Mahavibhasha

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The Abhidharma Mahavibhasha Shastra (Skt. abhidharma mahāvibhāṣā śāstram; Tib. བྱེ་བྲག་བཤད་མཛོད་ཆེན་མོ་, Wyl. bye brag bshad mdzod chen mo) — an abhidharma text said to be composed by five hundred arhats, which summarizes the seven treatises of abhidharma. This text was studied by Vasubandhu and masterfully condensed into the Treasury of Abhidharma. It juxtaposes philosophical positions of different schools of thought on numerous topics, and so provides valuable information on positions of early Buddhist schools.

It is said to be the first shastra ever composed.[1]

The text is only preserved in the Chinese canon, which contains three different recessions.

Notes

  1. Mipham Rinpoche, Kagyé Namshé.