Abhidharma texts (Sarvāstivādin Canon)

The Abhidharma texts of the Sarvāstivādin Canon tradition include seven texts of the Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma Pitaka, as well as commentaries.

The complete Sarvāstivādin Abhidharma Piṭaka as well as many commentaries were translated in Chinese and are included in the Chinese Canon. Part of the Sarvāstivādin Abhidharma Piṭaka has also been translated into the Tibetan language.

The Sarvāstivādin Abhidharma-piṭaka consists of the following seven texts:

• the Saṅgītiparyāya (Discourse on the Collective Recitation),
• the Dharmaskandha (Compendium of Dharmas),
• the Prajñaptiśāstra (Manual of Concepts),
• the Vijñānakāya (Compendium of Consciousness),
• the Dhātukāya (Compendium of Elements),
• the Prakaraṇapāda (Literary Exposition), and
• the Jñānaprasthāna (The Foundation of Knowledge).

The following Sarvāstivādin commenataries are also translated in Chinese:

• the Abhidharma-mahāvibhāṣā,
• the Abhidharma-hrdaya-vyakhya,
• the Abhiraharmananyanyanusara, and
• the Abhidharmasamayapradipika

Later Abhidharma manuals

Various other Abhidharma works were written by Sarvāstivāda masters; some are more concise manuals of abhidharma, others critiqued the orthodox Vaibhāṣika views or provided a defense of the orthodoxy. K. L. Dhammajoti provides the following list of such later abhidharma works that are extant in Chinese:

• *Abhidharmāmṛta(-rasa)-śāstra (T no. 1553), by Ghoṣaka, 2 fasc., translator unknown. 2.
• *Abhidharmahṛdaya (T no. 1550) by Dharmaśrī, 4 fasc., tr. by Saṅghadeva et. al. 3.
• *Abhidharmahṛdaya-sūtra (? T no. 1551) by Upaśānta, 2 fasc., tr. by Narendrayaśas.
• *Abhidharmahṛdayavyākhyā (? T no. 1552), by Dharmatrāta, 11 fasc., tr. by Sanghabhūti.
• Abhidharmakośa-mūla-kārikā (T no. 1560) by Vasubandhu, 1 fasc., tr. by Xuan Zang. 6.
• Abhidharmakośabhāṣyam (T no. 1558) by Vasubandhu, 1 fasc., tr. by Xuan Zang; (there is also an earlier translation by Paramārtha: T no. 1559).
• *Abhidharmakośaśāstra-tattvārthā-ṭīkā (T no. 1561) by Sthiramati, 2 fasc., translator unknown.
• *Abhidharma-nyāyānusāra (T no. 1562) by Saṃghabhadra, 40 fasc., tr. by Xuan Zang.
• *Abhidharma-samayapradīpikā (T no. 1563) by Saṃghabhadra, 40 fasc., tr. by Xuan Zang.
• *Abhidharmāvatāra (T no. 1554) by Skandhila, 2 fasc., tr. by Xuan Zang.

Sources

• The Chinese Canon (Buddhanet)
• Abhidharma, SuttaCentral
• Dhammajoti, K.L. (2009). Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma. Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong. ISBN 978-988-99296-5-7.