Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Aspects of Mahayana Buddhism and its Relation to Hinayana c5.s2.t1: The Growth of the Abhidhamma Literature

Aspects of Mahāyāna Buddhism and its Relation to Hīnayāna c5.s2.t1

Language
English

The Growth of the Abhidhamma Literature

c5.s2.t1.1

To keep pace with this movement of thought, the older schools had to gird up their loins in order to make their position strong and unassailable. As the result of this effort, we have the Abhidhamma literature of the Theravāda and the Sarvāstivāda schools. The great agreement between the Nikāyas (=Āgamas)² and the Vinaya³ of the Theravāda and the Sarvāstivāda schools, and the great disagreement between their Abhidhamma⁴ literatures show clearly that while compiling their Nikāyas and the essential parts of the Vinayas, the two schools lived close to each other in Magadha or thereabouts,¹ and utilised a common source,² but while compiling their Abhidhammas, they were far from each other and developed the Abhidhamma literatures independently.³ From the nature of the contents of the Kathāvatthu of the Theravādins, it is also evident that the Abhidhammas were developed not only to add strength to their respective views but also to criticise the views of their opponents and establish their own against them. Hence, we can say that this period witnessed not only the appearance of the new schools but also a new development of the older ones.⁴

c5.s2.t1.2

² Theravāda: Suttapiṭaka: Dīghanikāya, Majjhimanikāya, Aṅguttaranikāya, Saṃyuttanikāya and Khuddakanikāya. Sarvāstivāda: Dīrghāgama, Madhyamāgama, Ekottarāgama and Saṃyuktāgama.

c5.s2.t1.3

³ Theravāda: Vinayapiṭaka: Pātimokkha, Mahāvagga, Cullavagga, Suttavibhaṅga and Parivāra. Sarvāstivāda: Vinayapiṭaka: Vinayavastu, Prātimokṣasūtra, Vinayavibhaṅga, Vinayakṣudrakavastu and Vinaya-uttaragrantha.

c5.s2.t1.4

⁴ Theravāda: Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇi, Vibhaṅga, Dhātukathā, Puggalapaññatti, Kathāvatthu, Yamaka and Paṭṭhāna. Sarvāstivāda: Abhidhamma: Saṅgītiparyāya, Dhātukāya, Prajñaptisāra, Dharmaskandha, Vijñānakāya and Prakaraṇapāda. For details see Early History etc., pp. 277 ff.

c5.s2.t1.5

¹ i.e., in the first period.

c5.s2.t1.6

² For a comparison of the fragments of Sarvāstivāda Āgamas with the corresponding portions of the Pāli Nikāyas, see Hoernle, *Manuscript Remains* etc., pp. 30 ff. For the correspondence, verbal and otherwise, between the Prātimoksa-sūtra of the Sarvāstivādins and the Pātimokkha of the Theravādins, see J.A., 1913; see also Lévi, J.A., 1912; Oldenberg, Z.D.M.G., vol. iii; Watanabe, *Tables of Problems in the Samyukta Āgama and Samyutta Nikāya* (Tokio, 1926).

c5.s2.t1.7

³ See J.P.T.S., 1904-5, pp. 60 ff.

c5.s2.t1.8

⁴ An evidence for the later growth of the Abhidhamma literature is the orthodox tradition (*Attha*., pp. 28-32) that Buddha did not preach the Abhidhamma in *extenso* but gave only the *mātikā*, which was later on developed by Sāriputta and handed down by him through his disciples to Revata. This evidence is important in view of the fact that this is a statement made by persons who believe that every thing of the scriptures is Buddhavacana. The rejection of the Abhidhamma by the Mahāsānghikas as non-canonical is also an evidence in support of our contention. See *Early History* etc., p. 235. In the *Kośa-vyākhyā* (p. 12) it is stated that the Abhidharma was preached in fragments by Buddha.

Linked texts (1)