Abhidharmakosa Vasubandhu

  Photo from https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Vasubandhu

The Sanskrit word "Abhidharma" means the systematic philosophy of Buddhism. From the time of the Buddha onward, the Buddha's disciples, and many later generations of his followers studied, analyzed, and re-classified the teachings of the Buddha, and in the process created a unique field of study which has come to be known as the Abhidharma. The development of Buddhist philosophy,—the Abhidharma—has continued to be developed up to the present day, especially within the field of Tibetan Buddhism. The early part of this Abhidharma literature,—dating from the death of the Buddha to approximately the 5th century CE—is today preserved in Chinese translations, translations carried out largely by Hsuan-tsang in the mid-7th century; and the bulk of the later Abhidharma literature—dating from the 5 th to the 12 th century—is largely preserved in Tibetan translation. Only a small but important portion of this literature has been preserved in its original Sanskrit: Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakosabhasyam, and its commentary, Yasomitra's Vyakhya. The student of the Abhidharma is therefore obliged to develop a reading ability in Buddhist Chinese, Tibetan, and of course, Sanskrit and Pali. The name Abhidharmakośa-śāstra is called common to both kārikā and bhāṣya, it is very significant. Let us see the derivation of the word: Abhi means higher or special, Dharma means teaching or philosophy. Thus Abhidharma means the higher teachings. Kośa means treasury house, Śāstra means treatise, explanation, text book, scriptures, commentaries (or bhāṣya) etc. Thus the meaning of Abhidharmakośaśāstra is the treatise of the treasuries of the higher special teachings

The Abhidharmakośa is a treasury of Abhidharma, which is a key of abhidharma text in verses written by Vasubandhu that summarizing Sarvāstivādin tenets. There is not full agreement, but Vasubandhu probably lived around 400-480 C.E.; some scholars place him in the 4th century. Paramartha’s (499-569) biography of Vasubandhu is the earliest source for information  regarding Vasubandhu . Vasubandhu was born in Purusapura, present-day Peshawar, in what was then the Kingdom of Gandhara. His older brother was Asanga (regarded, with Vasubandhu, as a founder of Yogacara). According to the Tibetan tradition, they were half-brothers. Apparently Vasubandhu was his given name which he kept through his life as a monk. Vasubandhu entered the Sarvastivadin order prominent in Gandhara at that time. He was a bright student and made an extensive study of the Vaibhasika teaching. His teachers in Gandhara were Buddhamitra and Manoratha. He started to have doubts about the Vaibhasika system and decided to travel to Kasmir, the center of Vaibhasika learning, to work deeper into this system. In Kasmir for four years, he studied under Sanghabhadra‟s teacher, Skandhila. The Abhidharmakośa consists of nine chapters (kośasthānas). The first eight chapters with a total of about 600 verses (kārikā) are the main text and the ninth chapter in prose is an additional chapter as a kind of appendix. The verses are then commented on in the accompanying bhāṣya or exposition. Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya is an auto commentary of Vasubandhu on Abhidharmakośa-kārikā which is based on Sautrāntika and Vaibhāṣika. Therefore, the abhidharma in the Abhidharmakośa is the combination of viewpoints from Sautrāntika and summary the whole philosophical system of abhidharma in Sarvāstivāda from Vaibhāṣika. The subjects covered in Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya include all the main topics of abhidharma philosophy. Refutations of the views of the rival school of the Vaibhāṣikas are mentioned at many places in the commentary. Along with the original Sanskrit text, there are translations into Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian, English and French. The Abhidharmakośa of Vasubandhu is a well-known Buddhist work for its harmonious synthesis of all great doctrines accepted in general by all the contemporary schools of Buddhism. The text is looked upon as an authoritative treatise of the Vaibhāṣikas, with three other principal schools of Buddhism viz., the Sautrāntikas, the Yogācāras and the Mādhyamikas who agree to accept it in spite of the difference in their sectarian viewpoints.

The Abhidharmakośa of Vasubandhu occupies a very significant place in the history of Buddhism for its systematic and exhaustive treatment of the subject. It is also a key to understand the ancient Buddhist views on ontology (science of reality), psychology, cosmology, discipline and theory of salvation, mysticism, karma, dhātu, skandha and the Buddhist doctrine of dharma etc

Chapter I: Dhatu (Elements)	Chapter VI: Marga-Pudgala (Path and Saints)
Chapter II: Indriya (Faculties)	Chapter VII: Jnana (Knowledges)
Chapter III: Loka (World)	Chapter VIII: Samapatti (Attainments)
Chapter IV: Karma (Action)	Chapter IX: Pudgala-viniscaya (Study of the Person)
Chapter V: Anusaya (Defilements)

 

Chapter I: The 5 Skandhas:

I.                   Rupa Skandha: 5 sense organs, 5 sense objects and avijnapti.

II.                Vedana Skandha: “The aggregate of feeling (vedana-skandha) comprises three types of affect: pleasure (sukha), suffering (duhkha), and neither-suffering-nor-pleasure (aduhkhasukha).

III.              Samjna Skandha: “This is the aggregate of ideas, namely the apprehension (grahana) of „marks‟ (nimitta) such as blue or yellow, long or short, female or male, friend or enemy, and so on.”

IV.              Samskara Skandha: “Saṁskāraskandha are the saṁskāras different from the other four skandhas” Samskaras: citta-samprayukta and citta-viprayukta.

V.                 Vijnana Skandha : “Consciousness is the impression relative to each object.

 

12 Ayatana Gates:

1. Caksur (eye)	7. Rupa (sight)
2. Srotra (ear)	8. Sabda (sound)
3. Ghrana (nose)	9. Gandha (smell)
4. Jihva (tongue)	10. Rasa (taste)
5. Kaya (touch	11. Sparstavya (tangible)
6. Mano (mind)	12. Dharma

 

18 Dhatu Elements

1. Caksur (eye)	7. Rupa (sight)	Six Vijnana consciousnesses:
		13.Caksur (eye)
2. Srotra (ear)	8. Sabda (sound)	14.Srotra (ear)
3. Ghrana (nose)	9. Gandha (smell)	15.Ghrana (nose)
4. Jihva (tongue)	10. Rasa (taste)	16.Jihva (tongue)
5. Kaya (touch	11. Sparstavya (tangible)	17.Kaya (touch)
6. Mano (mind)	12. Dharma	18. Mano (mind)