This kind of analysis led to the Abhidhamma.

The Abhidhamma added 81

dhammas (without nibbāṇa) to this kind of analysis in Theravāda tradition.

Early Buddhism Abhidhamma

Rūpa rūpa 28 physical factors

Vedanā

Saññā cetasika 52 mental factors

Saṅkhāra

Viññāna citta 1

The Dhammavāda or Dharmavāda

Abhidhamma analyzes the empirical world to number of factors. These
factors are called dhamma. In Theravāda there are 81 dharmas. Some of the
western scholars starting with Scherbatsky call the abhidhammic dhammavāda
as radical pluralism.

When we go to the early Buddhism we can see four worldviews.

Sabbaṃ atthi – everything absolutely exists. Externalism

Sabbaṃ natthi – everything absolutely does not exist. Nihilism

Sabbaṃ ekatthaṃ - everything is unity. The one – Monism - One reality

Sabbaṃ puthutthaṃ - everything is pluralism.

Early Buddhism and Abhidhamma reject all these four views. Buddhism
transcends all these four on the basic of the Buddhist doctrine of the dependent
origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda). One who hasn’t insight in Paṭiccasamuppāda
hasn’t insight of the dharma because Paṭiccasamuppāda and dharma are
identified as same. Buddhist psychology, epistemology, ethics and all the things
are based on Paṭiccasamuppāda. Paṭiccasamuppāda means every occurrence is a
causal occurrence.

Analysis and synthesis are the two-fold methodology in the

Abhidhamma. According to the analysis we can get a number of dharmas. Then
we can find plurality or the multiplicity of elements. Whatever we consider as
one is ultimately a complex. There is no persisting substance in order to show in
this analysis. If the Buddhism resorts to only the method of analysis it will end
up this with radical pluralism. That means when we analyze a thing we can get
plurality of separate factors. In Abhidhamma analysis is always supplemented
by synthesis. As a result of synthesis the elements in to which the thing is
analyzed are again met interdependently. That means the factors that we get
from the analysis are not independent but interdependent. So the factors do not
have independent existence. Then nobody can say dharma is radical pluralism.

Process of synthesis is done with causality.

If the Buddhism uses only the method of synthesis it will end up this with
some form of monism. Abhidhammic methodology combines both analysis and
synthesis. Therefore it rejects both radical pluralism and monism. It is both
beyond pluralism and monism. It does not apply only one method. Analysis is
only for the purpose of understanding about the body and mind. Each dharma
can be distinguished from the rest after analysis. But we can’t separate one from
the other. As an example individual analyses in to five aggregate but we can’t
take out one aggregate from the rest. They are physically not separable.
Therefore in the case of mental phenomena it is said that they are saṃsaṭṭha.
Saṃsaṭṭha means conjoint. In the case of material elements the word use is
avinibhoga. Avinibhoga means not separable. Each element can be
distinguishedfrom the rest. As a example we can distinguish the vedanā from
the saññā but we can’t separate vedanā from the saññā. They exist together;
persist together. For the example given in the Milindapañha it is just as when
the waters of the four rivers mixed in the ocean. This non-separate nature of the
dhammas is like the taste of a soup. In the soup such tastes salt, sour etc. can be
distinguished; but can’t be separated. All these tastes have different places. Like
that dharmas can be distinguished one from another. But none of them can’t be
separated one from another. To understand the analysis of the mind is more
difficult than the analysis of the matter.

Analysis shows that whatever complex is not a substance. Synthesis

shows that when the thing is analyzed into many parts, those parts are not
substances. These two methods get eliminate the two levels of idea of
substances viz: what is analyzed is not a substance and analyzed factors also not
substances. These two fold method of abhidhamma eliminates the notion of
substance. So the abhidhammic dhammavāda can’t be described as a radical
pluralism.

Another important factor on the dhammavāda is it does not recognize two

levels of reality. One reality is called as absolute. The thing is itself. It could be
the God, the Brahman or the first cause etc. However it is metaphysical reality.
Another reality is empirical reality. Empirical reality is the reality with the
experience of relevant sense.

Both early Buddhism and Abhidhamma do not recognize a metaphysical

reality. (Nibbāna is also not a metaphysical experience). The most philosophies
recognize a metaphysical reality besides the empirical reality. This metaphysical
reality can be described as the God, the First cause, the Brahman, the absolute
etc.

Buddhism does not recognize a first cause because Buddhism does not
recognize a metaphysical reality. In the other words hence Buddhism does not
believe on soul entity metaphysical reality is also denied. Buddha says in the
one sutta the totality is six sense organs and corresponding subjects. In another
sutta Buddha declares in this fathom long physical body the world, origin of the
world, its cessation of the world, the path that leads to the cessation. Here world
means the five khandhas or the twelve āyatanas or the eighteen dhātus or in the
Abhidhamma 89 dhammas. Nibbāṇa is a spiritual experience. It is not a
metaphysical reality.

Behind the dhamma there is no ultimate reality. Dhammas are the basic
factors of experience. According to the abhidhamma behind the dhammas there
is no higher reality like the God. Dhammas are the ultimate elements. They are
ultimate but not absolute because they are interdependent. Abhidhamma says
that the dhammas indicate the limit of the empirical analysis. That’s why they
are called paramattha. Paramattha does mean absolute. Paramattha means
parama+attha; the final factors. If we take the philosophies of Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika,
sāṅkya they say color, sound and smelt are the qualities. Behind the qualities
they imagine substance. But the dhammas do not have qualities like color,
sound, smelt etc. The dhammas are Anicca, dukkha anatta; impermanent,
suffering and no substance.