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Abhidhamma is the kernel of Buddhism. And, to gain even a
superficial understanding as to what sort of a teaching Buddhism
is, one ought to have at least a little knowledge of Abhidhamma.
Indeed, even if one were to attain the zenith in other fields
of scientific knowledge, he would still not know what truly are
"merits' and what truly are "demerits", what is
right and what is wrong, what ought to be abstained from and what
ought to be done, and, what ought to be accepted and what ought
to be rejected, without even a glimpse into the Abhidhamma, much
in the manner that eminent doctors of medicine might disagree
in the diagnosis of particular types of illnesses, and eminent
lawyers disagree in their findings in cases of crime and murder.
"Anabhidhammiko hidhamman kathento, ayan sakavado,
ayan paravado tinajanati; sakavadan dipessam7 tiparavadan dipeti;paravadan
dipessamlti sakavadan dipeti; dhammantaran visanvadeti. Abhidhammiko
sakavadan sakavadaniyan "era, paravadan paravadaniyamen *
era dipeti; dhammantaranna visanvadeti. ' says the Commentary
to the Maha-Gosingasutta, which
being translated liberally means that "one who is ignorant
of Abhidhamma is also ignorant of what are Right Views and what
are Wrong Views, of what is Buddhist Philosophy and what is Sophistry.
And, in preaching in ignorance, he may preach Buddhist Philosophy
as Sophistry, and Sophistry as Buddhist Philosophy, Right Views
as Wrong Views and Wrong Views as the Right View. He may get confused,
muddled in mind, or mix up the True Dhamma with extraneous things
or false Dhamma and the false Dhamma with the True Dhamma.
And,that it is the one who is learned, who knows the Abhidhamma
alone, who is able to preach Buddhist Philosophy as Buddhist Philosophy,
Sophistry as Sophistry, fallacies as fallacies, and, in short,
not mix up or pervert the True Dhamma into the false Dhamma, and
the False into the True, and thus mislead others'.
Notwithstanding all this and more that might be said to show what
place the Abhidhammatakes in the Philosophy of the Buddha, many
folk imagine that they could know Buddhism and its subtle teachings
without any knowledge at all of this aspect of the Dhamma. And,
naturally, owing to their wrong presumptions, perhaps quite unwittingly,
they pervert the True Dhamma into the False and false Dhamma into
the True. One many, no doubt, have reached the ultimate in aother
sciences, but as the sacred Buddhist text say, 'he who knows not
the Abhidhamma, cannot differentiate between Sakavada and Paravada,
that is to say, cannot separate the True Dhamma from the False,
or," sift the wheat from the chaff ", and, so as it
too often happens 'sophistry will be preached in the guise of
Philosophy".
For without an investigation into and a knowledge of analysis
(sampayoga) and synthesis (sangaha) or beings, realities, causes
and effects, kamma-deedfi, resultants, re-birth, cessation and
deliverance, one can surely not become a true and devoted Buddhist
who could, with knowledg and understanding, accept the principles
of cause and effect rhyme and reason. He would merely be like
the blind man who gets hold of the elephant's tail, ear, leg or
trunk, and concludes that that portion he holds is the real elephant,
whereas he who is more discerning and fortunate, and makes a careful
study, would, while knowing what Buddhism is, also realize what
an elephant really is.
Today the whole world cries in chorus accepting Chemistry, Physics,
Psychology, Zoology, Law, Medicine, etc., as faculties that develop
the human mind to a very marked degree, but if one of the great
Doctors or Professors of these subjects were to gain merely a
glimpse into the subtle philosophy of Buddhism, he would himself
realize how his own knowledge of even these subjects in which
he takes much delight, is, in the light of the vast storehouse
of knowledge that is to be gathered through a study of Buddhism,
like the light of a firefly before the Light of the Sun.
For further reading : Abhidhamma
for the Beginner by Egerton C. Baptist
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