Abhidharmasamuccaya: The Compendium of the Higher Teaching (Philosophy) by Asaṅga

The Abhidharmasamuccaya is an extremely important text of the Mahāyāna Abhidharma. It contains nearly all the main teachings of the Mahāyāna and can be considered as the summary of all the other works by Asaṅga. There are two systems of Abhidharma, according to Tibetan tradition, lower and higher. The lower system is taught in the Abhidharmakosa, while the higher system is taught in the Abhidharmasamuccaya. Thus the two books form a complementary pair. Asanga, author of the Abhidharmasamuccaya, is founder of the Yogacara school of Mahayana Buddhism. His younger brother Vasubandhu wrote the Abhidharnmakosa before Asanga converted him to Mahayana Buddhism. Yet the Kosa is written in verse, usual for Mahayana treatises, while the Samuccaya follows the traditional prose and answer style of the older Pali Abhidharma texts. Walpola Rahula, in preparing his 1971 French translation of this Mahayana text from the Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan, has brought to bear on its many technical terms his extensive background and great expertise in the Pali canon. J. W. de Jong says in his review of this "Rahula deserves our gratitude for his excellent translation of this difficult text." Sara Boin-Webb is well known for her accurate English translations of Buddhist books from the French. She has now made accessible in English Rahula's French translation, the first into a modern language, of this fundamental text. Contents......Page 3 Abbreviations......Page 4 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Note from the Translator......Page 9 I. Asaṅga......Page 10 II. Abhidharmasamuccaya......Page 17 III. The Translation......Page 25 (1) Skandha, Dhātu, Āyatana......Page 27 (2) Prakāraprabheda......Page 55 2. Saṃgraha......Page 97 3. Samprayoga......Page 100 4. Samanvāgama......Page 103 (1) Duḥkhasatya......Page 106 (2) Samudayasatya......Page 119 (3) Nirodhasatya......Page 158 (4) Mārgasatya......Page 165 2. Dharmaviniścaya......Page 203 (1) Pudgalavyavasthāna......Page 221 (2) Abhisamayavyavasthāna......Page 243 4. Sāṃkathyaviniścaya......Page 267 Sanskrit-English Glossary......Page 282 Review by J. W. de Jong......Page 315 Index......Page 324 Contents 3 Abbreviations 4 Acknowledgments 8 Note from the Translator 9 Introduction 10 I. Asaṅga 10 II. Abhidharmasamuccaya 17 III. The Translation 25 I. Lakṣaṇasamuccaya 27 1. 27 (1) Skandha, Dhātu, Āyatana 27 (2) Prakāraprabheda 55 2. Saṃgraha 97 3. Samprayoga 100 4. Samanvāgama 103 II. Viniścayasamuccaya 106 1. Satyaviniścaya 106 (1) Duḥkhasatya 106 (2) Samudayasatya 119 (3) Nirodhasatya 158 (4) Mārgasatya 165 2. Dharmaviniścaya 203 3. Prāptiviniścaya 221 (1) Pudgalavyavasthāna 221 (2) Abhisamayavyavasthāna 243 4. Sāṃkathyaviniścaya 267 Sanskrit-English Glossary 282 Review by J. W. de Jong 315 Index 324