There is a common argument among the scholars that four Nikāyas (Dīgha, Majjhima, Saṃyutta and Aṅguttara Nikāya) mostly represent the earlier period of Buddhist teachings. These earlier discourses underwent a considerable development in the period of at least 300 years after the Buddhas Parinibbāna. The result of this development is the present collection of Tipiṭaka. The discourses found in Sutta Piṭaka had mainly been classified not according to the subject matter, but mostly as the external features.
The reason of this diversity of the discourse is that they were delivered on different occasions for various purposes depending on the nature of audience. The about mentioned complicated nature of the discourses creates differences in understanding their true sense. This was evident even during the time of the Buddha e.g., monk Sāti (Mahātaṇhāsaṅkhaya Sutta of Majjhima Nikāya) and carpenter Pañcakaṅga (Anuruddha sutta of Majjhima Nikāya) are prominent. At a later period as recorded in Kathāvatthuppakaraṇa, misinterpretation of Buddha's discourses was a prominent case among various Buddhist sects.
Accordantly
it is true that the interpretation of the
Buddha's discourses has been a point of controversy since the time of the
Buddha. Therefore, the evolution of Abhidhamma should be identified
as a result of the gradual development of the discourses. At the time of the Buddha's passing
away, his teaching had not been collected and classified systematically and
extensively. They were introduced by the disciples as Dhamma and Vinaya,
Navāṅgasatthusāsana or simply as Dhamma.[1]
The leading disciples realized the importance of classification of the
collection of the Buddha's teaching for the sake of future generation.
These were done to a certain extent at the First Buddhist Council. The
teachings were classified into two sections as Dhamma and Vinaya.
The third step of systematization of the teaching was to abstract the doctrinal
teaching from the discourses in order to preserve them as pure Dhamma
without distorting with other conventional teachings. Here it is to be noted
that there was a division of the Buddha's teaching into conventional and
absolute (sammuti and paramattha).
[1]
The commentary to the Aṅguttara Nikāya explains these two kinds of suttas accordantly to the nature of the neyyattha suttas are, for example: „O monk, there is one individual, there are two individuals, there are three individuals etc.“
Therefore, according to the example, there is no such an individual in reality. The nature of the nītattha sutta is „this is impermanent, this is sorrowful, this is soulless.“ Therefore, it is wrong to say there is something permanent or eternal. Therefore, nītattha suttas paved the way for the concept of conventional teaching and neyyattha suttas for the absolute teachings. It is accepted that Abhidhamma emerged from neyyattha suttas.
The doctrinal aspects abstracted from the discourses can be identified as follows:1. Five aggregates2. Four great elements3. Twelve faculties4. Eighteen elements5. Nibbāna
The followers undertook the importance of analyzing that doctrinal concept without contributing to the conventional form of language. These processes of defining and analyzing the doctrinal concepts created many problems among the disciples belonging to different Buddhist sects.
Thus, the collection, classification and definition of different sects were preserved as separate canonical texts and they were introduced by a new term called „Abhidhamma.“ It is a fact that the Sutta and Vinaya of early collection of the Buddha's teaching are very similar to a certain extent. But the Abhidhamma came into being as process of interpretation of the early Buddhist teaching by different Buddhist sects.
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