A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma Paperback – Illustrated, September 1, 2003

I bought this book as it was very important for me to read a book about the Abhidhamma, it containing the core of Buddhist philosophy and psychology, and this particular manual was recommended to me by one of my meditation teachers, Sayadaw U Vivekananda of Panditarama Lumbini Vipassana Meditation Center in Nepal.While the intellectual and scholastic achievment of the celebrated Bhikkhu Bodhi is no doubt remarkable, as he goes on exploring the finer points and aspects behind every verse of the Abhidhammattha Sangaha (the Manual of Abhidhamma written by Acariya Anurudha about 800 years ago and serving as the basis for this book), do not look for any inspiration here, as you would find, say, in the works of great Buddhist teachers such as Sayadaw U Pandita or Walpola Rahola.As the text progresses the discussion becomes more and more technical and tedious, to the point of endlessly enumerating various mental and material phenomena as classified by Buddhist philosophy, their myriad causal and interdependent connections, combinations etc. And so for a great part of the text, you get lists, enumerations, tables and diagrams - which, without detracting from the genius of the author in lucidly presenting them - leave very little room for ideational depth or inspiration for one's journey along the Buddha's path. Finally, my disappointment was aggravated by lengthy and tedious discussions of, say, the 31 "realms of existence" where one may be reborn depending on their karma, life spans in various celestial heavans, and other religious Buddhist beliefs that to me as a secular practicioner of the Noble Eightfold Path are a religious taint detracting from the .deep, practical and non-coneptual universal truths one encounters through the practice of Buddhist meditationNevertheless, given the importance of the Abhidhamma for Buddhist practicioners, and the scholarly diligence with which the author presnets it, I would still recommend it to fellow Dharma-farers, with the caveat that I have not read any other Abhidhamma manuals to compare it with.

Book arrived earlier than expected, which is great because it arrived just the day I needed to start reading it. It was in barely used superb condition, just as described, with a lovely thank you note inside.

I have only one year and a half of masters level classes in Buddhism and have been practicing and reading very superficially for many years, since 1977, just what I could find pre-internet and through mainstream pubs. In the last two years, I have acquired a teacher who is a Dharma heir to Master Cheng Yen, of the Ch'an tradition. He recommended I read this as a more thorough foundational text to build on what I knew up to that point. I have found a great deal to work within this book, philosophically, meditationally, psychologically, socially - though I am not sharp-witted enough to fully appreciate the historical import and the faith behind this work. One of the highest benefits I have so far received has been learning to refine my questions along the path, increasing the expediency to clarity of the present moment. But this comes and goes, so I need a steady diet of this work.

This volume is NOT for the beginner in Buddhist studies. It is rather technical and does a magnificent job in explaining the components of what we call consciousness that make up the series of " mind moments" that we feel as a constant stream. Even though I am somewaht familiar with the Pali canon, its subject matter is more understandable to a long time student of meditation and various Buddhist scriptures. It is a superb analytical description of how consciousness is not a "solid" steam like a waterfall but rather a sequential stream of discreet moments that we mistake as unbroken. This text is not recommended for the casual reader and you will not find the evocative, uplifting style or messages in other scriptures.

It's a really good book but be aware of what you study about Buddhism, why you read it and what's the reason behind your curiosity. Is this Philosophy about the teachings useful to the path leading to freed from suffering or is only a mental enterteinment (sensual pleasure)?Look for real, practical, simple teachings and most of all:PRACTICE VIPASSANAMay all beings be happy!

This book is great, and full of wisdom - but definitely NOT for beginners. It is highly technical, but that is good as it breaks from the narrative style of the Nikayas. Regardless, even though I've been practicing Buddhism and studying it for years, this is still over my head in places.My only real complaint is that the cover was mangled and a bit torn in shipping, but the book itself was intact.

Taking away 2 stars because this is NOT hardcover, even though the BPS edition is labeled as such.All said, this is the updated 2016 edition with updated charts and indexes.The Abhidhamma itself is a 5 Star Product, with Bhikkhu Bodhi’s excellent guidance and translation.If you’re looking for a guide through Psycho-Phenomenalogy, or are just interested in seeing how the Theravada school of Buddhism views the phenomenal world and our place in it, this is a great starting point.

I am certain that the Buddha would not be pleased that there is a charge for his teachings!!!It is also very important to remember that the Buddha did not formulate these teachings in this way. He taught in a way that was appropriate for different people at different times and with different inclinations. There is a real danger in organizing his teachings in a concise and condensed fashion that appeal to our senses or rather our defilements... because all you may get are concepts arising and concepts passing away, all of which will be way off the mark.

