commentators.
Let us then take a look at the usage of the word abhidhamma as it is used in the Pali Canon of the Theravadins. Following are some examples of these two words, abhidhamma and abhivinaya, used together as a set phrase in the Canon:
1. Vinaya Pipaka, I, p. 64:
Pruden xxxi
? xxxii The Abhidharma
aparehi pi bhikkhave pancah'angehi samannagatena bhikkhuna na upasampa- detabbam, na nissayo databbo, na samanero upattapetabbo: na patibalo hoti antevasim va saddhiviharirh va abhisamacarikaya sikkhaya sikkhapetum, adibrahmacariyikaya sikkhaya vinetum, abkidhamme vineturh, abhivinaya vinetum, uppannam ditthigatam dhammato vivecetum vivecapetum.
"And monks, if a monk is not possessed of five further qualities he should notordain. . . anoviceshouldnotattendhim:ifheisnotcompetenttomakea pupil or one who shares a cell train in the training regarding the fundamentals of conduct, to lead him in the training regarding the fundamentals of the Brahmafaring, to lead him in what pertains to dhamma, to lead him in what pertains to discipline, to discuss or get (another) to discuss, by means of dhamma, a false view that has arisen. . . " (translation by LB. Horner, SBB XIV, p. 84; see also Horner's discussion of abhidhamma, abhivinaya in SBB XIII, Introduction, p. x and following).
This same passage is translated by Rhys-Davids and Oldenburg, SBE, XIII, pp. 184-5):
"And also in other five cases, oh Bhikkhus, a Bhikku should not confer, etc. : when he is not able to train an antevasikaor a saddhiviharika in the precepts of proper conduct, to educate him in the elements of morality, to instruct him in what pertains to the Dhamma, to instruct him in what pertains to the Dhamma a false doctrine that might arise . . . "
In the above text the words are given in the locative case, which in Pali means "with reference to", "pertaining to". Here the word abhidhamma refers to the details of the dhamma (i. e. , Sutra) study, and to the details of Vinaya study. Horner, Rhys-Davids, and Oldenburg all agree in this interpretation.
2. Digha Nikdya, III, 267:
puna ca param avuso bhikkhu dhamma-kamo hoti piya-samudhaharo abhi- dhamme abhivinaye ulara-pamujjo. Yam p'avuso bhikkhu dhamma-kamo hoti . . . pe . . . ulara-pamujjo, ayam pi dhammo natha-karano.
"And furthermore,friends,he loves the doctrine, the utterance of it is dear to him, he finds exceeding joy in the advanced teaching of both Doctrine and Discipline:' (TW. and CAR Rhys-Davids, SBB, XC IV, p. 246; see also footnote 2, where Buddhaghosa's gloss on this passage is given).
In this above example (which is in Av 24, 90, 201, 339) the ideal monk is
? described. Horner feels that two dhammas are spoken of: 1) dhamma-kamo, and 2) abhidhamma and that abhidhamma is used to distinguish it from the first and lower type of dhamma. According to Sakurabe, this is a forced meaning, an interpretation not necessary for an understanding of the passage.
3. Majjhima Nikdya, I, p. 472:
arannaken'avuso bhikkhuna abhidhamme abhivinaya yogo karanlyo. Sant'avuso arahnakarh bhikkhum abhidhamme abhivinaye panham pucchi- taro. Sace avuso arannako bhikkhu abhidhamme abhivinaye panham puttho na sampayati tassa bhavanti vattaro:
. . . arannaken'avuso bhikkhuna ye te santa vimokha atikkamma rupe aruppa tattha yogo karanlyo . . . arannaken'avuso bhikkhuna uttarimanussdhamme yogo karanlyo.
"Your reverences, earnest study in Further-Dhamma, in Further- Discipline should be made by a monk who is forest-gone. Your reverences, there are those who will question a monk who is forest-gone on Further- Dhamma and Further-Discipline. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest- gone, on being asked a question on Further-Dhamma, on Further-Discipline, does not succeed in answering it, there will be those who speak about him and say . . .
"Your reverences, earnest study should be made by a monk who is forest- gone concerning those that are the peaceful deliverances and are incorporeal having transcended material shapes . . .
"Your reverences, earnest study in states of further-men would be made by a monk who is forest-gone . . . " (English translation by LB. Horner, Middle Length Sayings, II, p. 145).
Here Horner maintains that since the three accomplishments of the forest- dwelling monk are all put in the locative case {abhidhamme, abhivinaye, yogo . . . ) , abhidharma and abhivinaya refer to superior states of attainment. According to Sakurabe, however, this passage is like the Digha passage (no. 2 above). This occurrence of the terms abhidhamma-abhivinaya is the only place in the Sutras where abhidharma and abhivinaya are ranked together with supernormal states of attainment, but such an explanation as Horner's is not necessary for under- standing the sense of this passage.
3. Abhidhamma alone.
Pruden xxxiii
? xxxiv The Abhtdbarma
There are, to be sure, a number of passages where the word abhidhamma occurs apart from the word abhivinaya.
1. Majjhima Nikdya, I, p. 214 gives:
idh'avuso sariputta dve bhikkhu abhidhammakatham kathenti, te anriaman- nam pafiham pucchanti, anfiamannassa panham puttha vissajjenti no ca samcadenti, dhammi ca nesam katha pavattanl hoti.
"In this connection, reverend Sariputta, two monks are talking on further dhamma', they ask one another questions; in answering one another's questions they respond and do not fall, and their talk on dhamma goes forward. "
2. Majjhima Nikdya, II, p. 239:
tasmatiha, bhikkhave, ye vo maya dhamma abhinna desota, seyyathldam: cattaro satipatthana, cattaro sammappadhana, cattaro iddhipada, panc'indri- yana, pance balani, satta bojjhanga, ariyo atthahgiko maggo,--tattha sabbeh'va samaggehi sammodamanehi avivadamanehi sikkhitabbam; tesah ca vo, bhikkhave, samagganam sammodamananam avivadamarianam sikkhatarh, siyamsu dve bhikkhu abhidhamme nanavada.
