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Homage to that Blessed One, Arahant, Perfectly Enlightened Buddha. Abhidhamma Piṭaka Questions and Answers of the Recitation Question – At the time of the First Great Recitation, friends, what teaching did the venerable great elders, chief among them Mahākassapa, the reciters of old, recite after reciting the Vinaya Piṭaka and the four great Nikāyas, namely, the Dīgha, Majjhima, Saṃyutta, and Aṅguttara, in the Suttanta Piṭaka? Answer – At the time of the First Great Recitation, venerable sirs, the venerable great elders, chief among them Mahākassapa, the reciters of old, recited the teaching called the Abhidhamma Piṭaka after reciting the Vinaya Piṭaka and the four Nikāyas, namely, the Dīgha, Majjhima, Saṃyutta, and Aṅguttara, in the Suttanta Piṭaka. Question – In this Sixth Recitation too, friends, the entire Vinaya Piṭaka has been recited, and those four great Nikāyas. Now is the time, friends, to recite the Abhidhamma Piṭaka. Therefore, I will ask you questions about it. Friends, for what reason is this Abhidhamma called Abhidhamma? Answer – It is called Abhidhamma, venerable sir, by reason of being superior to Dhamma and having special Dhamma. Question – And this Abhidhamma, friends, by whom, where, and when was it attained? Answer – This Abhidhamma, venerable sir, was truly attained by the Omniscient Buddha at the foot of the great Bodhi tree on the full moon day of Vesākha. Question – And where, friends, and when was this Abhidhamma analyzed by the Blessed One? Answer – This Abhidhamma, venerable sir, was analyzed by the Blessed One at the great Bodhi tree during the week of the Jewel House. Question – And where, friends, and when, and for whose benefit was this Abhidhamma taught by the Blessed One? Answer – This Abhidhamma, venerable sir, was taught by the Blessed One to the devas in Tāvatiṃsa, at the foot of the Pāricchattaka tree, on the Paṇḍukambala stone, in the seventh year after his full enlightenment, with his mother as the chief, to those who had come from ten thousand world-systems. It was taught to the deities assembled, for the crossing over of the four floods, during the rainy season. Question – Who, friends, first received this Abhidhamma in the human world, and to whom was it taught by him? Answer – Venerable Sāriputta Thera, the General of the Dhamma, first received this Abhidhamma in the human world, venerable sir. And by that same Venerable Sāriputta Thera, venerable sir, it was taught to his five hundred resident monks. Question – Who, friends, are training? Answer – Trainees, venerable sir, and ordinary people, and good people are training. Question – Who, friends, have completed their training? Answer – Arahants, venerable sir, have completed their training. Question – Who, friends, uphold it? Answer – Those, venerable sir, for whom it is fitting, they uphold it. Question – Whose word, friends, is it? Answer – It is the word of the Blessed One, venerable sir, the Arahant, the Perfectly Self-Enlightened One. Question – By whom, friends, was it brought? Answer – It was brought, venerable sir, by tradition. Dhammasaṅgaṇī Question – This Abhidhamma, friends, is sevenfold, divided into treatises such as the Dhammasaṅgaṇī and Vibhaṅga. Among these, which treatise was first taught by the Blessed One? Answer – The Dhammasaṅgaṇī treatise, venerable sir, was first taught by the Blessed One. Question – In the Dhammasaṅgaṇī, friends, there is a matrix and there is an analysis of terms. When the Blessed One laid down the matrix, what did he lay down? Answer – When laying down the matrix, venerable sir, the Blessed One laid down: “Wholesome phenomena, unwholesome phenomena, indeterminate phenomena. Phenomena associated with pleasant feeling, phenomena associated with painful feeling, phenomena associated with neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. Resultant phenomena, phenomena that are causes of results, phenomena that are neither resultant nor causes of results”—in this way, by means of twenty-two triads. “Phenomena with roots, phenomena without roots. Phenomena with root-causes, phenomena without root-causes. Phenomena associated with roots, phenomena disassociated from roots. And phenomena that are roots Phenomena are with roots, and phenomena are indeed with roots, but are not roots. And roots are phenomena associated with roots, and phenomena are indeed associated with roots, but are not roots. But indeed, phenomena that are not roots are both with roots and without roots. In this way, and so on, by means of hundreds of dyads, the matrix is laid down. Sense-sphere wholesome Question – In the Abhidhamma Pitaka, friend, in the Dhammasaṅgaṇī, in the section on analysis of terms, in the chapter on the arising of consciousness, by the Blessed One, explaining the meaning of the term "wholesome phenomena," how was sense-sphere wholesome (consciousness) extensively analyzed and taught? Answer – In the Abhidhamma Pitaka, venerable sir, in the Dhammasaṅgaṇī treatise, in