The Abhidhamma, the third great division of early Buddhist teaching,
expounds a revolutionary system of philosophical psychology rooted in
the twin Buddhist insights of selflessness and dependent origination. In
keeping with the liberative thrust of early Buddhism, this system
organizes the entire spectrum of human consciousness around the two
poles of Buddhist doctrine - bondage and liberation, Samsara and
Nirvana - the starting point and the final goal. It thereby maps out,
with remarkable rigour and precision, the inner landscape of the mind to
be crossed through the practical work of Buddhist meditation.
In this book of groundbreaking essays, Venerable Nyanaponika Thera, one
of our age's foremost exponents of Theravada Buddhism, attempts to
penetrate beneath the formidable face of the Abhidhamma and to make its
principles intelligible to the thoughtful reader of today. His point of
focus is the Consciousness Chapter of the Dhammasangani, the first
treatise of the Abhidhamma Pitaka. Basing his interpretation on the
detailed list of mental factors that the Abhidhamma uses as a guide to
psychological analysis, he launches into bold explorations in the
multiple dimensions of conditionality, the nature of consciousness, the
temporality of experience, and the psychological springs of spiritual
transformation. Innovative and rich in insights, this book does not
merely open up new avenues in the academic study of early Buddhism. By
treating the Abhidhamma as a fountainhead of inspiration for
philosophical and psychological inquiry, it demonstrates the continuing
relevance of Buddhist thought to our most astute contemporary efforts to
understand the elusive yet so intimate nature of the mind.