"Wherefore, monks, those things taught to you by me out of super- knowledge, that is to say the four applications of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five controlling faculties, the five powers, the seven links in awakening, the ariyan eightfold Way--all together, in harmony and without contention you should train yourselves in each and all of these. But when you, monks, all together, in harmony and without contention have trained yourselves in these, there might be two monks speaking differently about Further-Dhamma" (English translation by LB. Horner, Middle Length Sayings, III, p. 25. )
After the Buddha has taught, through his dhammd-abhinnd (his higher or superior knowledge of the dharma), the thirty-seven faaors of enlightenment, two monks are now depicted as having abhidhamme nanavada, "differing views on abhidhamma," and the other monks should try to settle the contentions of these two. The 37 dhammas so taught are by definition dhamma abhinna, or abhidhamma. Thus the two monks' contentions are regarding these itemized, 37 superior dharmas. This is the opinion of LB. Horner.
Sakurabe points out that the word dhamma is given in the plural whereas
? abhidhamma is given in the singular locative case, so this connection between dhammd-abhinnd and abhidhamma is unnatural. Geiger translates this passage as "zwei Bhikkhu, die uber den dhamma verschiedenes aussagen," and so translates abhidhamme as "concerning the teaching. "
4. Abhidhamma-kathd.
The phrase abhidhamma-kathd occurs some three times in the Pali Canon.
1. Majjhima Nikdya, I, p. 214:
idh'avuso sariputta dve bhikkhu abhidhammakatham kathenti, te annamannam panham pucchanti, annamannassa panham puttha vissajjenti no ca samsadenti, dharmmi ca nesam kathd pavattani hoti.
"In this connection, reverend Sariputta, two monks are talking on further dhamma\ they ask one another questions; in answering one another's questions they respond and do not fall, and their talk on dhamma goes forward. "
In this passage the phrase abhidhamma-kathd is followed by the words dhammi. . . kathd . . . So too the following passages from Majjhima Nikdya, I, p. 218:
sadhu sadhu sariputta, yatha tarn Moggallano va samma byakaramano byakareyya. Moggallano hi Sariputta dhammakathiko ti.
"It is good, Sariputta, it is good. It is so that Moggallana, in answering you properly, should answer. For, Sariputta, Moggallana is a talker on dhamma" (LB. Horner, Middle Length Sayings, I, p. 270; see also her note on this passage. )
Here we see that anyone who gives a correct, clear account of dhamma is a dhamma-kathiko, a "speaker on dhamma. " But later commentators (namely, Buddhaghosa, in his A si. p. 29) terms a dhamma-kathiko to be an abhidhamma- bhikkhu, a monk who specializes in the study (and teaching) of the abhidhamma.
In another passage (Ariguttara, III, p. 392), a monk who can do abhidhamma- kathd well is to be respected and honored. According to Sakurabe, this refers to one who can preach correctly and well, and the term abhidhamma in this passage as yet has no specific sense of a superior doctrine, but rather just the superior talent of being able to present the dharma well.
In another passage (Anguttara, III, p. 107) an ignorant monk confuses
Pruden xxxv
? xxxvi The Abhidharma
abhidharma-talk, and becomes verbose and long-winded {vedaUa-katha) and, by doing so, pollutes the Dharma and the Vinaya.
5. Traditional Explanations of Abhidhamma.
In the Pali commentarial literature, the word abhidhamma clearly means "a special, superior dharma. " This is seen in some of the words and phrases used by the later Pali commentators in describing the abhidhamma.
In commentaries on the Sutras, the abhidharma is termed uttara-dhamma, "the highest dharma," and abhi-visittha dhamma, "the very distinguished dhamma. "
In commentaries on the Abhidhamma, the words dhamma-atireka (unique dhamma) and abhamma-visesa (distinguished) are used. Abhidhamma is called in the plural vuddhimanto dhamma (the expanded, augmented dhammas), salak- khana-dhamma (unique dharmas), pujita dhamma (dharmas to be honored, worshipped), parichinna dharma (special dharmas), and adhika dhamma (ex- cellent dharmas). Such traditional Pali commentators have influenced the Western translators of the Suttas to see in the word abhidhamma more than it probably originally intended (as Rhys-Davids, Woodward, Hare, Chalmers, et al. )
This understanding was roughly the same in the case of the Sanskrit tradition of Northern Buddhism. In the Chinese translation of the Majjhima Nikaya, (termed the Madhyama Agama in Sanskrit and traditionally held, in Far Eastern Buddhism, to be a Sarvastivadin compilation), we see such phrases as "He discusses the very deep abhidharma," or "He speaks the very profound abhi- dharma . . . " (T 1, p. 450a, p. 634c, p. 688c, and p. 727b which corresponds to Majjhima, I, p. 214). The translation of the phrase abhidharma-katham kathenti ("he speaks abhidharma-talk," as above Majjhima, I, p. 214) is, in the Chinese translation, prefaced by the word "deep" or"profound" (Skt. gambhiram), added by the translator, based on his idea of the Abhidharma as a unique and superior teaching.
6. Abhidhamma in the Mahavibhdsa
The major Sarvastivadin compendium of thought, the Mahavibhdsa (The Great Commentary) gives a full list of synonyms and definitions of the word abhidharma (T. 27, p. 4) recognized by various Sarvastivadin masters, as well as
by masters of various other traditions (the Mahisasakas, the Dharmottaras, the Grammarians, etc. ), which reflea by and large the prevailing traditional definition
? of abhidharma as "a superior teaching"; but in the Mahdvibhdsd's list of definitions, covering some 20 pages in its Chinese translation, the definition "concerning the dharma" appears a large number of times also.
The Abhidharmakoiabhdsyam reflects this approach when, in its analysis of the word abhidharma, it says that abhi means abhimukha, "facing," "with reference to," "in the direction of," "taking something as the object of study or analysis. "
7. The Abhidhamma Pitaka.
From whence then did the third collection of writings, the Third Pitaka, the Abhidhamma Pitaka, arise?
There are two major scholarly opinions concerning how the Abhidhamma Pitaka came into existence.
