About International Abhidhamma Divas: UPSC Current Affairs

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Picture Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhidhamma_Pi%E1%B9%ADaka

Context:

The Prime Minister participated in the celebration of the International Abhidhamma Divas on 17 October at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.

About International Abhidhamma Divas

Abhidhamma Divas celebrate the moment when Lord Buddha returned to Earth from the celestial realms after teaching Abhidhamma, which is a deep and important part of his teachings.

On October 17, 2024, the International Abhidhamma Divas celebrated at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. It was organized by the Government of India and the International Buddhist Confederation.

This year's celebration is significant because recently recognized Pali, the language of Buddhist texts, as a classical language. Buddha’s teachings were recorded Pali language, especially in the Tipitaka (Threefold Basket), which includes:

Vinaya Pitaka (monastic rules)
Sutta Pitaka (Buddha’s discourses)
Abhidhamma Pitaka (Buddhist philosophy and psychology)

According to the stories, after spending time in heaven teaching the Abhidhamma to gods and his mother, Lord Buddha returned to Earth in Sankassiya, a place in Uttar Pradesh.

The Asokan Elephant Pillar still stands at this site to mark this important event. The day also coincides with the end of the Buddhist rainy retreat, Vassa, a time when monks and nuns stay in one place to focus on their spiritual growth.

About Abhidhamma

The Abhidharma is a collection of Buddhist texts that aim to explain the teachings of Buddhism in a very clear, detailed, and more structured form compared to the original scriptures.

The teaching of Abhidhamma is distinct from Buddha’s other teachings because it explains things more deeply. While the Sutta Piṭaka uses simple language, the Abhidhamma uses a more technical way of expressing reality.

It talks about birth, death, and how our minds work, to help followers to understand life in a more detailed way, these ideas help Buddhists to understand the mind and lead to spiritual development. Buddha is believed to have first shared these teachings with gods, including his mother.

His disciple Sariputta later spread these teachings through the six core books of the Abhidhamma Piñaka, which cover moral and mental states, and the path towards enlightenment.

The earliest Abhidharma texts, like the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, mainly organize and explain key Buddhist teachings. They are not long philosophical arguments but rather summaries of important concepts. These early texts grew from lists or outlines of teachings used by early Buddhists to understand complex ideas.

As Buddhism developed, new Abhidharma works were created. These were often larger, more philosophical writings that introduced new ideas and interpretations not found in the original texts.

The later texts became important in Buddhist schools like Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna, showing how central the Abhidharma is to Buddhist thought.

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Source:

PIB

Wikipedia

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Mark your answer as per the codes provided:

Assertion (A):Abhidhamma Pitaka presents a systematic philosophical and ethical analysis of the Buddha's teachings.

Reason (R):It was composed by the Buddha himself and recited during his lifetime.

Which of the options given below is correct?

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C) A is true, but R is false.

D) A is false, but R is true.

Answer: C

Explanation:

A is true:

The Abhidhamma Pitaka provides a detailed and systematic analysis of the Buddha’s teachings, focusing on philosophy, psychology, and ethics. It organizes and elaborates on the teachings found in the Sutta Pitaka, presenting them in a more structured and analytical manner.

R is false:

The Abhidhamma Pitaka was not composed by the Buddha himself. According to tradition, the significance of the Abhidhamma was formulated by the Buddha after his Enlightenment, but it was later codified and expanded by his disciples. The final compilation of the Abhidhamma Pitaka appeared over several centuries, with significant contributions from various Buddhist councils held after the Buddha’s death.