This is an excellent book that really helps to unravel the complexity of the Abhidhamma. As I understand it, this is a commentary on a commentary, but I can see why it's needed. Bikkhu Bodhi has a very straightforward approach to explaining the rationale behind some of the seemingly impenetrable descriptions that the Abhidhamma offers for the various types of mind cittas that we all experience. If when reading this book you supplement it with watching the YouTube videos that have been posted by Bhikkhu Bodhi, you will benefit greatly from the experience.

although a bit hard to read and understand (as it deals with the ultimate reality and not conventional reality), this is a good book to get started in the third section of the tipitaka.

Good

At first, a representative of the samatha to mean tranquillity is the samaadhi of akincannayatana-bhumi (realm of nothingnesst) and the samaadhi of nevasannasannayatana-bhumi (realm of neither perception nor non-perception) .Gautama Buddha learned these, but knew that the Nirva'a (enlightened state) was not provided by Samata meditation.Nobody seemed to notice, but the vipassana to mean clear-seeing emphasized nimitta (meditation image).The nimitta is a phenomenon experienced by the fourth step of kaya-nupassana (mindfulness as regards the body) which is the first stage of satipatthana (foundation of mindfuleness) which Gautama Buddha created.The nimitta consists of three kinds of parikamma-nimitta and uggaha-nimitta and patibhaga-nimitta.The example of parikamma-nimitta is a nose head to be conscious of while breathing, and the example of uggaha-nimitta is the Venus which Kukai watched during Kokuzo Gumonji-ho practices, and the example of patibhaga-nimitta is a changing object such as " Ajikan and Gachirinkan meditation" to use in the Shingon Buddhism.The general vipassana only practices parikamma-nimitta mainly.＊＊＊It is necessary to know the true meaning of the Buddhism of Gautama Buddha before discussing a method of the meditation.The true meaning of the Buddhism of Gautama Buddha is, " puthujjana(unenlightened person) becomes ariya-puggala(noble indivisuals), and the ariya-puggala becomes arahanta who is equal to Buddha". Gautama Buddha led puthujjana to the ariya-puggala. The ariya-puggala is the person that a heart of Buddha coexists in the heart of the puthujjana.If moha(delusion) of the kama-bhava(the sense-sphere) that is the ignorance of the heart of the puthujjana is replaced with intellect of the kama-bhava that is the nana(knowledge) of the heart of Buddha, the puthujjana evolve to sotapanna(Stream-Entry) which is the ariya-puggala of the first stage.If the puthujjana do not evolve in this sotapanna, the puthujjana can never understand the true meaning of the teaching method of Gautama Buddha. Here is the reason why Gautama Buddha hesitated about sermon first.＊＊＊The puthujjana begins to transform himself/herself into ariya-puggala in a process to remove trini-samyojana(three sensuality) that are moha of the kama-bhava.The trini-samyojana are sakkaya-ditthi(personality-view) and vicikiccha(doubt) and silabbataparamasa (adherence to rules and rituals).If a transformation phenomenon begins, the influence of the heart of Buddha continues, and the sotapanna evolve to sakadagami(once-returner) which is the ariya-puggala of the second stage.Furthermore, if orambhagiya-samyojana(lower fetter) which is three akusara-mula(three roots of bad actions) of kama-bhava became extinct, sakadagami becomes anagami(non-returner) which is the ariya-puggala of the third stage.The orambhagiya-samyojana are sakkaya-ditthi(personality-view) and vicikiccha(doubt) and silabbataparamasa (adherence to rules and rituals) and kama-raga(sensual lust) and patigha(repulsion).Finally, if uddhambhagiya-samyojana(higher fetters) which is three akusara-mula(three roots of bad actions) of rupa-bhava(the form sphere) and arupa-raga(attachment to formless realm) became extinct, anagami becomes arahanta (Buddha of the first stage) which is the ariya-puggala for the fourth stage.The uddhambhagiya-samyojana are rupa-raga(attachment to realms of form) and arupa-raga(attachment to formless realm) and uddhacca(restlessness) and mana(pride) and avijja(ignorance).

Questo manuale è un testo didattico per gli studenti del Buddismo Theravada, un compendio analitico del terzo cesto del Canone Pali, l'Abhidhamma ( letteralmente " padroneggiare la Dottrina " ) Pitaka, composto da 7 volumi. Non è una lettura scorrevole, come i testi del Sutta Pitaka, ma un libro da studiare per addentrarsi nei processi mentali; le 89 o 121 coscienze, i 52 fattori mentali, e i 28 fenomeni materiali s'intersecano tra loro per fornire risposte e soluzioni. Una chiave di lettura differente ed evoluta del Buddismo, indispensabile per la formazione teorica che prepara il terreno per la corretta pratica meditativa. Caldeggiato con riserva, non per esordienti, indispensabile per coloro che vogliono approfondire il sentiero.