The Abhidhamma chant heard at funerals: the opening passage of each of the seven Abhidhamma books, in Pali with a new translation
Dhammasaṅgaṇī
Kusalā dhammā, akusalā dhammā, abyākatā dhammā.
Katame dhammā kusalā?
Yasmiṁ samaye kāmāvacaraṁ kusalaṁ cittaṁ uppannaṁ hoti
somanassasahagataṁ ñāṇasampayuttaṁ,
rūpārammaṇaṁ vā saddārammaṇaṁ vā gandhārammaṇaṁ vā
rasārammaṇaṁ vā phoṭṭhabbārammaṇaṁ vā dhammārammaṇaṁ vā,
yaṁ yaṁ vā panārabbha,
tasmiṁ samaye phasso hoti, avikkhepo hoti,
ye vā pana tasmiṁ samaye aññepi atthi paṭiccasamuppannā arūpino dhammā,
ime dhammā kusalā.
Meaning
Skilful states, unskilful states, and indeterminate states, which are neither. Which states are skilful? At a time when a skilful mind of the sense sphere has arisen, joyful and joined with knowledge, taking a sight, a sound, a smell, a taste, a touch or a mental object as its object, or whatever it takes up: at that time there is contact … there is non-distraction. These, and any other immaterial states that have arisen from conditions at that time, are skilful states. (The chant names only the first and the last of the factors present.)
Vibhaṅga
Pañcakkhandhā:
rūpakkhandho, vedanākkhandho, saññākkhandho,
saṅkhārakkhandho, viññāṇakkhandho.
Tattha katamo rūpakkhandho?
Yaṁ kiñci rūpaṁ atītānāgatapaccuppannaṁ,
ajjhattaṁ vā bahiddhā vā, oḷārikaṁ vā sukhumaṁ vā,
hīnaṁ vā paṇītaṁ vā, yaṁ dūre santike vā,
tadekajjhaṁ abhisaññūhitvā abhisaṅkhipitvā,
ayaṁ vuccati rūpakkhandho.
Meaning
There are five aggregates: form, feeling, perception, choices and consciousness. Of these, what is the aggregate of form? Any form at all, past, future or present, inner or outer, coarse or fine, low or refined, far or near: all of it gathered together and summed up as one. This is called the aggregate of form.
Dhātukathā
Saṅgaho asaṅgaho,
saṅgahitena asaṅgahitaṁ,
asaṅgahitena saṅgahitaṁ,
saṅgahitena saṅgahitaṁ,
asaṅgahitena asaṅgahitaṁ,
sampayogo vippayogo,
sampayuttena vippayuttaṁ,
vippayuttena sampayuttaṁ,
asaṅgahitaṁ.
Meaning
Inclusion and non-inclusion. The not-included in relation to the included. The included in relation to the not-included. The included in relation to the included. The not-included in relation to the not-included. Association and dissociation. The dissociated in relation to the associated. The associated in relation to the dissociated. Not included. These are the headings the Dhātukathā uses to test whether each state falls in the same aggregate, sense base and element as others, and whether it arises joined with them. (The traditional chant shortens the remaining headings and closes with 'not included'.)
Puggalapaññatti
Cha paññattiyo:
khandhapaññatti, āyatanapaññatti, dhātupaññatti,
saccapaññatti, indriyapaññatti, puggalapaññatti.
Kittāvatā puggalānaṁ puggalapaññatti?
Samayavimutto asamayavimutto,
kuppadhammo akuppadhammo,
parihānadhammo aparihānadhammo,
cetanābhabbo anurakkhaṇābhabbo,
puthujjano gotrabhū,
bhayūparato abhayūparato,
bhabbāgamano abhabbāgamano,
niyato aniyato,
paṭipannako phaleṭhito,
arahā arahattāya paṭipanno.
