Abhidhammattha Sangaha - A Synthesis of ‘the Whole’

Abhidhammattha Sangaha ( A Manual of Abhidhamma )

Translated by Narada Maha Thera
Published By the Buddhist Missionary Society

Sabbasangaho
§5.(i)Sabbasangahe—Pancakkhandha-rupakkhan-
dho, vedanakkhando, sannakkhando, sankharakkhando,
vinnanakkhandho.
(ii)Pancupadanakkhandha—rupupadanakkhandho,
vedanupadanakkhandho, sannupadanakkhandho, sankha-
rupadanakkhando, vinnanupadanakkhandho.
(iii)Dvadasayatanani—cakkhayatanam, sotayatanam
ghanayatanam, jivhayatanam, kayayatanam, manayatanam,
rupayatanam, saddayatanam, gandhayatanam, rasayatanam,
photthabbayatanam, dhammayatanam.
(iv)Attharasadhatuyo—cakkhudhatu, sotadhatu,
ghanadhatu, jivhadhatu, kayadhatu, rupadhatu, sadda-
dhatu, gandhadhatu, rasadhatu, photthabbadhatu,

cakkhuvinnanadhatu, sotavinnanadhatu, ghanavinnana-
dhatu, jivhavinnanadhatu, kayavinnanadhatu, manodhatu,
dhammadhatu, manovinnanadhatu,
(v)Cattari ariyasaccani—dukkham ariyasaccam,
dukkhasamudayo ariyasaccam, dukkhanirodho ariyasac-
cam, dukkhanirodhagaminipatipada ariyasaccam.
Ettha pana cetasika-sukhumarupa-nibbanavasena
ekunasattati dhamma dhammayatanadhammadhatu’ti
sankham gacchanti. Manayatanam’eva sattavinnanadhatu-
vasena bhijjati.
l.Rupan ca vedana sanna sesa cetasika tatha
Vinnanam’iti panc’ete pancakkhandha’ti bhasita.
2.Panc’ upadanakkhandha’ti tatha tebhumaka mata
Bhedabhavena nibbanam khandhasangaha-
nissatam.
3.Dvaralambanabhedena bhavantayatanani ca
Dvaralambataduppannapariyayena dhatuyo
4.Dukkham tebhumakam vattam tanhasamudayo
bhave
Nirodho nama nibbanam maggo lokuttare mato.
5.Maggayutta phala c’eva catusaccavinissata
Iti pancappabhedena pavutto sabbasangaho.
Iti Abhidhammatthasangahe samuccayasangahavibhago
nama sattamaparicchedo.

______
§5.A Synthesis of ‘the Whole’ (38)
In the compendium of ‘the whole’ there are:—
(i)The Five Aggregates (39);
1. matter, 2. feeling, 3. perception, 4. mental states
(40), 5. consciousness.
(ii)The Five Aggregates of Grasping (41):—
1. matter, 2. feeling, 3. perception, 4. mental
states, 5. consciousness.
(iii)The Twelve Spheres (42):—
(a)Sense-Organs
1. eye (43), 2. ear, 3. nose, 4. tongue, 5. body,
6. mind (44).
(b)Sense-Objects
7. visible object, 8. sound, 9. odour, 10. taste,
11. tangible object, 12. cognizable object.
(iv)The Eighteen Elements (45):—
1. eye, 2. ear, 3. nose, 4. tongue, 5. body, 6. visible
object, 7. sound, 8. odour, 9. taste, 10. tangible
object, 11. eye-consciousness, 12. ear-consciousness,
13. nose-consciousness, 14. tongue-conciousness,

