The Dhammasangani is a summary of the key principles of the other six books of the Pāli Abhidhamma Pitaka. Its contents was written according to the Buddha’s teaching, which uncover every latent and functional bits of our subtler interior strata that comprises the 89 consciousness, the 52 mental concomitants, and total 279 corporeal phenomena—explicitly analyse and explain these often unseen complexities within us, from the psychological, philosophical, moral and ethical aspects. This is a book which lays the solid foundation theories and principles for its practical side of the Samantha-Vipassanā.
The present work is the result of almost a year of inquiry into the fundamental tenets of the Dhammasangani in the Theravada school of Abhidhamma. There were daunting yet enriching challenges in the preparation of the work such as the encounters with sometimes the ambiguous or different explanations for certain terms and principles from some of the translated modern literatures of the Dhammasangani. For such cases I made consultation to the Pāli texts of the Dhammasangani, to its commentary Atthasālinī and the sub-commentary Dhammasangani-Mūlatīkā. Subsequent consultations to the Pāli-English dictionaries by P.T.S. and others, are also sometimes faced with different renderings. My decision in such cases was including all their suggested meanings relevant to that context, and sometimes giving my recommended choice to what looked like is the obvious answer, and stating my reasons whenever that was necessary.
Another difficult task was to still following the topical layout of the Dhammasanghani but to steer clear of its traditional way of catechetical exposition, and at the same time able to present as much as of its theories and essence as possible. We know that a well-presented table speaks a thousand words. Hence the several tables that I have created and every detailed explanations followed thereto, should be the effective analytical study guides for the new students. The concept of the tables and also much of the contents of the work, have drawn a great deal of the ideas from post-canonical literatures of the Abhidhammattha-sangaha, Visuddhimagga, and the mentioned Chinese sources. My decision to also include the succinct Chinese definitions for the Abhidhamma terminologies is primarily to facilitate those bilingual readers to more comprehensibly understand the connotative nuances of the words in Pāli, by comparison of the English and Chinese translations.
Table of Contents
1. CHAPTER 1 (MĀTIKĀ)
1.1 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE MATRIX (MĀTIKĀ)
1.1.1 The 22 Triads (TIKA MĀTIKĀ)
1.1.2 The 100 Dyads (DUKA MĀTIKĀ)
1.1.3 The 42 Suttantika Dyads (SUTTANTAKA DUKA MĀTIKĀ)
2. CHAPTER 2 (CITTUPPĀDA)
2.1 The 89 States of Consciousness At A Glance
2.2 The Sensuous-Sphere States of Consciousness
2.3 The Fine-Material-Sphere States of Consciousness
2.4 The Immaterial-Sphere States of Consciousness
2.5 The Transcendental-Sphere States of Consciousness
3. CHAPTER 3 (CETASIKAS)
3.1 The Classification and Exposition of Cetasikas
3.2 The 52 Cetasikas At A Glance
3.3 The 7 Common ‘Universal’ Concomitants
3.4 The 6 ‘Occasionals’ Concomitants
3.5 The 4 ‘Unwholesome-Universals’
3.6 The 10 ‘Unwholesome-Occasionals’
3.7 The 25 ‘Beautiful’ Concomitants
3.7.1 The 19 ‘Beautiful-Universals’ (Sobhaṇa Sādhāraṇā Cetasikas)
3.7.2 The 3 ‘Beautiful-Abstinences’ (Virati Cetasikas)
3.7.3 The 2 ‘Beautiful-Illimitables’ (Appamaññā Cetasikas)
3.7.4 The ‘Beautiful Non-Delusional’ (Paññindriya Cetasika)
3.8 The “Or-Whatsoever” Factors
3.9 Relating the 52 Cetasikas with the Cittas by a Table
3.10 Association of the Cetasikas with the different Cittas
3.11 Combinations of the Cetasikas relating to the different Cittas
3.11.1 Concomitants of the sense-sphere beautiful consciousness
3.11.2 Concomitants of the sense-sphere unwholesome consciousness
3.11.3 Concomitants of the sense-sphere rootless consciousness
3.11.4 Concomitants of the sublime consciousness
3.11.5 Concomitants of the supramundane consciousness
3.11.6 Fixed and Unfixed adjuncts of the Cetasikas
4. CHAPTER 4 (RŪPA)
4.1 11 Categories that analyse and expound Corporeality
4.1.1 1st Method: 43 sets viewed as a single category
4.1.2 2nd Method: 104 sets viewed by way of positive-negative dyads
4.1.3 3rd Method: 103 sets viewed as triplet categories
4.1.4 4th Method: 22 sets viewed as fourfold categories
4.1.5 5th Method: viewed as a fivefold single category
4.1.6 6th Method: viewed as a sixfold single category
4.1.7 7th Method: viewed as a sevenfold single category
4.1.8 8th Method: viewed as an eightfold single category
4.1.9 9th Method: viewed as a ninefold single category
4.1.10 10th Method: viewed as a tenfold single category
4.1.11 11th Method: viewed as an elevenfold single category
4.2 Condensed Tables of the 11 Methods
4.3 The 28 Material Phenomena
4.4 The Four Great Essentials
4.5 The 24 Derived Material Phenomena
4.6 Classification of Matter
4.7 Groups and Causes of Material Phenomena
4.8 Arising of Material Phenomena in the Sensuous Sphere
4.9 Death Moment of Material Phenomena
4.10 Arising of Material Phenomena in Other Spheres
5. CHAPTER 5 (APPLYING THE MĀTIKĀ)
5.1 Cluster of the 22 Triads
5.2 A shorter compilation of the non-interrelated dyads
5.3 An intermediate compilation of the non-interrelated dyads
5.4 The ‘Root Cause’ dyads
5.5 The ‘Pollutant’ dyads
5.6 The ‘Fetter’ dyads
5.7 The ‘Bond’ dyads
5.8 The ‘Raging Current’ and ‘Yoke’ dyads
5.9 The ‘Hindrance’ dyads
5.10 The ‘Attachment’ dyads
5.11 The ‘Clinging’ dyads
5.12 The ‘Defilement’ dyads
5.13 An end compilation of the non-interrelated dyads
5.14 Further exposition of the 42 Suttantika dyads
5.15 Questions for pondering
6. CHAPTER 6 (NIBBĀNA)
Objectives & Core Themes
This book provides a comprehensive, systematic analysis of the Dhammasaṅgaṇī, the first book of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, serving as a foundational guide to Buddhist psychology. It explores the 89 states of consciousness, the 52 mental concomitants, and the 28 types of corporeality, providing both textual analysis and practical application for spiritual development.