The first opinion was initially propounded by Taiken Kimura in his book Abidatsuma-ron no kenkyu (A Study of the Abhidharma Sdstras, now vol. VI of the Kimura Taiken Zenshii. ) According to Kimura, abhidharma signified "con- cerning the dharma," and soon referred to discussions centered on the dharmas, their various classifications, itemizations, etc. This discussion was termed abhi- dhamma-kathd (kathd = discussion, debate), and such discussions came to be
collected together to form the Abhidhamma Pitaka. This view is the generally accepted view among Japanese scholars. (For this view in recent Japanese publications, see Bukkyogaku-jiten, edited by Taya, Ocho, and Funabashi, 1955 edition, under the entry abidatsuma, p. 6; and the article "Bukkyo tetsugaku no saisho no tenkai" by Tetsuro Watsuji, in the Wdtsuji Tetsuro Zenshii, vol. 5, p. 311, 344).
The second view was introduced by Geiger (in his Pali Dhamma, p. 118 ff. ) and has been adopted by most Europeans (as A. Bareau, Dhammasangini, traduction annotee, 1951, p. 8 ff. ; Etienne Lamotte, Histoire, p. 197; E. Frauwallner, WZKSO (1964), p. 59; see also Pali Text Society, Pali-English Dictionary, under mdtikd). This opinion holds that the earliest form of what we now call the Abhidhamma Pitaka is seen in what is termed in Pali the mdtikd (Skt: mdtfkd). In the Pali Canon there very frequently occurs (some 18 times) the set phrase: dhammadharo vinayadharo mdtikddharo ("holding, grasping," i. e. "study and recitation of Dhamma, of Vinaya, of Mdtika'). Here there are three distina objeas of study, the Dhamma (the Sutras), the Vinaya, and the Mdtikds, or "summaries".
A significant Abhidhamma literature exists in the Pali language, a very close
dialect of Sanskrit (the word "Abhidharma" is Sanskrit, the word "Abhidhamma" is
Pali). In this Pali tradition of Theravada Buddhism (the predominant form of
Buddhism in Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia), the Abhidhamma
forms one of the Baskets (Pali: Pitaka) of canonical Buddhist scriptures, and so
assumes the role of canonical authority. Even though the Pali Canon, the Tipitaka,
was closed at the Third Council of the Theravadins held in approximately 237 B. C,
Abhidhamma works continued to be composed after this date, although with less
frequency. Theravadin scholar-monks continued to study the Abhidhamma, and
this tradition gave rise to a subcommentarial literature composed in both Pali and
the regional languages of South and Southeast Asia (Singhalese, Burmese, Thai,
etc. ). Much of this later, post-canonical Pali Abhidhamma literature remains
l
unpublished, and almost all of it remains untranslated into any Western language. So too only a small portion of the Sanskrit language Abhidharma literature exists in English translation, although at the present time slightly more exists in
French.
Although English language materials for the study of the Abhidharma
literature are quite limited,--especially when viewed in comparison with the bulk of the extant literature of this tradition,--there are some excellent books which may be read with profit by the beginning student of Buddhist philosophy.
? xxii Translator's Preface
The student would do well to read the excellent essay by Chogyam Trungpa Rimpoche, Glimpses of the Abhidharma (Boulder, Prajna Press, 1978) which distills the essential message of Buddhist scholasticism and demonstrates the importance of the Abhidharma to the sddhaka of the still vital Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Another excellent work of great benefit to the student of Abhidharma is Prof. Herbert V. Guenther's Psychology and Philosophy in the Abhidharma (New Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass, 1st edition, 1970, and many subsequent editions) which gives the author's presentation and analysis of the content of both the Northern or Sanskrit Abhidharma tradition with that of its Southern or Pali cousin.
***
It may not be out of place here to say a few words, by way of a niddna, concerning my involvement with the Abhidharmakosabhasyam.
In the years 1964 to 19661 was enrolled in Tokyo University, in the Department
2 of Indian and Buddhist Studies, where I studied the text of Gyonen's Risshu-koyo
under the direction of Prof. Akira Hirakawa. After I had finished my studies on this
text, I asked Prof. Hirakawa what he would recommend I study next. He asked me if
I wanted to continue with Vinaya studies,--Prof. Hirakawa's specialty,--but I
replied that I should like to study another field of Buddhism. Prof. Hirakawa then^
recommended that I begin the study of Buddhist philosophy in the traditional
Japanese, the Kusharon). 1 replied that this would be a fine idea, and so in token of my new direction in study, Prof. Hirakawa gave me a set of books dealing with the philosophy of the Kusharon, the ten volume set, Kusharon-kogi ("Lectures on the Kusharon"), a work which is the compilation of a series of 238 lectures given on the Kusharon by one Rev. Horei Sakurai (1861-1923). Rev. Sakurai was a cleric of the Higashi Honganji Tradition of Jodo Shin Buddhism, and was the incumbent
4 (jushoku)oftheHakutojitemple,FukuokaPrefecture,Kyushu. Rev. Sakuraigave
these lectures in Kyushu in the last decade of the 19th century, and they were published in 1898 (Meiji 31) by the Shisokan, Kyoto: the set of Sakurai's lectures that Prof. Hirakawa gave me had in turn been given to him by his teacher, Prof. Shoson Miyamoto (1893-1984) and so contained the annotation of both of these scholars.
Sakurai's book is a very useful scholarly tool, since his lectures were based on the text of the Kusharon (in Hsuan-tsang's Chinese translation) and the Chinese commentaries on this work by Fa-pao and P'u-kuang, two masters who had worked
manner, that is, with the study of Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakosabhasyam (in 3
? 5
directly with Hsiian-tsang. 1 began reading Sakurai's work in June of 1966 and
completed it several months later. My reading of Sakurai's work taught me two things: 1) the commentaries of Fa-pao and P'u-kuang are both valuable sources of information about the contents of the Kusharon as seen through the eyes of two eminent Chinese scholar-monks, since they record the oral teaching of Hsiian-tsang concerning many of the philosophical positions presented in the Kusharon; but 2) for a thorough understanding of the Kusharon, it would be desirable, and in many places necessary to read the text of this work in its original language, Sanskrit.
At approximately this same time (the middle of 1966) a xerox copy of the Romanized Sanskrit text of the First Chapter (the Dhatuntrdesa) of the Abhidharmakosabhasyam began to circulate privately among the students in the Department of Indian and Buddhist Studies at Tokyo University. I was told that this copy was typed out from photographs secretely taken of a manuscript copy of the Abhidharmakosabhasyam discovered by Rahula Samkrtyayana at the Sa-lu Monastery in Tibet in May of 1934. The photographs were taken of the manuscript which was then kept at the K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute, Patna; the desire of the Japanese to see the original text of the Abhidharmakosabhasyam was so great, and the publication of this text had been delayed so long, that "drastic means" were called for, and, I was later told, a Japanese nun had secretely taken pictures of the manuscript and brought them back to Japan. In any case, I now had the First Chapter of the Sanskrit text of the Abhidharmakosabhasyam in my hands, and, upon my return to the United States, I began to study the text in earnest.
