सोगत-दर्शन या बौद्ध धर्म-दर्शन का सूक्ष्म का विस्तृत निरुपण अभिधम्म (संस्कृत अभिधर्म) दर्शन में निहित है। बुद्ध ने अभिधम्म की चर्चा सर्वप्रथम अपनी माता महामाया को की, जो उन दिनों पार्थिव शरीर त्याग तैंतीस देवों के लोक- तानतिंस लोक- में विहार कर रही थी। अभिधम्म की देशना में उन्हें तीन महीने लगे थे। प्रत्येक दिन वे अपनी माता को गूढ़ उपदेश देते और फिर पृथ्वी-लोक में उत्तर अनोत्तर सरोवर में उतर सारिपुत्र (संस्कृत शारिपुत्र) को उन्हीं देशनाओं को स्मरण-योग्य छंद-बद्ध कर पुन: सुनाते। सारिपुत्र उन छंदों का पाँच सौ विशिष्ट भिक्षुओं के साथ संगायन करते थे। वे सारे ही विशिष्ट भिक्षु अर्हत् बने। तत: अभिधम्म की गुरु-शिष्य श्रुत परम्परा का समुद्भव हुआ। अर्थात् बुद्ध ने सारिपुत्र को; सारिपुत्र ने भद्दजी को अभिदम्म-देसना दी। इस प्रकार अभिधम्म देसना भद्दजी, सोभित, पियजलि आदि से होते हुए महिन्द (महेन्द्र) सम्राट अशोक के पुत्र, इत्तिय, सम्बल, पण्डित तथा भद्दनाम के माध्यम से श्री लंका पहुँची। तत: म्यानमार, थाईलैंड, कम्बोडिया आदि देशों में अति गौरव को प्राप्त हुई जहाँ आज भी इसका इतना आदर होता है जितना हिन्दुओं के द्वारा 'ॠग्वेद' का, मुसलमानों के द्वारा 'कुरान' का तथा ईसाइयों के द्वारा 'बाईबिल' का। 

अभिधम्म का अर्थ

'अभिधम्म', 'अभि' और 'धम्म' (धर्म) शब्दों के योग से बना है। जहाँ 'अभि' शब्द 'अतिरेक' या 'विशेष' का द्योतक है, तथा 'धर्म' शब्द 'यथार्थ' या 'देशना' का परिचायक है। अत: परम्परा में 'अभिधम्म' उन विशिष्ट धर्मों का परिचायक है जो निर्वाण (या परमार्थ) प्रतिमुख धर्म है; अथवा, 'प्रज्ञाण्मला सानुचरा अभिधर्म:' (अभिधर्म कोश, १.२) अथवा वह शास्र जो निर्वाण-मार्ग को प्रकाशित करता है।

पालि परम्परा में भी उपर्युक्त विवेचना की पुष्टि होती है जहाँ बुद्धघोस ने 'धम्म' शब्द को साधारण देशना अर्थात् सुत्तपिटक की देशनाओं के संग्रह के रुप में तथा अभिधम्म को अभिधम्म-पिटक में संग्रहित विशिष्ट या अतिर्क्त धम्म-देशना की सूक्ष्म विश्लेष्णात्मकता के संदर्भ में प्रयुक्त माना हैं। (देखें ऊद्वसालिनी १.२) बिल्कुल ढीली है; और न ही इतनी कसी के जीवन की वीणा ही टूट जाय।

