The Dhamma Theory Philosophical Cornerstone of the Abhidhamma - WH412-3

This 40-page booklet, by one of Sri Lanka’s leading authorities on the Abhidhamma, traces the main stages in the development of the "dhamma theory" (the premise that all phenomena of experience can be explained on the basis of elementary constituents called the "dhammas")—from the roots of this theory in the early suttas to its flowering during the age of the Pāli commentators. During the first two centuries following the Buddha’s parinibbana there took place within the early Buddhist community a move towards a comprehensive and precise systemization of the teachings disclosed by the Enlightened One in his discourses. The philosophical systems that emerged from this refined analytical approach to the doctrine are collectively called the Abhidhamma. The dhamma theory is not merely one principle among others in the body of the Abhidhamma philosophy but the base upon which the entire system rests. This booklet traces the main stages in the origin and development of the dhamma theory and explores its philosophical implications.