204 The Abhidharma
out and taught only by a buddha. Hearing it being recited-even
without understanding it-can have a far-reaching effect. The
Abhidharma catches the very essence of the Dharma, which means
that its sound can operate almost as a charm or spell.
The suggestion in the legend that the form in which the
Abhidharma has coine down to us has been mediated through
the person of Sariputra perhaps reflects the historical reality that
the canonical Abhidharma works must be regarded as somewhat
later than the siitra material of the Nikayas/ Agamas, and in part
explains why some schools of thought, such as the Sautrantikas
('those who follow the teaching of the siitras'), later declined to
give the Abhidharma works the status of 'the word of the Buddha'
(see Chapter 2). The two canonical Abhidharma collections that
survive are those of the Theravadins and the Sarvastivadins, the
latter only in Chinese translation. All the books of' the Theravadin
Abhidharma, with the exception of the Y amaka, have been
translated into English; the Sarvastivadin cat10nical Abhidharma
works remain untranslated into a modern European language.
Both these collections consist of seven books but their titles
and contents vary considerably. None the less they share two tasks
in common. In the first place they attempt to give a systematic
and exhaustive account of the world by breaking it down into its
constituent physical and mental events (dharma/dhamma). Sec-
ondly, they both contain works which address various points of
dispute that arise out of the preceding exercise. Although the
status of the Abhidharma as word of the Buddha may have been
challenged, the stamp that the Abhidharma systems, methods,
and debates have left on subsequent Buddhist thought is indis-
putable. They provide the terms of reference and determine the
agenda which result 1n the Mahayana schools of Madhyamaka
and Y ogacara.
Apart from the canonical Abhidharma, a great variety of
Abhidharma manuals exist. These manuals aim at introducing the
essentials of the complicated canonical systems. For the Theravadins,
Buddhaghosa's comprehensive Visuddhimagga contains much of
their Abhidharma system; chapters 14 to 17 form a self-contained