the chapter on the arising of consciousness, by the Blessed One, explaining the meaning of the term "wholesome phenomena," (it was taught thus): "What are wholesome phenomena? At the time when sense-sphere wholesome consciousness has arisen, accompanied by joy, associated with knowledge, having as its object form, or sound, or smell, or taste, or touch, or mental object, or whatever else it may be, at that time there is contact, there is feeling, there is perception, there is volition, there is consciousness, there is initial application, there is sustained application, there is rapture, there is happiness, there is one-pointedness of mind." In this way, and so on, sense-sphere wholesome (consciousness) was extensively analyzed and taught by means of three great sections. Form-sphere wholesome Question – In the Abhidhamma Pitaka, friend, in the Dhammasaṅgaṇī text, in the chapter on the arising of consciousness, by the Blessed One, explaining the meaning of the term "wholesome phenomena," how were form-sphere wholesome (consciousness) and formless-sphere wholesome (consciousness) extensively analyzed and taught? Answer – Form-sphere wholesome (consciousness) and formless-sphere wholesome (consciousness), venerable sir, (were taught thus): "What are wholesome phenomena? At the time when one develops the path to rebirth in the form realm, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome phenomena, one enters and dwells in the first jhāna, with initial application, with initial application, born of seclusion, with rapture and happiness, (meditating on) the earth kasina." In this way, and so on, was extensively taught by the Blessed One. Supramundane wholesome Question – In the Abhidhamma Pitaka, friend, Dham In the Dhammasaṅgaṇī Pāli, in the Cittuppādakaṇḍa, how did the Blessed One, explaining the meaning of the term "wholesome states," teach in detail the supramundane wholesome states? Answer: In the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, Venerable Sir, in the Dhammasaṅgaṇī, in the Cittuppādakaṇḍa, the Blessed One, explaining the meaning of the term "wholesome states," taught in detail the supramundane wholesome states, starting with: "Which states are wholesome? At the time when one develops supramundane jhāna, leading to liberation, leading to the non-accumulation of defilements, for the abandoning of wrong views, for the attainment of the first stage (of awakening), quite secluded from sensual pleasures... ...one enters and abides in the first jhāna, with painful practice, with slow direct knowledge." Thus did the Blessed One teach in detail the supramundane wholesome states. Unwholesome: Question: Therein, friend, how did the Blessed One, explaining the meaning of the heading "unwholesome states," teach in detail the unwholesome states? Answer: Therein, Venerable Sir, the Blessed One, explaining the meaning of the heading "unwholesome states," taught in detail the unwholesome states, starting with: "Which states are unwholesome? At the time when an unwholesome mind has arisen, accompanied by joy, connected with wrong view, having a visible object, or an audible object, or an olfactory object, or a gustatory object, or a tactile object, or a mental object, or whatever else it may be based upon. At that time, there is contact, there is feeling, there is perception, there is volition, there is consciousness." Thus did the Blessed One teach in detail the unwholesome states. Indeterminate: Question: In the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, friend, in the Dhammasaṅgaṇī Pāli, in the Cittuppādakaṇḍa and the Rūpakaṇḍa, how did the Blessed One, explaining the meaning of the heading "indeterminate states," teach in detail the indeterminate states? Answer: In the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, Venerable Sir, in the Dhammasaṅgaṇī, the Blessed One, explaining the meaning of the term "indeterminate states," taught in detail, starting with: "Which states are indeterminate? At the time when, due to the performance and accumulation of wholesome kamma in the sense-sphere, resultant eye-consciousness arises..." another is accompanied by equanimity, with a visible object. At that time there is contact, there is feeling, there is perception, there is volition, there is consciousness. And so on, in the chapter on the arising of consciousness, and in the chapter on form: "Which phenomena are indeterminate? The results of wholesome and unwholesome phenomena, belonging to the sense-sphere, form-sphere, formless-sphere, and not included (in any sphere), are the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of mental formations, the aggregate of consciousness. And those phenomena which are functional, neither wholesome nor unwholesome, and not results of kamma. And all form, and the unconditioned element. These phenomena are indeterminate." And so on, the indeterminate phenomena are taught, extensively divided and explained. The Book of Divisions Question – Friend, among the seven Abhidhamma treatises,