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How this extraordinary and almost incredible phenomenon took place is explained in this manner that the sparkling and brilliant material qualities ■originating from mind occasioned a similar condition of the skin by their diffusion. From that cause the colour of the visible object which was occasioned by mind and physical environment, stood without the slightest movement covering a space of almost one hundred and twenty feet. PREACHING OF ABHIDAMMA TO THE DEVAS The Tathagata, whose compassion to all living beings alike was no less than the wisdom and insight he had acquired by practising the ten Paramitas for no less a period than four Asankheyya (incalculable) Kappas and another lakh of Kappas (aeons) since the proclamation by the Lord Deepankara that the ascetic Sumedha would attain enlightenment and be known as Gautama Buddha, in the seventh year of Buddhahood per- formed the " twin miracle " near the foot of the mango tree at Gandamba so called because it was planted by the gardener Ganda, not far away from Savatti, when five hundred men who in their previous existence were bats who had zealously listened to the recital and rehearsal of The Abhidhamma by two brothers of the Sangha, decided to become pupils of Sariputta and at a later stage were the first to learn without much difficulty all the Dhamma embodied in the seven books or Prakaranas of The Abhidhamma. The reason for performing the ** Twin Miracle " by The Lord was to dispel erroneous views and ideas that the Non-Arahants such as Nigantha Nathaputta and others had of themselves and with a view to conclusively proving that The Lord had all the attributes of a Buddha. The huge ■ assembly present incidentally acquired great merit and thereafter his followers both the brothers and the laymen demonstrated greater zeal and faith and strenuously followed the Eight Fold Noble Path to attain Nibbana. The Enlightened one then out of compassion to the Dcvas and Brahmas repaired to the Tavatingsa Deval5ka iHeaven of The Thirty Three Gods) in three steps by Iddhi and was seated in the Pandukambala Sailasana (Sakra's rock seat) near the foot of the Paricchattaka tree where he preached The Abhidhamma for three full months to his deceased mother, who is now born as Santhushita Deva, and other Devas and Brahmas who had assembled from the ten thousand worlds, in detail with the hope of making them realize the Four Ariyan Truths, for which a knowledge of Abhidhamma is absolutely necessary, for the subject deals in the highest and ultimate sense of things springing into being as facts as abstracted from or divested of names. PREACHING OF ABHIDHAMMA IN THE WORLD OF MEN. The Buddha daily visited Uturukuru Dipa for the purpose of obtaining his mid-day meals and partook of his meals near Anotattha lake in Himalaya and during the period of rest he took at Handunvanaya, The N^enerable Sariputta daily came to attend to the necessary' requirements. Thereafter Mathika or the headings of the discourses preached to the Devas were intimated to The Venerable Sariputta Maha Thera, who in turn preached The Abhidhamma in detail beginn- ing from Dhammasangini and ending in The Maha Patthana to his five hundred disciples. By reason of the fact that these disciples m a previous existence, even as bats, had the fortune of hearing the recital and rehearsal of The Abhidhamma by two Bhikkhus and by doing such moral acts as were conducive to the acquirement of knowledge, w isdom, intellect and insight in the round of births, these disciples with the greatest ease mastered the full Abhidhamma Pitaka and were able to recite same from beginning till end. From that time onwards the Abhidhamma was learnt by the pupillary descendants till the time of the Arahants Upaliya, Dasakaya, Sunakaya, Siggavaya and Moggalliputta Tissa etc. It was rehearsed and recited at the three convocations held under the leadership of Maha Kassappa, Yasa and Moggaliputta Tissa, and was preserved in its pristine purity in Dambadiva. i INTRODUCTION OF ABHIDHAMMA TO CEYLON. It was in the i^Jth year after The Lord's attainment of Pari Nibbana during the reign of Devanampiya Tissa that Abhidamma was first introduced into Ceylon by The Venerable