ABSTRACT
Abhidharma is a designation of Buddhist literature in which the core teachings from the Buddha’s sermons are systematized, interpreted, and defended. Ideally, abhidharma texts form the third “Basket” (piṭaka) of the Buddhist “Three Baskets” (Tripiṭaka) or canon, but many sūtra texts (discourses attributed to the Buddha) and post-canonical works share important features with the treatises comprising the Abhidharmapiṭaka. It will be useful, then, to make a distinction between canonical abhidharma texts (i.e., those that comprise the Abhidharmapiṭaka) and works not included in the piṭaka but sharing important features with and developing the ideas of canonical abhidharma texts. The latter may usefully be referred to as abhidharma as well, even though it is technically not part of the Abhidharmapiṭaka. Abhidharma literature comprising this category displays considerable variation as to genre. The treatises range from simple commentaries on, or indexes to, the Buddha’s sermons (e.g., the Dharmaskandha, Mahāniddesa), to sectarian debate manuals (e.g. Kathāvatthu, Vijñānakāya), to works meant to be comprehensive of all Buddhist doctrine (e.g., Abhidharmakośa, Abhidhammathasaṅgaha), to shorter discussions of specific topics (e.g., Lokaprajñāpti, Puggalapaññati). The lasting significance of abhidharma as a genre lies in its innovations to and systemizations of the basic Buddhist doctrines found in the Sūtrapiṭaka. As such, abhidharma compositions became a critical component in the formation of early Buddhist sectarian identity.