To aid my study and my subsequent teaching, I translated portions of Louis de La Vallee Poussin's French translation of the Abhidharmakosabhasyam (Brussels, Institute Beige des Hautes Etudes Chinoises, 1923 -1931; reprint edition, 1971) into English. I began with the Ninth Chapter (the Pudgala-pratisedha) and not with the First Chapter, holding to the Asian superstition that one will never finish a work if one begins on its first page; I also Romanized the Sanskrit text of the Ninth Chapter, by now available in Prof. P. Prahdhan's first edition (Patna, K. P.
Jayaswal Research Institute, 1967), and for two years I taught this Chapter as part
of a Seminar in Reading Buddhist Texts at Brown University (Providence, Rhode
6
Island). Reading and teaching this Chapter reinforced my earlier thought,
namely that the Abhidharmakosabhasyam can best be understood from its Sanskrit original.
I then translated the First Chapter from the French of de La Vallee Poussin, and compared it with the original Sanskrit of Pradhan, and so began my work on a full translation from the French of de La Vallee Poussin, collated with the Sanskrit original of the text.
Translator's Preface xxiii
? xxiv Translator's Preface
De La Vallee Poussin's annotation is based on three major sources. First, the greater part of his commentary, both in his footnotes and frequently in the body of the text itself, is based on the commentaries of Fa-pao and P'u-kuang: these Chinese masters are responsible for determining the filiation of many of the philosophical positions, objections, andreplies ("The Vaibhasikas maintain", "The Sautrantikas object", etc ) in the text. Likewise Fa-pao and P'u-kuang were responsible for supplying most of the references to passages quoted from the Agamas, the Jndnaprasthdna (and its related pddasdstras, the Prakaranapdda, the Vijndnakdya, etc. ), the Vibhdsd, and the works of Samghabhadra. In their commentaries, Fa-pao and P'u-kuang also traced the development of many of the Abhidharmakosabhdsyam's ideas into later Chinese Mahayana thought.
In 1869 (Meiji 2), the eminent Japanese scholar-monk, Kyokuga Saeki
(1828-1891) published his edition of the Kusharon, the so-called Kando edition 7
of the Kusharon, or simply, the Kando-bon Kusharon. Saeki's edition is rich with annotation placed at the top (or "crown", kan-) of the page of text. In his Kando-bon edition of the Kusharon, Saeki gives all of the various references first found by Fa-pao and P'u-kuang: he gives the name of the source, its volume and page number, and in the marginal notes to the text, Saeki also gives the filiation of thought ("The Vaibhasikas maintain", etc. , as above) first traced out by Fa-pao and P'u-kuang.
Louis de La Vallee Poussin translated the Abhidharmakosabhdsyam from the Sanskrit as preserved by Yasomitra, and from the Chinese of the Kando-bon edition of the Kusharon. In fact, almost all of de La Vallee Poussin's references to the Vibhdsd and his marking of the filiation of the thought in the body of the text, are taken directly from the work of Saeki. In those instances where the attribution of a philosophical position is not in the body of the Sanskrit text, but is based on de La Valine Poussin's reading of Saeki, I have kept the attribution, but have enclosed it in [square brackets] in the body of the translation. And when in his footnotes de La Vallee Poussin refers to "the Japanese editor", he is refering to Kyokuga Saeki.
In all instances, I have kept de La Vallee Poussin's footnotes, since they are a valuableguidetothephilosophyoftheAbhidharmakosabhdsyam, andtoitsroots in earlier literature; my only addition to his work is that I have searched out the Taisho Canon references to these works, since de La Valle'e Poussin did not have the Taisho Canon at his disposal when he was working on the Abhidharma- kosabhdsyam. (He did however have the Taisho Canon at his disposal when he was working on the Vijnapti-mdtrata-siddhi of Hsuan-tsang, cf. his Le Siddhi de Hiuan-tsang). In the few instances where I was unable to find the Taisho Canon
? references, I have kept the annotation as given by de La Vallee Poussin.
Also in many places in the text de La Valine Poussin added a great deal of explanatory material: this I have also kept, since without it many important passagesintheAbhidharmakosabhasyam wouldremainunintelligible. Also,since
deLaValleePoussindidnothaveaSanskritcopyofthe Abhidharmakosabhasyam as an integral text, but only as it was quoted in the body of Yasomitra's Vydkhyd, he grouped many of the padas of the Karikas into single Karikas (as did Hsiian- tsang). TheSanskritmanuscriptoftheAbhidharmakosabhasyam howeverdivides various Karikas into five or six different padas: I have divided these Karikas into their various padas to match the structure of the Sanskrit original.
In fact, it was my original intention to publish this work with the English translation on the right facing page, and the Romanized Sanskrit on the left facing page, and much work by me and my assistant, the Bangladeshi Bhikkhu, Ven. Lokananda, went into preparing the text in this manner. Unfortunately due to the high cost of publishing this work, this format had to be abandoned, but I hope that some day the Abhidharmakosabhasyam may be reissued in this format.
A second concern of de La Vallee Poussin was to give the original Sanskrit of the Karikas and to reconstruct those passages in the Bhdsyam which were of special importance or difficulty: since the Sanskrit of the Abhidharmakosa- bhasyam is now widely available, I have omitted all of these footnotes with the mention that in almost all cases, de La Vallee Poussin was correct in his reconstructions!
A third source for de La Vallee Poussin's references was this great Belgian scholar's encyclopediac knowledge of Indian Buddhist literature: these footnotes have of course also been kept, and it is they that stand as perhaps our greatest legacy from Louis de La Vallee Poussin.
