How many versions of canonical Theravada Abhidhamma exist?

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frank k
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Re: How many versions of canonical Theravada Abhidhamma exist?

Post by frank k »

Do any of these have close correspondence with the first two books of Te Abhidhamma?
Is there some rough correspondence between the respective 7 books?
Coëmgenu wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 4:10 pm ...
The Sarvastivadin "orthodox" account, as far as I'm able to relay it accurately, is that these sages authored the specific books of their Abhidharmapitaka.

Dharmaskandha --> Ven Śāriputra (according to the Tibetan translation)
--> Ven Maudgalyāyana (according to the Chinese translation)
Jñānaprasthāna --> Ven Kātyāyanīputra
Prakaraṇapāda --> Vens Vasumitra & various unnamed Káśmīra Arhats
Vijñānakaya --> Ven Devasarman
Prajñāptiśāstra --> Ven Maudgalyāyana
Dhātukāya --> Ven Purna (according to Tibetan translations)
--> Ven Vasumitra (according to Chinese translations)
Sangītiparyāya --> Ven Mahakausthila (according to Tibetan translation)
--> Ven Śāriputra (according to the Chines translation)
Mahāvibhāṣa (post-canonical) --> Vens Katyāyāniputra & numerous others

So between extant Chinese and Tibetan translations of their material, there is no consensus on the authorship of several of their Abhidharma texts.
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Coëmgenu
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Re: How many versions of canonical Theravada Abhidhamma exist?

Post by Coëmgenu »

I've heard that supposedly the Dhammasaṅgaṇī and Dharmaskandha share a common core of material that is a theoretical ur-Abhidharma tradition which might have been maintained by some Sthaviravādins as a group, since this material would be theoretically older than the Vibhajyavādin- Sarvāstivādin split, but you'll need to give me a bit to actually find the paper again.
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Coëmgenu
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Re: How many versions of canonical Theravada Abhidhamma exist?

Post by Coëmgenu »

Coëmgenu wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 5:37 pm you'll need to give me a bit to actually find the paper again.
I think it's a theory from the EBT crowd specifically.

I hope this displays the proper page.

https://books.google.ca/books?id=7270mB ... ha&f=false

I've also heard it said that the two specific works share a textual core of shared materials too, and I think that's from Dawn of Abhidharma by Ven Analayo, so I'll look there next.
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Dhammanando
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Re: How many versions of canonical Theravada Abhidhamma exist?

Post by Dhammanando »

Considering the thread's current trajectory, I believe it belongs more properly in the Early Buddhism than in he Abhidhamma sub-forum. I've moved it accordingly.
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It turns out otherwise.
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rybka3
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Re: How many versions of canonical Theravada Abhidhamma exist?

Post by rybka3 »

frank k wrote: Sun Jun 13, 2021 2:57 pm Do any of these have close correspondence with the first two books of Te Abhidhamma?
Is there some rough correspondence between the respective 7 books?
Coëmgenu wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 4:10 pm ...
The Sarvastivadin "orthodox" account, as far as I'm able to relay it accurately, is that these sages authored the specific books of their Abhidharmapitaka.

Dharmaskandha --> Ven Śāriputra (according to the Tibetan translation)
--> Ven Maudgalyāyana (according to the Chinese translation)
Jñānaprasthāna --> Ven Kātyāyanīputra
Prakaraṇapāda --> Vens Vasumitra & various unnamed Káśmīra Arhats
Vijñānakaya --> Ven Devasarman
Prajñāptiśāstra --> Ven Maudgalyāyana
Dhātukāya --> Ven Purna (according to Tibetan translations)
--> Ven Vasumitra (according to Chinese translations)
Sangītiparyāya --> Ven Mahakausthila (according to Tibetan translation)
--> Ven Śāriputra (according to the Chines translation)
Mahāvibhāṣa (post-canonical) --> Vens Katyāyāniputra & numerous others

So between extant Chinese and Tibetan translations of their material, there is no consensus on the authorship of several of their Abhidharma texts.
Ajahn Sujato said that Dharmaskandha is a Vibhanga equivalent.
The Dharmaskandha is much more discursive, it has a much wider range of sutta quotes, it entirely lacks the “cycles” of repetition, and is, overall, a far more useful text. In form, it is more comparable to the Pali Kathavatthu.
https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/th ... ma/3193/10
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