Abhidhamma / Abhidharma
Literal Meaning
Higher teaching
Etymology & Sanskrit Root
Pali 'abhi' (higher, further) + 'dhamma' (teaching): the third of the three divisions (Tipitaka) of the Pali Canon.
Spiritual Insight & Context
Where the Buddha's discourses (Suttas) teach through narrative and dialogue, the Abhidhamma offers a systematic, analytical account of mind and matter, and is traditionally said to have first been taught to the gods in Tavatimsa heaven.