***
Back in the United States, one day I happened to meet an old friend, the Rev. Horyu Ito (1911-1985), who was at that time and for many years previous the Rimban of the Higashi Honganji Betsuin in Los Angeles. He asked me what I was studying, and I told him of my work on the Kusharon. He asked me what commentaries I was using, and I told him about the work of Horei Sakurai. Rimban Ito asked me how this work was regarded in Japan, and I told him of the praise that it had received from both Prof. Miyamoto and Prof. Hirakawa, and that a copy of this work was used by them as a symbol of the traditional study of
Translator's Preface xxv
? xxvi Translator's Preface
the Kusharon. Rimban Ito's eyes clouded over, and he said softly, "Horei Sakurai was my father. " From that time on Rimban Ito maintained a close interest in my work on the Kusharon, and it is sad that he did not live to see the completion of this work, a work which owes its very inception to the work of Horei Sakurai
At this point I should like to thank a number of persons who contributed much to the completion of this work: first, Mrs Sara Webb, who has helped me much in translating the finer points of de La Vallee Poussin s French; her aid has been and remains invaluable. I should also like to thank Mr Jean-Louis d'Heilly, who typed much of the translation of the Abhidharmakoiabhdsyam into the computer of the University of Oriental Studies, who rendered me great assistence in making sure that the text was understandable, and who successfully urged me to translate into English the vast bulk of the technical Sanskrit terms kept by de La Vallee Poussin in the body of his text.
I should also like to express my gratitude to my parents, Olivia Maude (Arwedson) and Dr. L. Leo Pruden for their continued support of my studies both in America and in Japan: it is a source of regret that neither of them lived to see the completion of this work.
This work must be dedicated however to the small but eminent band of Japanese scholars whose work on the Abhidhannakofabhasyam has kept alive the flame of traditional Buddhist scholarship in the 20th century, scholars such as Prof. Akira Hirakawa and Prof. Ken Sakurabe. May the merit of this publication
accrue to their health and long life.
Los Angeles Leo M. Pruden June 1986
? 1. For example, Prof. Kogen Mizuno lists some four major and sixteen minor Pali language commentaries to the Abhidhammatthasangaha, a work composed in tenth century Ceylon by the Elder Anuruddha; eighteen of these commentaries were composed in Burma. See Kogen Mizuno, general editor, and U. Vepunla and Tadashi Toda, translators, Abidammattasangaha: Nampo- bukkyo tetsugaku kydgi gaisetsu, p. 16, published by the Abidammattasangahakankdkai, 1980, privately printed See also Mrs. Mabel Bode (=Mabel Haynes Bode), The Pali Literature of Burma, London, Royal Asiatic Society, 1909.
2. Our work on the RisshU-kdyd was published in the Kokuyaku-issaikyo: Wakan-senjutsu-buy vol 97, p. 1-72, Tokyo, Daito-shuppan-sha, 1970.
3. According to an account preserved in the 1321 work, the Genko-shakusho (compiled by Kokan Shiren, 1298-1346), the Far Eastern student of Buddhist philosophy is traditionally supposed to study the Kusharon (=the Abhidharmako/abhdsyam) for eight years, and then follow this with a three years' study of theJo-Yuishikiron (=the Vifnapti-matrata-siddhi). In the words of the adage,
yuishiki sannen, kusha hachinen; (the sequence is reversed for reasons of syllable count).
4. Much information concerning the life and career of Rev. Horei Sakurai was given to me by Mrs. Kazuko Ito, the widow of Rimban Horyu Ito, and their son, the Rev. Noriaki Ito. I wish to express my appreciation for their aid
5. Fa-pao, whose dates are unknown, worked with Hsuan-tsang on the translation of the Abhidharmakosabhdsyam in 654; he also worked with Hsuan-tsang on his translation of the
Vibhdsd in 659, and in this latter instance he is reported to have objected to Hsuan-tsang's addition of sixteen additional characters to the text for purposes of elucidating an obscure point. Fa-pao is counted, together with P'u-kuang, as one of Hsuan-tsang's major disciples. After Hsuan-tsang's death in 664, Fa-pao is recorded to have worked with I-ching from 700 to 703; under I-ching, Fa-pao served as the proof-reader (ch'eng-i) for some twenty works. See Mochizuki, Bukkyo-daijiten, V. 4661.
P'u-kuang, also an early disciple of Hsuan-tsang, worked on the translation of the Abhidharmakofabhasyam, and in addition is reported to have worked with Hsuan-tsang on his translation of the Maha-Prajfidparamita Sutra in the period 656 to 663. His dates are also unknown. See Mochizuki, op. cit. y V. 4408.
6. I began my teaching of the Abhidharma--more specifically readings from the text of the Abhidharmakosabhdsyam--in the academic year 1970 - 1971 at Brown University, and I have continued this teaching at both the Nyingma Institute (Berkeley, California), and at the University of Oriental Studies (Los Angeles). When I first taught at the Nyingma Institute in the summer of 1971, I prepared a draft translation of my Introduction ("The Abhidharma: The Origins, Growth and Development of a Literary Tradition") for the benefit of the students, to serve as an introduction to the historical process that led to the growth of the Sanskrit tradition of Abhidharma literature. The first part of the essay is a free translation of the introductory seaion (pages 13 to 61) of Prof. Ken Sakurabe's outstanding Japanese translation of the first two chapters of the Abhidharmakosabhdsyam, his Kusharon no kenkyii ("A Study of the Abhi- dharmakosabhdsyam")t Kyoto, Hozokan, 1969 (first edition). The second part of this Introduc- tion is a translation of pages 110 to 114 of Prof. Ryujo Yamada's Bongo Butten no shobunken ("The Manuscript Sources of Sanskrit Buddhism", Kyoto, Heirakuji-shoten, 1959 [first edition]) which deals with the Sanskrit fragments of the Abhidharma literature. This part of the Introduction has also been augmented by the bibliographical material given in volume one of Prof. Akira Hirakawa's Kusharon-sakuin ("Index to the Abhidharmako/abhdsyam'\ Tokyo, Daizo -shuppan kabushiki-kaisha, 1973).
Translator's Preface xxvii
? xxviii Translator's Preface
7. Kyokuga Saeki appears to have been the first to term his works the "kando" editions. His first Kando-bon was his edition of the Kusbaron, the Kando Abidatsuma Kusharon, published by the Hozokan, Kyoto, in 1869. He followed this by Kando editions of the Sankoku-buppo-denzu-engi (1888), and the Yuishiki-sanruikyo-sen'yp and theJo-Yuishikiron (both in 1890). Kando editions were continued after his death (cf. the lmmyo-sanjusanka-honsa-hdsange in 1895) by his disciples and students, Shundo Sugihara and Eto Senabe.
