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Abhidhamma Interpretations of “Persons” (puggala): with Particular Reference to the Aṅguttara Nikāya

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Abstract

General opinion holds that the Abhidhamma treats the Buddha’s teachings in terms of ultimate realities, i.e. dhammas, and that conventional constructs such as persons (puggala) fall outside the primary concern of the Abhidhamma. The present paper re-examines this ultimate-conventional dichotomy drawn between dhammas and persons and argues that this dichotomy does not hold true for the canonical Abhidhamma in Pali. This study explores how various types of persons are interpreted and approached by the Abhidhamma material, including Abhidhamma texts such as the Puggalapaññatti and a number of suttas in the Aṅguttara Nikāya that are identified in this paper as proto-Abhidhamma.

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Abbreviations

  • References to Pali texts are to the Pali Text Society editions.

  • AN  Aṅguttara Nikāya

  • CBETA  CBETA Chinese Electronic Tripiṭaka Collection Version April 2010. Taipei: Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association

  • CSCD  Chaṭṭha Sangāyana CD-ROM Version 3, Igatpuri: Vipassana Research Institute

  • DĀ  Dīrgha Āgama 長阿含經 Chang ahanjing

  • Dhs  Dhammasaṅgaṇi

  • Dhs-a  Atthasālinī (Commentary on the Dhammasaṅgaṇi)

  • DN  Dīgha Nikāya

  • EĀ  Ekottarika Āgama 增壹阿含經 Zengyi ahanjing

  • FGD  Foguang Da Cidian 佛光大辭典 (Foguang Dictionary), ed. Ciyi 慈怡. Kaohsiung: 佛光出版社, 1988

  • MĀ  Madhyama Āgama 中阿含經 Zhong ahanjing

  • MN  Majjhima Nikāya

  • Mp  Manorathapūraṇī (Aṅguttara-Nikāyatthakathā, Commentary on the AN)

  • P. Pali

  • PED  The Pali Text Society’s Pali-English Dictionary, ed. T.W. Rhys Davids and William Stede. London: Pali Text Society, reprinted 1986. (First published 1921–1925)

  • Pp  Puggalapaññatti

  • SᾹ  Saṃyukta Ᾱgama 雜阿含經 Za ahanjing

  • SJD  漢訳対照梵和大辞典 (A Sanskrit-Japanese Dictionary with Equivalents in Chinese Translation), ed. Unrai Wogihara 荻原雲来, revised edition. Tokyo: 講談社, 1986

  • Skt.  Sanskrit

  • SN  Saṃyutta Nikāya

  • T  Taishō Shinshu Daizōkyō 大正新脩大藏經 (Cited from CBETA)

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  1. Yuan Ze University, 135 Yuan-Tung Road, Chung-Li, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Tse-fu Kuan

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Kuan, Tf. Abhidhamma Interpretations of “Persons” (puggala): with Particular Reference to the Aṅguttara Nikāya . J Indian Philos 43, 31–60 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10781-014-9228-5

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