Tattvārthā. Sthiramati’s Abhidharmakośaṭīkā, Chapter 1, Part I

Edited by Nobuchiyo Odani

Book cover: Tattvārthā. Sthiramati’s Abhidharmakośaṭīkā, Chapter 1, Part I

Extent: 217 pages

Publisher: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press

Subjects: Buddhist Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(March 2025)

ISBN: 9783700195122

Price: $76.00

In stock

This book presents the Diplomatic Edition of the Sanskrit manuscript of the first chapter of Sthiramati’s Abhidharmakosatika Tattvartha. It has not been found in Sanskrit and has been studied exclusively through poor translations into Tibetan, which have not yielded the desired results. Traditionally, commentary on the Sanskrit text of the Abhidharmakosabhasya is based on Yasomitra’s Abhidharmakosavyakhya Sphutartha, published by Unrai Ogiwara. The Sphutartha is a commentary on the technical terms in the Abhidharmakosabhasya, providing a grammatical explanation of the text. The explanations are brief and concise, primarily reflecting the Sarvastivada views. Conversely, the Tattvartha critically interprets and explains the Sarvastivada views from the Sautrantika standpoint. Consequently, the Tattvartha is more ideological, philosophical, and challenging to comprehend compared to the Sphutartha, with its complete understanding remaining elusive in the context of the poor Tibetan translations. In the Nyayanusarini, Sanghabadra criticizes the Sautrantika views as expounded in Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakosabhasya. However, in the Tattvartha that we are publishing, we can confirm, in the Sanskrit text, a sentence that refutes Sanghabadra’s criticism, which exists only in the Chinese translation. The Tattvartha is a crucial resource for tracing the controversy between the Sarvastivada and the Sautrantika in the Sanskrit text and elucidating the profound differences in thought.

  • Edited by Nobuchiyo Odani