बुद्ध ने तब उन्हें 'प्रटिच्चसमुधाद' के दर्शन की देशना दी। यह दर्शन यह दर्शाता है कि प्रत्येक सांसारिक घटना किसी अन्य घटना पर निर्भर होती है। दूसरे शब्दों में यह कहा जा सकता है कि प्रत्येक घटना की निष्पति किसी अन्य घटना पर निर्भर है। अत: दु:ख अर्थात् वृद्धावस्था, रोग, मृत्यु आदि का होना जन्म पर निर्भर करता है; जन्म भव पर; भव उपादान (या ग्रहण करने की प्रवृत्ति) पर; वेदना सन्निकर्ष (फस्स) पर; सन्निकर्ष छ: ज्ञानेन्द्रियों पर; नाम-रुप विञ्ञाण (चित्त) पर और चित्त अज्ञान (अविद्या) पर निर्भर करता है। अत: अज्ञान ही दु:ख का मूल कारण है तथा अज्ञान नष्ट कर निर्मल चित्त का निर्माण ही धर्म चक्र प्रवर्तन का सार है। विमल चित्त का प्रादुर्भाव केवल कुशल कर्मों के व्कास से संभव है, जिनके मूल त्याग (अलोभ); प्रेम (अन्दोस) और ज्ञान (अमोह) हैं। अत: बुद्ध का धर्म के जिस चक्र को चलायमान किया हैं वे मूलत: त्याग, प्रेम और ज्ञान की शिक्षा देता है। यही चक्र भारतीय ध्वज पर भी अंकित है और भारत गणराज्य की त्याग, प्रेम और ज्ञान के प्रति की गयी वचनबद्धता का प्रतीक है। चूंकि अशोक कालीन सारनाथ के सिंह स्तम्भ पर यह चक्र उत्कीर्ण गई है, इसलिए आज इस चक्र को अशोक चक्र के नाम से जाना जाता है।

उपर्युक्त चार सिंहों का स्तम्भ जो चारों दिशाओं में सिंहनाद करते दिखाये गये हैं वस्तुत: बुद्ध की उसी धम्मचक्र-पवत्तन कथा को प्रतिध्वनित करते हैं।

Origin of Abhidhamma

A ccording to the Theravada tradition the Buddha dwelt in the celestial domain of the thirty-three divine beings (Tavatimsa-loka) to teach the doctrine of Abhidhamma to his mother for three months. Then he descended to the lake Anottata; where he instructed the same to his most illustrious disciple Sariputta in the form of mnemonic verses, who in turn taught it to the five hundred distinguished monks acknowledged as the arahatas . Thus Abhidhamma by way of the oral tradition of transmission (through acharya -disciple tradition) beginning with the Buddha was passed on to Sariputta and in the like manner through Bhaddaji, Sobhita, Piyajali, Piyapala, Piyadassi, Kosiyaputta, Siggava, Sandeha, Moggalliputta, Sudatta, Dhammiya, Dasaka, Sonaka and Revata; and then through Mahinda, Ittiya, Sambala, Pandita, and Bhaddanama it reached Sri Lanka. Interestingly, this tradition is still alive in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand; though withered away in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Cambodia.

Meaning of Abhidhamma

Etymologically, Abhidhamma may be analysed as the compound of abhi (�to�; �toward�; �into�) and dhamma (root: dhr , which means �to hold� or �bear�). However, in the context it is interpreted as � leading-to-that-which-contains-the-advanced or specialised-teachings� [of-the-Buddha]� when we examine the observations of the best known Pali commentator Buddhaghosa. The expert critic interprets the term �Abhidhamma as the most advanced (atireka) or specialised (visesa) doctrine [1] to differentiate it from the doctrine of the Sutta-Pitaka , which is not so analytical [2] ; and which employs the common and conventional terms and approach. It is noteworthy that every term of Abhidhamma has a specific connotation or well-defined meaning for the advanced monks or trainees. 

The Buddha preaching Abhidhamma in the Tavatimsa

Buddha alighting from Tavatimsa to teach Abhidhamma to Sariputta, the Thai version

The above interpretation of Abhidhamma is further corroborated by the definition of �Abhidharma made by Vasubandhu in his Sanskrit treatise - the Abhidharmakosa . There he states that   �Abhidharma is the undefiled wisdom and its concomitants. Further, whatever is instrumental to achieve that; or the corpus [which is an aid to that]� is Abhidharma. [3] Asangas interpretation of Abhidharma also extends to the understanding of the above meaning. Prefixing abhi in four ways with the dhamma, he interprets that

The dhamma which is Nibbana- encountering ;

The dhamma which is analytical ;

The dhamma which is refutative of the converse views ;

The dhamma which is progressive. [4]

The term Abhidharma (a-pi-ta-mo) in the Chinese records interpret it as ta fa (great dhamma because of the greatness of the knowledge to the realisation of Four Noble Truths etc.); wu-pi-fa (peerless dhamma because of the eight forms of intelligence etc); sheng-fa (excellent dhamma as it is wisdom-realising); tuei-fa (facing dhamma) and hsiang-fa (proceeding dhamma as the cause-effect theory that proceeds from cause to effect).

