The Foundations of Buddhism

The Abhidharma 205

TABLE 8, The Abhidharma Pitaka

THE ABHIDHAMMA OF THE

THERAVADINS

Dhammasmigm;i

('Enumeration of Dhammas')

Vibhmiga

('Analysis')

D hiitukathti

('Discourse on Elements')

Puggalapaiiiiatti

('Designation of Persons')

Kathtivatthu of Moggaliputtatissa

('Points of Discussion')

Yamaka

('Pairs')

Patthtina

('Conditions')

THE ABHIDHARMA OF THE SARVASTIVADINS

Jiitinaprasthtina of Katyayana '

('The Foundation of Knowledge')

Prakarm;aptida of Vasumitra

('The Treatise')

Vijiitinakaya of Devak~ema/

Deva~arman

('Compendium of Consciousness')

Dharmaskandha of Maudgalyayana/

Sariputra

('Compendium of Dharmas')

PrajiiaptiStistra of Maudgalyayana/

Mahakatyayana

('Manual of Concepts')

Dhtitukaya of Vasumitra/PiirJ.la

('Compendium of Elements')

Saf!!gltiparytiya of Mahakau~thila/Sariputra

('Discourse on the Collective Recitation')

section entitled 'the ground of understanding' (pafifui-bhiimi) which
is essentially an introduction to the Theravadin Abhidharma. A
more direct introduction to the canonical Theravadin Abhidharma
is the Abhidhammiivatiira ('Introduction to Abhidharma') writ-

ten in the fifth century by Buddhadatta, a contemporary of Bud-

dhaghosa. But the most commonly used introductory manual in

the countries of Theravada Buddhism today is a twelfth-century

work of Anuruddha, the Abhidhammattha-smigaha ('Compendium
of the Topics of Abhidharma').

In the second or third century cE, Sarvastivadin Abhidharmikas

('exponents of Abhidharma') in north-west India began compil-

ing an authoritative Abhidharma commentary or vibhii~ii. This

survives in Chinese translation in three different recensions. Of

particular influence were the views of the Kasmira Sarvastivadins,