Mahinda Maha Thera, vide ., introduction pages i to 4. REINTRODUCTION OF ABHIDHAMMA TO DAMBADIVA FROM CEYLON. The Venerable Uttara Jeeva Maha Thera of Arimaddana in Burma visited Ceylon together with several other Bhikkhus including Chappada Samanera for the purpose of worshipping the different shrines. Having worshipped they went back to Burma, leaving Chappada Samanera under the protection of the Principal of The Sri Sangha Bodhi Wijayabahu Pirivena in Jayawardenepura and The Venerable Totagamuwe Siri Rahula Sangharajah Maha Thera who had a complete mastery of six languages. Chappada Samanera resided in the said Pirivena and learnt the Text Commentaries and sub-commentaries according to the teachings of Thera-vada under The Venerable Totagamuwe Sri Rahula Sangharajah who had completely mastered the Three Pitakas. The Samanera associated himself o also with The Venerable Vidagama Maitreiya Maha Thera who was also versed in the Three Pitakas and became very learned and clever and m course of time was ordained (obtained Upasampada) in Kelani Ganga. Later on he was styled Saddhammavara Jothipala owing to his mastery of the doctrine, and wrote a sub-commentary to The Abhidhammattha Sangaha called Sankhepavannana. ITaving completed his task he went back to Arimaddana in Burma together with three other Maha Theras who had mastered the Three Pitakas, namely Venerable Thamalittapatuna Sivalee of Maha Vihara Ananda of Kanchi- pura and Rahula of Ceylon. RESURRECTION OF ABHIDHAMMA IN CEYLON. Two thousand one hundred and thirty five years after the Lord's attainment of Parinibbana that is inthe reign of Sitawaka Rajasinha who killed his father, Abhidhamma more or less came into extinction, and the revival of same is due to the untiring efforts of The Pandit M. Dharmaratana. He went 1 1 8 to Burma and mastered The Abhidhamma Pitaka, the commen- taries and sub-commentaries from the learned preceptors and became very clever and learned. He was honoured by the title *' Buddhasasana Mahasura Senapati " and was the author of many books which dealt with The Abhidhamma such as Sathwothpatti Viniscaya and Nirwana Vibhagaya, Paticca Samuppadaya, Visuddhi Magga, Paramartha Sudha- nidhiya, Buddhagama Prathisandhi Deepaniya, Abhidhammattha Sangraha prasnoththaraya Dana parichchedaya, Sila parich- chedaya, Bhavana parichchedaya etc. CONTENTS. Following The Abhidhammattha Sangaha the subject is dealt with m nine chapters viz : — (i) Classes of Consciousnesses. (2) Mental properties (in consciousness). (3) Particular concomitants in consciousness. (4) Process of cognition. {5) Consciousness free from process. (6) Matter and Nibbana. (7) Categories of evil, mixed, of what pertains to Enlighten- ment and of the whole. (8) Dependent origination and system of correlation. {9) Exercises in Calm and Insight. ABHIDHAMMA MATIKA. The Abhidhamma Matika is a discourse spoken by our Lord Buddha on the Ethico-Psychological Law called Abhidhamma. This Matika forms the text-matter of the whole Abhidhamma Pitaka. The Abhidhamma Pitaka, which consists of seven books, contain discourses of the Arahants, Sariputta, and MoggaHputta Tissa, having for their text the said Abhidhamma Matika spoken by the Lord Buddha. The Matika itself consists of three parts ; namely, Tika- Matika, Duka-Matika and Suttanta-Matika. Of these Tika- Matika has twenty two Matikas or sub-texts and Duka-Matika has one hundred Matikas. These one hundred and twenty two Matikas are set forth in detail in The Abhidhamma Pitaka. The Suttanta-Matika has been done b)^The Venerable Sari- putta Thera by extracting portions from Eka-nipata and Duka- nipata in Anguttara Nikaya and from the Sangiti Sutta and Dasuttara Sutta in Digha Nikaya to prevent confusion to students of Abhidhamma in their study of the Sutta Pitaka, for other- wise the occurrence of these Abhidhamma texts in the Suttas also would cause them some perplexity. Suttanta-Matika is still further explained and commented upon in Nikkhepa Kanda of Dhamma-Sanganipakarana. The Suttanta-Matika consists of forty two Matikas. Any person who has attained a thorough and critical know- ledge of this Matika ought to possess a complete knowledge of the concise Abhidhamma Pitaka. ABHIDHAMMATTHA SANGAHA AND VIBHAVINI TIKA.