15. body-consciousness 16. mind, 17.cognizable
object (46), 18. mind-consciousness (47).
(v)The Four Noble Truths (48) :
1. the Noble Truth of Suffering, 2. the Noble Truth
of the Cause of Suffering, 3. the Noble Truth of the
Cessation of Suffering, 4. the Noble Truth of the
Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering.
Herein sixty-nine entities comprising (52) mental states,
(16) subtle matter, and Nibbana are regarded as the
sphere of cognizables and the cognizable element. Only
the sphere of mind divides itself into seven consciousness-
elements.
Summary
Matter, feeling, perception, remaining mental states, and
consciousness—these five are called the five Aggregates.
Similarly those that pertain to the three planes are
regarded as Five Aggregates of grasping.
As Nibbana lacks differentiation (such as past,
present, future) it is excluded from the category of Aggre-
gates.
Owing to the difference between doors and objects
there arise (twelve) sense-spheres. In accordance with
doors, objects, and their resultant consciousness arise the
elements.

Existence in the three planes is suffering Craving is
its cause. Cessation is Nibbana. Path is regarded as supra-
mundane.
Mental states associated with the Paths and the
Fruits are excluded from the four Truths.
Thus the category of the ‘whole’ has been explained
in five ways.
_______
Thus is the seventh chapter of the Compendium of
Abhidhamma dealing with the Abhidhamma Categories.
_______
Notes:
38. Category of all such as Aggregates etc.
39.Khandha means group, mass, aggregate. The
Buddha analyses the so-called being into five groups. All
the past, present and future material phenomena are col-
lectively called rupakkhandha. The other four divisions
should be similarly understood.
40. Here the term Sankhara is used in a specific
sense. Of the 52 mental states, feeling is one, and percep-
tion is another. The remaining 50 mental states are collec-
tively called Sankhara. Mental formations, propensities,
tendencies, syntheses do not exactly convey the meaning

of the Pali term. Even ‘volitional activities’ is not very
appropriate.
‘Mental states’ is too general, but is not misleading.
41.Upadanakkhandha—They are so called because
they form the objects of clinging or grasping. The eight
supramundane states of consciousness and mental states
found therein and the ten material qualities not born of
Kamma are not treated as upadanakkhandha.
42.âyatana means a field, sphere, basis.
43.Cakkhayatana means the sensitive part of the
eye which responds to visual-stimuli. The four remaining
sense-organs should be similarly understood.
44.Manayatana—There is no special organ for the
mind like the physical organs. By mind-sphere is meant the
‘adverting consciousness’ (manodvaravajjana) together with
the preceding ‘arrest Bhavanga’—(Bhavangupaccheda). See
Chapter 1.
45.Dhatu is that which bears its own characteristic.
46.Dhammadhatu is synonymous with dhamma-
yatana but differs from Dhammarammana as it does not
include citta (consciousness), pannatti (concepts), and
pasadarupa (sensitive material phenomena).

47.Manovinnanadhatu—Of the 89 classes of
consciousness 76 types of consciousness are regarded as
mind-consciousness, excluding the tenfold sense-
consciousness (dvipancavinnana) and the three manodhatu
(=two types of receiving-consciousness and sense-door
consciousness).
48.Ariyasacca—The Pali term for truth is sacca
which means that which is. Its Samskrt equivalent is satya
which denotes an incontrovertible fact. The Buddha enun-
ciates four such truths which are associated with so-called
beings. They are called ariyasaccani because they were dis-
covered by the Greatest Ariya, the Buddha, who was far
removed from passions.
The first truth deals with dukkha which, for need of
a better English equivalent, is inappropriately rendered
by suffering or sorrow. As a feeling dukkha means that
which is difficult to endure. As an abstract truth dukkha
is used in the sense of contemptible (du) emptiness
(kha). The world rests on suffering—hence it is con-
temptible. It is devoid of any reality—hence it is empty or
void. Dukkha, therefore, means contemptible void.
The cause of this suffering is craving or attachment
(tanha) which leads to repeated births. The third Noble
Truth is Nibbana which can be achieved in this life itself
by the total eradication of all forms of craving. The
fourth Truth is the Noble Eightfold Path or the Middle
Way.