Abhidhamma Studies: Buddhist Explorations of Consciousness and Time

by Nyanaponika Thera

The Abhidhamma, the third great division of early Buddhist teaching, expounds a revolutionary system of philosophical psychology rooted in the twin Buddhist insights of selflessness and dependent origination. In keeping with the liberative thrust of early Buddhism, this system organizes the entire spectrum of human consciousness around the two poles of Buddhist doctrine - bondage and liberation, Samsara and Nirvana - the starting point and the final goal. It thereby maps out, with remarkable rigour and precision, the inner landscape of the mind to be crossed through the practical work of Buddhist meditation.

In this book of groundbreaking essays, Venerable Nyanaponika Thera, one of our age's foremost exponents of Theravada Buddhism, attempts to penetrate beneath the formidable face of the Abhidhamma and to make its principles intelligible to the thoughtful reader of today. His point of focus is the Consciousness Chapter of the Dhammasangani , the first treatise of the Abhidhamma Pitaka. Basing his interpretation on the detailed list of mental factors that the Abhidhamma uses as a guide to psychological analysis, he launches into bold explorations in the multiple dimensions of conditionality, the nature of consciousness, the temporality of experience, and the psychological springs of spiritual transformation. Innovative and rich in insights, this book does not merely open up new avenues in the academic study of early Buddhism. By treating the Abhidhamma as a fountainhead of inspiration for philosophical and psychological inquiry, it demonstrates the continuing relevance of Buddhist thought to our most astute contemporary efforts to understand the elusive yet so intimate nature of the mind.

Genres: Buddhism, Psychology, Philosophy, Spirituality, Mindfullness, Nonfiction

179 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 1998

About the author

Venerable Nyanaponika Thera or Nyanaponika Mahathera was a German-born Theravada Buddhist monk and scholar who, after ordaining in Sri Lanka, later became the co-founder of the Buddhist Publication Society and author of numerous seminal books and articles on Theravada Buddhism. He mentored and taught a whole generation of Western Buddhist leaders such as Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Reviews

[Kamakana · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you like this review, i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com

230514: I do not claim to understand it all, but what I do get is fantastic. this is sort of the opposite of Beyond the Self, in the sense it is dense, academic, scholarly- and obviously not intended for casual perusal. this is a lot of strenuous fun for my intellect. this is perhaps the wrong way to fully appreciate the Abhidamma, too abstract, not practiced, not mediated on. not, I feel, placed fully in context of buddhist culture, history, literature, the books of the Abidhamma, other books, commentaries, disagreements...

if I had grown up in buddhist culture I might be less entranced. I might have viewed the Pali in which these discourses are written no more interesting than Medieval Latin. on the other, I might have been more educated to understand ways of thought eg. comparison of western psychology with complexes, fixations, neurosis, on the way to creating healthy ordinary human, versus buddhist psychology with none of these, with awareness of emptiness, transience, on the way to liberation. this difference is clear in Already Free: Buddhism Meets Psychotherapy on the Path of Liberation philosophy in the buddhist sense is at least as different as in Buddhism: A Philosophical Approach...

this book outlines the first books of Abhidamma (dhammasanangi) is concerned with the doctrine of non-self, then in support detailed analysis of moments of consciousness. the next books with 'conditioning' or relative aspects of these minute, tabulated, named moments. there are pentad of sense-contact, factors of absorption, faculties, powers, path factors, wholesome roots, ways of action, guardians of the world, six pairs of qualitative factors, helpers, paired combination, last dyad, supplementary factors, all intertwined. there is level of analytic logic that certainly emphatically reinforces buddhist thought and awareness. after this list comes the second book (pathana) . in which the buddha asserts the method of induction to help clarify his claims. in no way does he ever aver to metaphysics. this is very practical, immediate sense of instruction: phase one is contemplation of phenomena appearing in oneself, phenomena appearing in others, combination of both. phase two is phenomena arising, phenomena passing away, combination of two. we must advance both the analytical and synthetical sids of our awareness. this is the middle way...

I have read this through once: the second time I went from section to section as inspired. this is not buddhism as religion but as philosophy and psychology. this is what I want. perhaps I will read it again, it is from u library, or even buy it. it interests me in the complex, completely other structure of phil-Indic-buddhism. be patient. be generous with your own errors in thought or prejudices. read. probably helps if you meditate. or just enjoy thinking...

more
What the Buddha Thought
Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
Nietzsche and Buddhist Philosophy
Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings
Buddhist Philosophy: A Historical Analysis
Empty Words: Buddhist Philosophy and Cross-Cultural Interpretation
Buddhism as Philosophy: An Introduction
The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā
Self, No Self?: Perspectives from Analytical, Phenomenological, and Indian Traditions
After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age
Philosophers of Nothingness: An Essay on the Kyoto School
The Kyoto School
Nishida And Western Philosophy
Buddhism: A Philosophical Approach
What the Buddha Thought
Wisdom Beyond Words: The Buddhist Vision of Ultimate Reality
An Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy
Why I Am Not a Buddhist
Why I Am a Buddhist: No-Nonsense Buddhism with Red Meat and Whiskey
Samsara, Nirvana, and Buddha Nature
Already Free: Buddhism Meets Psychotherapy on the Path of Liberation

[Klara Vrdoljak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ego death

[Phil Calandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Abhidhamma Studies: Buddhist Explorations of Consciousness and Time" is a scholarly exposition of the Abhidhamma Buddhist Text. This book reads like and encyclopedia, is not for the casual reader of Buddhist philosophy but more for the scholars and those involved in a practice for quite some time. It is, however, an excellent reference book for those who would like to pursue Buddhism further.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful, authoritative examination of selected issues to do with the Abhidharma (Sanskrit spelling), the body of teachings on Buddhist psychology and philosophy, showing how Abhidharma scholarship can pick up and carry on into the future--it's not simply a body of received tradition.

[Everett Grandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

maturation of corporeal awareness

this pointing-out provides perspective with fertilizer for contemplative investigation that may only be witnessed therein...this is only external as it gets

[Ulf Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not an easy read; it takes good focus and a pot of strong green tea to take in. Given that, however, one cannot help but be struck by how insightful Nyanaponika Thera is and how logical and clear-headed his approach, his arguments, and conclusions about the Abhidhamma.

Although I’ve owned the Abhidhammattha Sangaha—a Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma for several years, the few times I’ve opened it I have shied away within minutes from its meticulous and intricate approach to the mind and its phenomena. In fact, I would venture to say that without such a primer as Nyanaponika Thera’s excellent work, my copy of the Comprehensive manual would probably remain forever unread.

I am not saying that it is now at the top of my reading list, but what I am saying is that Nyanaponika Thera’s introduction and heartfelt apology for the Abhidhamma has made me view it as much more than simply a curiosity for the intellectually overstimulated.

Nyanaponika details his reason why the Abhidhamma in fact is, and why rightly so, an important part of the Pali Canon, and he does this admirably. His language is clear and precise and it is hard to fault his reasoning.

If you have wondered about the Abhidhamma but, like me, felt a bit intimidated by it, I highly recommend this book.

[Darryl]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12092360