- The structure and classification of consciousness in Theravada Buddhism.
- The detailed breakdown and analysis of mental factors (Cetasikas).
- An analytical approach to corporeal phenomena and material classification.
- Methodological explanations for interpreting the Abhidhamma Mātika.
Excerpt from the Book
Composition of the Mātika and description of its constituents
The Abhidhamma Mātika (see Appendix I) is the key to the Abhidhamma method of exposition. The Mātika is marked off into 15 divisions, consisting of 1 division of Abhidhammamātika triads, 13 divisions of Abhidhammamātika Dyads, and 1 division of Suttantikamātika Dyads. The Abhidhamma Mātika groups the dhamma into triads in 22 ways, and groups the dhamma into dyads in 100 ways. Each triad consists of three categories, and each dyad consists of two categories. In Suttantika Duka Mātika, the dhamma is grouped into 42 categories.
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER 1 (MĀTIKĀ): This chapter provides an introduction to the classification of consciousness and mental factors as outlined in the Mātika, establishing the foundation for understanding triads and dyads.
CHAPTER 2 (CITTUPPĀDA): This chapter details the 89 states of consciousness, explaining their organization across four planes of existence and their ethical classifications.
CHAPTER 3 (CETASIKAS): This chapter provides an in-depth enumeration and classification of the 52 mental concomitants and their specific roles in association with various cittas.
CHAPTER 4 (RŪPA): This chapter explores the corporeality or material phenomena, utilizing 11 distinct methods to categorize and analyze corporeal existence.
CHAPTER 5 (Applying the MĀTIKĀ): This chapter applies the previously defined matrix to provide an analytical exposition of terms and their practical significance.
CHAPTER 6 (NIBBĀNA): This chapter provides an overview of Nibbāna, discussing its etymology, its nature as an unconditioned element, and its role as the ultimate goal of Buddhist practice.
Keywords
Abhidhamma, Dhammasaṅgaṇī, Citta, Cetasika, Rūpa, Nibbāna, Mātika, Tika, Duka, Consciousness, Mental Factors, Corporeality, Theravada, Buddhist Psychology, Samatha-Vipassanā
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this book?
The book serves as an analytical guide to the Dhammasaṅgaṇī, focusing on the fundamental components of the mind and body according to the Theravada Abhidhamma tradition.
What are the core thematic fields covered?
The core fields include the classification of consciousness (citta), the study of mental concomitants (cetasika), the analysis of matter (rūpa), and the nature of the ultimate goal, Nibbāna.
What is the main research objective?
The goal is to provide a clear, methodical exposition of the complex Abhidhamma literature to help students comprehend the technical definitions and logical structure of Buddhist psychological principles.
What scientific or historical methods are utilized?
The author employs a systematic analysis of canonical Pali texts, cross-referencing commentaries (Atthasālini) and sub-commentaries, while presenting technical data through structured tables and logical classifications.
How is the material organized in the main body?
The body is structured into six chapters, moving from the Mātika (matrix) through mental factors and physical phenomena to the ultimate realization of Nibbāna.
Which specific terms characterize the work?
Key terms include citta (consciousness), cetasika (mental factors), rūpa (corporeality), and Mātika (matrix classification system).
How does the author explain the 89 states of consciousness?
The author provides a breakdown based on planes of existence (sensuous, fine-material, immaterial, and transcendental) and ethical qualities (wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate).
Why are the tables included in the text?
The author uses tables to condense complex textual information into a more accessible format, aiding students in visualizing the interrelationships between consciousness and mental factors.
What is the significance of the 28 material phenomena?
These phenomena represent the totality of matter as enumerated in the Abhidhammattha-saṅgaha, forming the basis for the analytical study of corporeal existence in Chapter 4.
How is Nibbāna approached in the final chapter?
Nibbāna is treated not just as a concluding chapter, but as the ultimate reality, with the author offering an enumerated list of its characteristics to clarify its nature for practitioners.
- Citation du texte
- Tan Poh Beng (Auteur), 2015, An Anatomy of Mind. Being Essence of the Dhammasangani in Abhidhamma, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/302497