For the life of Kyokuga Saeki, see Mochizuki, op. cit. , 1. 624.
? The Abhidharma:
The Origins, Growth and
Development of a Literary Tradition
Leo M. Pruden
? xxx The Abhidharma
1. Origin and Growth of abhidharma.
JLoday the word abhidharma signifies the third of the Three Pitakas (Skt: Tripitaka) or collections of scriptures that go to make up the full Buddhist Canon. These three Pitakas, or collections, are: 1) the Sutras or Agamas, the words of the Buddha, directed to both laymen and clerics, dealing with a host of different topics: ethics, philosophical questions, legends and tales, etc. ; 2) the Vinaya, directed to the monks and nuns of the Buddhist Sangha, spelling out the prohibitions to be followed by the clerics and injunctions on the carrying out of various seasonal events, adjudicating disputes, the distribution of property, etc. ; and 3) the
1
Abhidharma Pitaka, a number of texts later in compilation than either the Sutra
Pitaka or the Vinaya Pitaka.
If the word abhidharma does not signify the Third Pitaka in its totality, then the
word signifies the contents of this Third Pitaka, its style of thinking and writing, and thus a certain type of commentarial literature, the Sastras or commentaries on the Sutras of the Buddha.
Since the Sutras and Vinaya, it is believed, took their essential form before the Third Pitaka was given its final form, the word abhidharma as used in the Sutras and in the Vinaya, was a word that did not signify the Third Pitaka. What then did the word abhidharma signify when it was first used in the Sutras and Vinaya, in the reputed words of the Buddha?
There are two meanings to the word abhidharma: 1) referring to the Dharma; and 2) the higher, or superior Dharma.
The first person interested in the etymology of the term abhi-dharma was N. W. Geiger, in his work, Pali Dhamma (1921), where he states, "abhidhamma originally mean the highest Dhamma; such is the interpretation of later commentators, that is, abhidhamma as uttaradhamma. " The earliest meaning of the word abhidhamma, he held, is "concerning the dhamma, or referring to the dhamma," In the Sutras, indeed,this word always appears in the locative case, as abhidhamme, ("with respect to Dhamma") and in this manner parallels the form abhivinaye ("concerningthe Vinaya').
This definition ("concerning the dhamma") was adopted by the Critical Pali Dictionary (1935,1st edition) where this form was termed (p. 350) a prepositional compound, and the word itself defined as: "as regards the dhamma. "
? 2. Abhidhamma as "higher dhamma".
The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary (1st edition 1921-1925, p. 65) gives the meaning of the word abhidhamma as: "the special Dhamma, i. e. , 1) the theory of the doctrine, the doctrine classified, the doctrine pure and simple (without any admixture of literary grace or of personalities, or of anecdotes, or of arguments ad personam. . . " This is a definition adopted by G. P. Malalasekera, Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, and by Etienne Lamotte, in his Histoire de Bouddhisme indien, p. 1971.
Among the English translations from the Pali Sutras (Pali: sutta; in their collections known as the Nikdyas), C. A. F. Rhys-Davids gives "the advanced teaching of Doctrine" (Dialogues, III, 19. 246); F. L. Woodward gives "extra doctrine" (GradualSayings 1. 276) and "the further doctrine" (Gradual Sayings, V, p. 19, 139 ff); E. M. Hare gives "More-Dhamma" (ibid. 111. 85, IV. 267); and Lord Chalmers gives "quintessential Doctrine" (Further Dialogues 1. 155) and "higher branches of the Doctrine" (ibid. , 1. 133).
Kogen Mizuno gives, as a definition of abhidhamma in his Index to the Pali Canon (Part II, p. 34), the "superior dhamma", the "higher dhamma", and the "most distinguished dhamma".
E. J. Thomas, in his History of Buddhist Thought (p. 159,276) gives "special dhamma" and "further-dhamma" as translations for abhidhamma. T. W. Rhys- Davids defines abhi-dhamma and abhivinaya as "the higher subtleties of the Dhamma and Vinaya".
From the above then we can see that there are two schools of interpretation concerning the meaning of the word abhidhamma, a fact pointed out by I. B. Horner in her article "Abhidhamma Abhivinaya in the First Two Pitakas of the Pali Canon", in Indian Historical Quarterly XII. 3 (Sept. 1941), pp. 291-310. According to Horner, the meaning of the word abhidhamma, in the Pali Canon, "fluctuates" between these two definitions (the non-judgmental "concerning the dhamma", and the judgmental "higher, superior (hence, better) dhamma"), but that in point of fact, these two meanings of the word are not mutually exclusive.
According to Ken Sakurabe, Geiger's definition of abhidhamma ("concerning the dhamma") is correct, whereas the Pali Text Society and I. B. Horner rely overmuch on the traditional interpretations of later Singhalese commentators.
Let us then take a look at the usage of the word abhidhamma as it is used in the Pali Canon of the Theravadins. Following are some examples of these two words, abhidhamma and abhivinaya, used together as a set phrase in the Canon:
1. Vinaya Pipaka, I, p. 64:
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aparehi pi bhikkhave pancah'angehi samannagatena bhikkhuna na upasampa- detabbam, na nissayo databbo, na samanero upattapetabbo: na patibalo hoti antevasim va saddhiviharirh va abhisamacarikaya sikkhaya sikkhapetum, adibrahmacariyikaya sikkhaya vinetum, abkidhamme vineturh, abhivinaya vinetum, uppannam ditthigatam dhammato vivecetum vivecapetum.
"And monks, if a monk is not possessed of five further qualities he should notordain. . . anoviceshouldnotattendhim:ifheisnotcompetenttomakea pupil or one who shares a cell train in the training regarding the fundamentals of conduct, to lead him in the training regarding the fundamentals of the Brahmafaring, to lead him in what pertains to dhamma, to lead him in what pertains to discipline, to discuss or get (another) to discuss, by means of dhamma, a false view that has arisen. . . " (translation by LB. Horner, SBB XIV, p. 84; see also Horner's discussion of abhidhamma, abhivinaya in SBB XIII, Introduction, p. x and following).
