A Manual of Abhidhamma

by Nārada Thera | 80,494 words | ISBN-13: 9789380336510

In the Abhidhammattha Sangaha there is a brief exposition of the Law of Dependent Origination, followed by a descriptive account of the Causal Relations that finds no parallel in any other philosophy. Edited in the original Pali Text with English Translation and Explanatory Notes by Narada Maha Thera....

Paññatti

Paññattibhedo

§ 4.

Tattha rūpadhamma rūpakkhandho ca cittacetasikāsankhātā cattāro arūpino khandhā nibbānañc' āti pañcavidham pi arūpanti ca nāman' ti ca pavuccati.

Tato avasesā paññatti pana paññāpiyattā paññatti, paññāpanato paññattī'ti ca duvidha hoti.

Katham? Tam tam bhūtaparināmākāramupādāya tathā tathā paññattā bhūmipabbatādikā, sasambhārasannivesākāram upādāya geharathasakatādikā, khandhapañcakam upādāya purisapuggalādikā, candāvattanādikam upādāya disākālādika, asamphutthākāram upādāya kūpaguhādikā, tamtam bhūtanimittam bhāvanāvisesañ ca upādāya kasinanimittādikā cā'ti evamādippabhedā pana paramatthato avijjamānā 'pi atthacchāyākārena cittuppādānāmālambanabhūtā tam tam upādāya upanidhāya kāranarn katvā tathā tathā parikappiyamānā sankhāyati, samaññāyati, voharīyati, paññāpīyatī' ti paññattī'ti pavuccati. Ayam paññatti paññāpiyattā paññatti nāma.

Paññāpanato paññatti pana nāma nāmakammādināmena paridīpitā.

Sa vijjamānapaññatti, avijjamānapaññatti,vijjamānena avijjamāna paññatti, avijjamānena vijjamānapaññatti, vijjamānena vijjamānapaññatti, avijjamānena avijjamānapaññatti c'āti chabbidhā hoti.

Tattha yadā pana paramatthato vijjamānam rūpavedanādim etāya paññāpenti tadāyam vijjamānapaññatti. Yadā pana paramatthato avijjamānam bhūmipabbatādim etāya paññāpenti, tadāyam avijjamānapaññattīti pavuccati. Ubhinnam pana vomissakavasena sesā yathākkamam chalabhiñño, itthisaddo, cakkhuviññānam, rājaputto'ti ca veditabbā.

Vacīghosānusārena sotaviññānavīthiyā
Pavattānantaruppanna manodvārassa gocarā.
Atthāyassānusārena viññāyanti tato param
Sāyam paññatti viññeyyā lokasanketanimmitā'ti

Iti Abhidhammatthasangahe Paccayasangahavibhāgo nāma atthamo paricchedo.

 

(translation)

§ 4.

Therein the material states are just the aggregates of matter.

Consciousness and mental states, which comprise the four immaterial aggregates, and Nibbāna, are the five kinds that are immaterial. They are also called 'name' (nāma).

The remaining paññatti (39) is twofold, inasmuch as it is made known, or as it

makes known.

How?

There are

  • such terms as 'land', 'mountain', and the like, so designated on account of the mode of transition of the respective elements;
  • such terms as 'house', 'chariot', 'cart', and the like, so named on account of the mode of formation of materials;
  • such terms as 'person' ,'individual', and the like, so named on account of the five aggregates;
  • such terms as 'direction', 'time', and the like, named according to the revolution of the moon and so forth;
  • such terms as 'well', 'cave', and the like, so named on account of the mode of non-impact and so forth;
  • such terms as Kasina-objects and the like, so named on account of respective elements and different mental culture.

All such different things, though they do not exist in an ultimate sense, become objects of thought in the form of shadows of (ultimate) things.

They are called 'paññatti' because they are thought of, reckoned, understood, expressed, and made known on account of, in consideration of, with respect to, this or that mode.

This 'paññatti' is so called because it is made known.

As it makes known it is called 'paññatti'. it is described as 'name', 'name-made, etc.

It is sixfold (40):

  1. A real concept,
  2. an unreal concept,
  3. an unreal concept by means of a real concept,
  4. a real concept by means of an unreal concept,
  5. a real concept by means of a real concept,
  6. an unreal concept by means of an unreal concept.

As, for instance, when they make known by a term, such as 'matter', 'feeling', and so forth, that exist in reality, it is called a 'real concept'.

When they make known by a term, such as 'land', 'mountain' and so forth, that do not exist in reality, it is called an 'unreal concept'.

The rest should respectively be understood by combining both as, for instance, 'possessor of sixfold supernormal vision', 'woman's voice', 'visual cognition', 'king's son'.

Summary

By following the sound of speech through the process of auditory consciousness, and then by means of the concept conceived by mind-door that subsequently arises, are meanings understood.

These concepts should be understood as fashioned by world-convention.

This is the eighth chapter which deals with the Analysis of Causal Relations in the Compendium of Abhidhamma.

 

Notes:

39. Paññatti - There are two kinds of paññatti or concepts - namely, attha-paññatti and nāma-paññatti. The former is made known, that is, the object conveyed by the concept. The latter is that which makes known, that is, the name given to the object.

Land, mountain, etc. are called 'santhāna-paññatti', formal concepts, since they correspond to the form of things.

Chariot, village, etc., are called 'samūha-paññatti', collective concepts, since they correspond to a collection or group of things.

East, west, etc., are called 'disā-paññatti', local concepts, since they correspond to locality.

Morning, noon, etc., are called 'kāla-paññatti', time concepts, since they correspond to time.

Well, cave, etc., are called 'ākāsa-paññatti', space-concepts, since they correspond to open space.

Visualized image, conceptualized image, etc. are called 'nimitta-paññatti', since they correspond to mental signs gained by mental development.

40. Six kinds of Paññatti -

  1. Matter, feeling, etc., exist in an ultimate sense.
  2. Land, mountain, etc., are terms given to things that do not exist in an ultimate sense.
  3. 'Possessor of sixfold supernormal vision.'

Here the former does not exist in an ultimate sense, but the latter does.

  1. Woman's voice. Here the voice exists in an ultimate sense, but not the woman.
  2. Eye-consciousness. Here the sensitive eye exists in an ultimate sense, and so does the consciousness dependent on it.
  3. King's son. Here neither the son nor the king exists in an ultimate sense.
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