Will the real Abhidharma please stand up?

Post by frank k » Thu May 12, 2022 3:29 am

A. Bhikkhu wrote: ↑Thu May 12, 2022 2:39 am...
frank k wrote: ↑Mon May 09, 2022 3:40 amDo you believe Jataka tales are real?
By and large, I don't think they reflect reality.
...

Many Theravadins believe Abhidhamma is the word of the Buddha, and Jataka tales as well.
They believe the Buddha went to tusita heaven to teach his mother abhidamma, and secretly taught Sariputta.
I find that impossible.
Not impossible that Buddha could visit his mother in tusita, or that he could teach Sariputta some marginal Dharmas he felt wasn't worth sharing with the entire sangha.

I base that conclusion on how many abhidharma schools there are, with the different authors attributed, unlike the EBT suttas, which all 18 original schools tried to preserve accurately and not deliberately alter. We find great consistency in the EBT's, wild divergence in Abhidharma schools. If the Buddha really did teach it to Sariputta and his mother in tusita heaven, don't you think all the other schools would agree on that point?
Wouldn't you expect also to find a very consistent core Abhidhamma in all the schools? But you don't.
Who would dare take the Buddha's (supposed word) on Abhidhamma and then attribute the work to some other arahant or non arahant?
Will the real Abhidharma please stand up?

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