This same passage is translated by Rhys-Davids and Oldenburg, SBE, XIII, pp. 184-5):
"And also in other five cases, oh Bhikkhus, a Bhikku should not confer, etc. : when he is not able to train an antevasikaor a saddhiviharika in the precepts of proper conduct, to educate him in the elements of morality, to instruct him in what pertains to the Dhamma, to instruct him in what pertains to the Dhamma a false doctrine that might arise . . . "
In the above text the words are given in the locative case, which in Pali means "with reference to", "pertaining to". Here the word abhidhamma refers to the details of the dhamma (i. e. , Sutra) study, and to the details of Vinaya study. Horner, Rhys-Davids, and Oldenburg all agree in this interpretation.
2. Digha Nikdya, III, 267:
puna ca param avuso bhikkhu dhamma-kamo hoti piya-samudhaharo abhi- dhamme abhivinaye ulara-pamujjo. Yam p'avuso bhikkhu dhamma-kamo hoti . . . pe . . . ulara-pamujjo, ayam pi dhammo natha-karano.
"And furthermore,friends,he loves the doctrine, the utterance of it is dear to him, he finds exceeding joy in the advanced teaching of both Doctrine and Discipline:' (TW. and CAR Rhys-Davids, SBB, XC IV, p. 246; see also footnote 2, where Buddhaghosa's gloss on this passage is given).
In this above example (which is in Av 24, 90, 201, 339) the ideal monk is
? described. Horner feels that two dhammas are spoken of: 1) dhamma-kamo, and 2) abhidhamma and that abhidhamma is used to distinguish it from the first and lower type of dhamma. According to Sakurabe, this is a forced meaning, an interpretation not necessary for an understanding of the passage.
3. Majjhima Nikdya, I, p. 472:
arannaken'avuso bhikkhuna abhidhamme abhivinaya yogo karanlyo. Sant'avuso arahnakarh bhikkhum abhidhamme abhivinaye panham pucchi- taro. Sace avuso arannako bhikkhu abhidhamme abhivinaye panham puttho na sampayati tassa bhavanti vattaro:
. . . arannaken'avuso bhikkhuna ye te santa vimokha atikkamma rupe aruppa tattha yogo karanlyo . . . arannaken'avuso bhikkhuna uttarimanussdhamme yogo karanlyo.
"Your reverences, earnest study in Further-Dhamma, in Further- Discipline should be made by a monk who is forest-gone. Your reverences, there are those who will question a monk who is forest-gone on Further- Dhamma and Further-Discipline. If, your reverences, a monk who is forest- gone, on being asked a question on Further-Dhamma, on Further-Discipline, does not succeed in answering it, there will be those who speak about him and say . . .
"Your reverences, earnest study should be made by a monk who is forest- gone concerning those that are the peaceful deliverances and are incorporeal having transcended material shapes . . .
"Your reverences, earnest study in states of further-men would be made by a monk who is forest-gone . . . " (English translation by LB. Horner, Middle Length Sayings, II, p. 145).
Here Horner maintains that since the three accomplishments of the forest- dwelling monk are all put in the locative case {abhidhamme, abhivinaye, yogo . . . ) , abhidharma and abhivinaya refer to superior states of attainment. According to Sakurabe, however, this passage is like the Digha passage (no. 2 above). This occurrence of the terms abhidhamma-abhivinaya is the only place in the Sutras where abhidharma and abhivinaya are ranked together with supernormal states of attainment, but such an explanation as Horner's is not necessary for under- standing the sense of this passage.
3. Abhidhamma alone.
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There are, to be sure, a number of passages where the word abhidhamma occurs apart from the word abhivinaya.
1. Majjhima Nikdya, I, p. 214 gives:
idh'avuso sariputta dve bhikkhu abhidhammakatham kathenti, te anriaman- nam pafiham pucchanti, anfiamannassa panham puttha vissajjenti no ca samcadenti, dhammi ca nesam katha pavattanl hoti.
"In this connection, reverend Sariputta, two monks are talking on further dhamma', they ask one another questions; in answering one another's questions they respond and do not fall, and their talk on dhamma goes forward. "
2. Majjhima Nikdya, II, p. 239:
tasmatiha, bhikkhave, ye vo maya dhamma abhinna desota, seyyathldam: cattaro satipatthana, cattaro sammappadhana, cattaro iddhipada, panc'indri- yana, pance balani, satta bojjhanga, ariyo atthahgiko maggo,--tattha sabbeh'va samaggehi sammodamanehi avivadamanehi sikkhitabbam; tesah ca vo, bhikkhave, samagganam sammodamananam avivadamarianam sikkhatarh, siyamsu dve bhikkhu abhidhamme nanavada.
"Wherefore, monks, those things taught to you by me out of super- knowledge, that is to say the four applications of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four bases of psychic power, the five controlling faculties, the five powers, the seven links in awakening, the ariyan eightfold Way--all together, in harmony and without contention you should train yourselves in each and all of these. But when you, monks, all together, in harmony and without contention have trained yourselves in these, there might be two monks speaking differently about Further-Dhamma" (English translation by LB. Horner, Middle Length Sayings, III, p. 25. )
After the Buddha has taught, through his dhammd-abhinnd (his higher or superior knowledge of the dharma), the thirty-seven faaors of enlightenment, two monks are now depicted as having abhidhamme nanavada, "differing views on abhidhamma," and the other monks should try to settle the contentions of these two. The 37 dhammas so taught are by definition dhamma abhinna, or abhidhamma. Thus the two monks' contentions are regarding these itemized, 37 superior dharmas. This is the opinion of LB. Horner.
Sakurabe points out that the word dhamma is given in the plural whereas
? abhidhamma is given in the singular locative case, so this connection between dhammd-abhinnd and abhidhamma is unnatural. Geiger translates this passage as "zwei Bhikkhu, die uber den dhamma verschiedenes aussagen," and so translates abhidhamme as "concerning the teaching. "
4. Abhidhamma-kathd.
The phrase abhidhamma-kathd occurs some three times in the Pali Canon.
1. Majjhima Nikdya, I, p. 214:
idh'avuso sariputta dve bhikkhu abhidhammakatham kathenti, te annamannam panham pucchanti, annamannassa panham puttha vissajjenti no ca samsadenti, dharmmi ca nesam kathd pavattani hoti.
