more from the Expositor to give background useful for this thread.
But if the heretic should say, had Abhidhamma been taught by the Buddha, there would have been an introduction prefatory to it, just as in many thousands of the Suttas the preface generally runs as, ‘One day the Blessed One was staying in Rājagaha,’ etc., he should be contradicted thus: ‘The Jātaka, Suttavibhaṅga, Dhammapada, and so on, have no such introductions, and yet they were spoken by the Buddha.²¹ Furthermore he should be told, ‘O wise one, this Abhidhamma is the province of the Buddhas, not of others; the descent of the Buddhas, their birth, their attainment of perfect wisdom, their turning of the Wheel of the Law, [30] their performance of the Twin Miracle, their visit to the devas,²² their preaching in the deva-world, and their descent therefrom are all manifest. It would be unreasonable to steal the Treasure-elephant, or horse of the universal Monarch and yoke it to a cart and drive about, or the Treasure-Wheel and fix it to a hay cart and drive about, or to use the Treasure-jewel capable of shedding light to the distance of a yojana by putting it in a cotton basket—and why? Because they are royal property. Even so Abhidhamma is not the province of others; it is the province of the Buddhas only. Such a discourse as the Abhidhamma can be taught by them only; for their descent is manifest … likewise their return from the deva-world. There is, O wise one, no need for an introduction to Abhidhamma.’
When this is so stated, the heterodox opponent would be unable to adduce an illustration in support of his cause.
The Elder Tissabhūti, resident at the Central Park, wishing to show that the place of the Great Enlightenment³ is an introduction to Abhidhamma, quoted the Padēsavihārasutta—‘Bhikkhus, by whatever mode of life I lived after I first attained Buddhahood, I have [these two weeks] lived by that mode of living.’⁴ This he expanded: ‘There are ten positions: of the aggregates, the field of sense, the elements, the Truths, the controlling powers, the causal signs, applications of mindfulness, jhāna, mind, and so on. Of these the Teacher at the foot of the great Wisdom Tree intuited the three things fully.’
He intuited the twelve sense-organs and the eighteen elements fully; for three months he lived only, by way of feeling, in the field and in the element of mental presentations. He intuited the four Truths fully; for three months he lived only by way of feeling in the Truth of Ill. He intuited the twenty-two controlling faculties fully; for three months he lived only by way of the five emotional indriyas.² He fully intuited the chain³ of the causal genesis; for three months he lived by way of feeling with touch as its cause. He intuited the four applications in mindfulness fully; for three months he lived only by way of feeling to which mindfulness was intensely applied. [31] He intuited the four Jhānas fully; for three months he lived only by way of feeling among the factors of Jhāna. He intuited mind fully; for three months he lived by way of feeling mind only. He intuited (other) states fully; for three months he lived only by way of (one or other of) the triplet of feeling.⁴ Thus the Elder set forth an introduction to Abhidhamma by means of the Padēsavihārasutta.
The Elder Sumanadeva, resident in a village, while translating the Scriptures⁵ at the base of the Brazen Palace, thought: ‘This heterodox believer, who does not know the introduction (nidāna) to Abhidhamma, is just like one crying (helpless) with uplifted arms in the forest, or like one who has filed a lawsuit without witness.’⁶ And in order to show the introduction he said, ‘At one time the Blessed One lived among gods on the Paṇḍukambala rock at the foot of the Pāricchattaka tree in Tāvatimsa. Then the Blessed One taught Abhidhamma to the Tāvatimsa gods thus: ‘moral, immoral, and unmoral states of consciousness,’ etc.¹
Whereas in the Sutta discourses there is but one introduction, in Abhidhamma there are two: one on the Career and its Goal, and one on the teaching. Of these the former comprises the events from the time of Dīpaṅkara of the Ten Powers up to the time of attaining the throne under the Wisdom Tree; the latter comprises the events between the last mentioned and the time of turning the Wheel of the Dhamma. Thus for proficiency in the introduction to Abhidhamma, which has both of these, the following questions should be asked:
From which source has this Abhidhamma originated?
Where has it matured?
Where, 4. when, and 5. by whom was it mastered?
Where, 7. when, and 8. by whom was it studied?
Where, 10. for whose benefit, and 11. for what purpose was it taught?
By whom was it accepted?
Who are learning it?
Who have learnt it?
Who know it by heart?
Whose word is it?
And 17. by whom has it been handed down?
The reply to these is:
Faith which urges to enlightenment was the source.
In the five hundred and fifty Jātakas.
At the foot of the Wisdom Tree.
On the full-moon day of Visākha.
By the omniscient Buddha.
At the foot of the Wisdom Tree.
[32] 7. During the seven days spent at the Jewel House.
By the omniscient Buddha.
Among the Tāvatimsa devas.
Of the devas.
For release from the four Floods.
By the devas.
Probationers and good worldlings.
Saints free from the Intoxicants.
Those who lay it to heart.
Of the Blessed the Arahant, the Buddha Supreme.
By the unbroken line of teachers.
It was conveyed up till the time of the third Council by the Elders Sāriputta, Bhaddaji, Sohita, Piyajali, Piyapāla, Piyadassi, Kosiyaputta, Siggava, Sandeha, Moggalliputta, Visuddhat, Dhammirāja, Dāsaka, Sonaka, Revata, and others. After that, it was conveyed by a succession of their pupils. Thus in India it has been conveyed by an unbroken line of teachers. And to this island of Ceylon subsequently came Mahinda, Iddhiya,¹ Uttiya,² Bhaddanāma, and Sambala. These greatly wise ones brought it to this island from India, and thenceforward till to-day it has been conveyed by the line of teachers known as their pupils. Of Abhidhamma thus conveyed, the introduction of the Career and the Goal, from the time of Dīpaṅkara of the Ten Powers till the attainment of the throne under the Wisdom Tree, and the introduction of the Teaching till the turning of the Wheel of the Law will be clear from the tradition:
(Here follows the Dīreṇidāna of the Jātaka Commentary, edited by Fausbøll, vol. i., pp. 2–47, and translated by Rhys Davids, Buddhist Birth Stories, pp. 2–58.)