The modern scholars, namely, W.Geiger, T.W. and C.A.F.Rhys Davids, Oldenberg, I.B.Horner, E.J.Thomas, Kogen Mizuno, Ken Sakurabe, Taiken Kimura and Bhikkhu Jagdish Kashyap have made some serious studies to understand the meaning of this term. Yet, no modern linguistic interpretation of the term throws any fresh light to the comprehension of the original meaning of the term because the study of Abhidhamma is not a barren linguistic exercise. It may be reiterated that every term of Abhidhamma is assigned a definite connotation; and is often interpreted by way of its characteristic ( lakkhana ), function ( rasa ), manifestation ( paccupatthana ) and proximate cause ( padatthan ). So, the linguistic interpretation of the term has often been misleading; and its variant renditions create more complications to a reader rather than to extend his understanding. It is believed that Abhidhamma is a way of life; and is meant for the chosen few, particularly for the erudite monks or scholars with specialised training. It may be emphatically pointed out that the study demands no less seriousness than the study of   the Rg Veda or Quran. The scholars interested in Abhidhamma may also turn to the living Burmese (or Myanmari) traditions for its purest comprehension; or the volumes of the commentaries on the canonical Abhidhammic literature.

The Seven Books of Abhidhamma are

1. Dhammasangani;

2. Vibhanga;

3. Dhatukatha;

4. Puggalapannatti;

5. Kathavatthu;

6. Yamaka; and

7. Patthana.

The Sarvastivadin tradition of Buddhism, [5] however, does not accept the above text as the original composition, because they have somewhat similar texts on the Vinaya Pitaka and Sutta Pitaka in juxtaposition with the Pali versions; but are missing in the case of the Abhidhamma. Yet, the Sarvastivadins have equal number of the Abhidharmic texts:

1. Sangitipariyayapada;

2. Dharmaskandha;

3. Dhatukaya-patha;

4. Prajnaptipada;

5. Vijnanapada;

6. Prakaranapada;

7. Jnanaprasthana .

The Buddhist canons are classified into three; and the common and popular designation for each of these classifications is pitaka (literally, �basket�). These pitakas were first compiled in the first Buddhist council, which was held in Rajgir after the parininbbana (or the demise) of the Buddha (483 B.C). during the reign of Ajatasattu (Sanskritised Ajatasatru), the king of the Magadha janapada (or kingdom) . The first of these corpuses is called the Vinaya Pitaka ; and the other two are called the Sutta-Pitaka and the Abhidhamma-Pitaka . The Vinaya Pitaka , deals with the Buddhist codes and conduct and may be regarded as the Corpus of the Discipline. It supposedly records the recitations made by the thera Upali in the council. The latter two pitakas, collectively called the �Dhamma (or the doctrine), are the collection of the recitations given by Ananda (the closest disciple of the Buddha) in the same council. The recitations of the aforementioned two monks, as a matter of fact, are the answers by way of the explanations and elucidations to the questions posed by the President of the council - Mahathera Mahakassapa. [6]

Many scholars believe that the Tipitaka was compiled in the third Buddhist council. But such claims are unfounded when we look at the Mahavamsa   (one of the most reliable sources of the Buddhist history; and a principal source for the construction of the history of ancient India) it is explicitly stated that even before the convention of the third Buddhist council (which took place in Pataliputta [Sanskritised: Pataliputra or modern Patna during the reign of the Emperor Asoka] one thousand erudite monks � well versed in the Tipitaka   �� ( or the three canons) [7] were chosen for the re-compilation of the original and purest teachings of the Buddha to eliminate the interpolations crept therein in the original corpuses. The above statement corroborates to the fact that the Tipitaka definitely existed before the third Buddhist council, however, its form could have been somewhat different from what was compiled in the third council; or what is handed down to us by the tradition in its current form.  

The Abhidhamma Pitaka , primarily deals with the philosophy and psychology of the Theravada school of Buddhism.   The � theravada �, however, refers to that school of Buddhism which, supposedly �adhere to the most original and purest form of the Buddhist teachings�, advocated by those theras (monks) who obtained the erudition directly through the Master. Further, they used the bhasa Magadhika or the mula bhasa (the original language) [8] to record the original text or the pariyaya , (the text of the canons). The term pariyaya , however, when abbreviated became �pari or �pali; and in course of time was applied to denote the language of the entire gamut of the canons; and the exegeses and other compositions on those texts having the same language.