If the idea of an ideal reading order for Abhidhammika texts, or your favourite books on the Abhidhamma, is logically sound, what specific sequence would you propose for read and study?
Hi Paulo, 
Any of Nina van Gorkom’s books or Ajahn Sujin Boriharnwanaket’s would be good places to start. 
Abhidhamma in Daily Life by Nina van Gorkom is a good one, and there are many, many other good ones. I haven’t read all 14, but I have read most of them. Some are much lighter and easier to read like Pilgramage in Sri Lanka, or Considering the Truth, but you will learn a lot about development in daily life reading them. Others are more technical like Cetasikas, The Buddhist Teaching of Physical Phenomena, The Conditionality of Life (I would probably save that one for last), and you will learn a lot of specifics in those. Two other good ones I would recommend reading early on are Realities and Concepts, and A Survey of Paramattha Dhammas by Ajahn Sujin Boriharnwanaket.
Then you can get into other material, etc.
R
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However you do it I suggest keeping the Kathavatthu near at hand. It is a compendium of debates that display how they are solved by Theravadins. This will avoid some confusion with some abhidhamma terms and ideas.
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I think that most monks learn The Abhidhammatthasaṅgaho first. After that, they start to read the basic texts and commentaries.
If you have TPR installed and the full epitaka extension installed, this link will open TPR to the right place and can show you the way to it in pali and english.
Ven Bhikkhu Bodhi also has a translation and the ebook is available here for free.
That might not be enough. There are some book that explain this in a “lighter” format.
Sayalay Susila and Dr. Min Tin Mon have tried to simplify this.
While learning the abhidhamma, it is good to do the “math” problems. It will help you be more fluent. “abhidhamma math” might be a good new topic thread to make for the abhidhamma section here.
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Start with Dhammasangani and then you will see how Abhidhammattha Sangaho is so good.
Also little known facts and definitions of lots of things are found in Visuddhimagga. Towards the back of the book. The section in Visuddhimagga about Paticcasamupada is awesome.
I have to look it up again. Pa Auk sayadaw was the first monk I met who showed the method of Visuddhimagga and how the book actually works. It was eye opening for me because he showed me the way to get into that book as a living work. He turned on the engine in it. He gave me the key. I would suggest you try to read Visuddhimagga before abhidhamma.
Pa Auk method is the Visuddhimagga method just as a reminder to all. The key difference between the stages of insight in Pa auk as opposed to all other modern descriptions is the literal use of the Visuddhimagga. The visuddhimagga is also the heart of all commentaries. So it is actually a better place to learn Abhidhamma than the abhidhamma.
I am able to read the visuddhimagga in multiple burmese translations. The english one by Nanamoli is fantastic but it misses a heap of meaning that is much clearer in Burmese.
So I just add to you abhidhamma people that Visuddhimagga is something I haven’t seen mentioned here. That book is the key to so much.
Wow. You guys have it so easy these days. Can download anything in a few minutes. The effort we went to in the 1980s to get a book like this… So hands up anyone who wants to learn how to read the visuddhi magga so it becomes pa auk method. But briefly if you want to learn abhidhamma read the section of panna of the visuddhimagga and notice how each of the detailed explanations headings under different Nyanas require a lot more than most modern vipassana systems talk about. Just read first the table of contents starting from Part III _Understanding Pannya.
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