Meaning
There are six designations: of aggregates, sense bases, elements, truths, faculties and persons. How far does the designation of persons go? One freed at times, one freed not bound to time; one whose attainment can be shaken, one whose attainment cannot be shaken; one liable to decline, one not liable to decline; one able to keep it by will, one able to keep it by guarding; the ordinary person, the one at the change of lineage; one who refrains out of fear, one who refrains without fear; one able to reach the goal, one unable to reach it; one whose course is fixed, one whose course is not fixed; one on the path, one established in the fruit; the arahant, and one practising for arahantship.
Kathāvatthu
Puggalo upalabbhati saccikaṭṭhaparamatthenāti?
Āmantā.
Yo saccikaṭṭho paramattho,
tato so puggalo upalabbhati saccikaṭṭhaparamatthenāti?
Na hevaṁ vattabbe.
Ājānāhi niggahaṁ:
hañci puggalo upalabbhati saccikaṭṭhaparamatthena,
tena vata re vattabbe:
yo saccikaṭṭho paramattho,
tato so puggalo upalabbhati saccikaṭṭhaparamatthenāti.
Micchā.
Meaning
Is a person found as a real and ultimate fact? Yes. Is a person found in the same way that a real and ultimate fact is found? That should not be said. Then admit you are refuted: if a person is found as a real and ultimate fact, you ought also to say that a person is found in the same way that a real and ultimate fact is found. To grant the first and deny the second is wrong.
Yamaka
Ye keci kusalā dhammā, sabbe te kusalamūlā?
Ye vā pana kusalamūlā, sabbe te dhammā kusalā?
Ye keci kusalā dhammā, sabbe te kusalamūlena ekamūlā?
Ye vā pana kusalamūlena ekamūlā, sabbe te dhammā kusalā?
Meaning
Whatever states are skilful, are they all skilful roots? And whatever are skilful roots, are they all skilful states? Whatever states are skilful, do they all share one root with a skilful root? And whatever states share one root with a skilful root, are they all skilful? (The Yamaka asks its questions in reversed pairs like this to fix the exact scope of each term. The skilful roots are non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion.)
Paṭṭhāna
Hetupaccayo, ārammaṇapaccayo, adhipatipaccayo,
anantarapaccayo, samanantarapaccayo, sahajātapaccayo,
aññamaññapaccayo, nissayapaccayo, upanissayapaccayo,
purejātapaccayo, pacchājātapaccayo, āsevanapaccayo,
kammapaccayo, vipākapaccayo, āhārapaccayo,
indriyapaccayo, jhānapaccayo, maggapaccayo,
sampayuttapaccayo, vippayuttapaccayo, atthipaccayo,
natthipaccayo, vigatapaccayo, avigatapaccayo.
Meaning
A condition is something that lets another thing arise or continue. The Paṭṭhāna sets out 24 ways: as root, as object, as predominance, as proximity, as contiguity, as arising together, as mutual support, as support, as strong support, as arising before, as arising after, as repetition, as kamma, as result, as nutriment, as faculty, as jhāna, as path, as association, as dissociation, as presence, as absence, as disappearance, and as non-disappearance.
Machine translation from: Dhammasaṅgaṇī, the matrix (Ds 1.1), Pali text, SuttaCentral · Dhammasaṅgaṇī, skilful mind of the sense sphere (Ds 2.1.1), Pali text, SuttaCentral · Vibhaṅga, analysis of the aggregates (Vb 1), Pali text, SuttaCentral · Dhātukathā (Dt 1.1), Pali text, SuttaCentral · Puggalapaññatti (Pp 1.1), Pali text, SuttaCentral · Kathāvatthu, discussion of the person (Kv 1.1), Pali text, SuttaCentral · Yamaka, pairs on roots (Ya 1.1.1), Pali text, SuttaCentral · Paṭṭhāna (Paṭṭhāna 1.1), Pali text, SuttaCentral · The shortened chanting arrangement of these passages is traditional, compiler unknown
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