The Abhidharma

Abhidharma is a category of Buddhist scripture, that is the third of the "Three Baskets" of "original" Buddhist literature, the other two being the Vinaya, or Discipline, and the Sutras, or Discourses. Its Sanskrit name is usually etymologized as "higher" (abhi) + "doctrine" (dharma). However, Tibetans translate it as "manifest doctrine" (chos mngon). This category contains early Buddhist scriptures describing the nature of the world, the human experience, and enlightenment. The most famous traditional exposition on the topics convered in this basket is Vasubhandhu's Abhidharma Kosha, or Treasury of the Abhidharma (4th-5th cent CE?).

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