What is the Abhidhamma?

The Abhidhamma Piṭaka is the third basket of the Pali Canon — a systematic analysis of experience into its irreducible components. Where the Suttas teach in narrative and metaphor, the Abhidhamma teaches in lists, definitions, and relations.

It enumerates four ultimate realities (paramattha-dhamma): consciousness (citta), the mental factors that arise with it (cetasika), materiality (rūpa), and the unconditioned (nibbāna).

How to use this dictionary

Browse by theme, search the full A–Z under Dictionary, or read how each idea shows up in Modern Life. Each entry shows the Pali form, the English rendering, a short summary, a fuller description, and cross-links to related terms.

Sources

Entries draw on the Abhidhammattha-saṅgaha of Ācariya Anuruddha — especially Bhikkhu Bodhi's Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma — together with Nyanatiloka's Buddhist Dictionary and the Vibhaṅga.

This is a study reference, not a substitute for direct contact with the texts and a qualified teacher.