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Abhidhammāvatāra

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Abhidhammavatara
Also known asComing of Abhidhamma
Date5th century
Place of originKaveri River Region, India
Language(s)Pali
Author(s)Buddhadatta[1]

Abhidhammavatara (Pali, also Abhidhammāvatāra), according to Encyclopædia Britannica is "the earliest effort at systematizing, in the form of a manual, the doctrines dealt with in the Abhidhamma (scholastic) section of the Theravada Buddhist canon. According to Rupert Gethin, the Abhidhammāvatāra (‘Introduction to Abhidharma’) was "written in the fifth century by Buddhadatta, a contemporary of Buddhaghosa."[2] Buddhadatta was a poet and scholar in the region of the Kaveri River, in southern India".[3] He was patronised by Accutavikkante of the Kalamba family (Accut Accutavikkante Kalambakulanandane mahin samanusāsante āraddho ca samāpito-verse 3179 of Nigamanagātha, Vinayavinicchaya).[4]

Buddhadatta used this work to sum up and give original systematization to other commentaries dealing with Abhidhamma. It is written in a chapter, verse format, with 24 chapters. The Abhidhammattha-sangaha has, in essence, superseded it.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hoiberg, Dale H., ed. (2010). "Abhidhammāvatāra". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. I: A-ak Bayes (15th ed.). Chicago, IL: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. pp. 31. ISBN 978-1-59339-837-8.
  2. ^ Gethin, Rupert (1998-07-16). The Foundations of Buddhism (p. 205). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.
  3. ^ "Abhidhammavatara | work by Buddhadatta".
  4. ^ K. A. NILAKANTA SASTRI, M.A., Emeritus Professor of Indian History and Archaeology, University of Madras. Professor of Indology. University of Mysore. (1955). THE COLAS, SECOND EDITION. G. S. Press, Madras. p. 108.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)