"In this connection, reverend Sariputta, two monks are talking on further dhamma\ they ask one another questions; in answering one another's questions they respond and do not fall, and their talk on dhamma goes forward. "
In this passage the phrase abhidhamma-kathd is followed by the words dhammi. . . kathd . . . So too the following passages from Majjhima Nikdya, I, p. 218:
sadhu sadhu sariputta, yatha tarn Moggallano va samma byakaramano byakareyya. Moggallano hi Sariputta dhammakathiko ti.
"It is good, Sariputta, it is good. It is so that Moggallana, in answering you properly, should answer. For, Sariputta, Moggallana is a talker on dhamma" (LB. Horner, Middle Length Sayings, I, p. 270; see also her note on this passage. )
Here we see that anyone who gives a correct, clear account of dhamma is a dhamma-kathiko, a "speaker on dhamma. " But later commentators (namely, Buddhaghosa, in his A si. p. 29) terms a dhamma-kathiko to be an abhidhamma- bhikkhu, a monk who specializes in the study (and teaching) of the abhidhamma.
In another passage (Ariguttara, III, p. 392), a monk who can do abhidhamma- kathd well is to be respected and honored. According to Sakurabe, this refers to one who can preach correctly and well, and the term abhidhamma in this passage as yet has no specific sense of a superior doctrine, but rather just the superior talent of being able to present the dharma well.
In another passage (Anguttara, III, p. 107) an ignorant monk confuses
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abhidharma-talk, and becomes verbose and long-winded {vedaUa-katha) and, by doing so, pollutes the Dharma and the Vinaya.
5. Traditional Explanations of Abhidhamma.
In the Pali commentarial literature, the word abhidhamma clearly means "a special, superior dharma. " This is seen in some of the words and phrases used by the later Pali commentators in describing the abhidhamma.
In commentaries on the Sutras, the abhidharma is termed uttara-dhamma, "the highest dharma," and abhi-visittha dhamma, "the very distinguished dhamma. "
In commentaries on the Abhidhamma, the words dhamma-atireka (unique dhamma) and abhamma-visesa (distinguished) are used. Abhidhamma is called in the plural vuddhimanto dhamma (the expanded, augmented dhammas), salak- khana-dhamma (unique dharmas), pujita dhamma (dharmas to be honored, worshipped), parichinna dharma (special dharmas), and adhika dhamma (ex- cellent dharmas). Such traditional Pali commentators have influenced the Western translators of the Suttas to see in the word abhidhamma more than it probably originally intended (as Rhys-Davids, Woodward, Hare, Chalmers, et al. )
This understanding was roughly the same in the case of the Sanskrit tradition of Northern Buddhism. In the Chinese translation of the Majjhima Nikaya, (termed the Madhyama Agama in Sanskrit and traditionally held, in Far Eastern Buddhism, to be a Sarvastivadin compilation), we see such phrases as "He discusses the very deep abhidharma," or "He speaks the very profound abhi- dharma . . . " (T 1, p. 450a, p. 634c, p. 688c, and p. 727b which corresponds to Majjhima, I, p. 214). The translation of the phrase abhidharma-katham kathenti ("he speaks abhidharma-talk," as above Majjhima, I, p. 214) is, in the Chinese translation, prefaced by the word "deep" or"profound" (Skt. gambhiram), added by the translator, based on his idea of the Abhidharma as a unique and superior teaching.
6. Abhidhamma in the Mahavibhdsa
The major Sarvastivadin compendium of thought, the Mahavibhdsa (The Great Commentary) gives a full list of synonyms and definitions of the word abhidharma (T. 27, p. 4) recognized by various Sarvastivadin masters, as well as
by masters of various other traditions (the Mahisasakas, the Dharmottaras, the Grammarians, etc. ), which reflea by and large the prevailing traditional definition
? of abhidharma as "a superior teaching"; but in the Mahdvibhdsd's list of definitions, covering some 20 pages in its Chinese translation, the definition "concerning the dharma" appears a large number of times also.
The Abhidharmakoiabhdsyam reflects this approach when, in its analysis of the word abhidharma, it says that abhi means abhimukha, "facing," "with reference to," "in the direction of," "taking something as the object of study or analysis. "
7. The Abhidhamma Pitaka.
From whence then did the third collection of writings, the Third Pitaka, the Abhidhamma Pitaka, arise?
There are two major scholarly opinions concerning how the Abhidhamma Pitaka came into existence.
The first opinion was initially propounded by Taiken Kimura in his book Abidatsuma-ron no kenkyu (A Study of the Abhidharma Sdstras, now vol. VI of the Kimura Taiken Zenshii. ) According to Kimura, abhidharma signified "con- cerning the dharma," and soon referred to discussions centered on the dharmas, their various classifications, itemizations, etc. This discussion was termed abhi- dhamma-kathd (kathd = discussion, debate), and such discussions came to be
collected together to form the Abhidhamma Pitaka. This view is the generally accepted view among Japanese scholars. (For this view in recent Japanese publications, see Bukkyogaku-jiten, edited by Taya, Ocho, and Funabashi, 1955 edition, under the entry abidatsuma, p. 6; and the article "Bukkyo tetsugaku no saisho no tenkai" by Tetsuro Watsuji, in the Wdtsuji Tetsuro Zenshii, vol. 5, p. 311, 344).
The second view was introduced by Geiger (in his Pali Dhamma, p. 118 ff. ) and has been adopted by most Europeans (as A. Bareau, Dhammasangini, traduction annotee, 1951, p. 8 ff. ; Etienne Lamotte, Histoire, p. 197; E. Frauwallner, WZKSO (1964), p. 59; see also Pali Text Society, Pali-English Dictionary, under mdtikd). This opinion holds that the earliest form of what we now call the Abhidhamma Pitaka is seen in what is termed in Pali the mdtikd (Skt: mdtfkd). In the Pali Canon there very frequently occurs (some 18 times) the set phrase: dhammadharo vinayadharo mdtikddharo ("holding, grasping," i. e. "study and recitation of Dhamma, of Vinaya, of Mdtika'). Here there are three distina objeas of study, the Dhamma (the Sutras), the Vinaya, and the Mdtikds, or "summaries".
