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(THE GIST OF PIB) International Abhidhamma Divas

(OCTOBER-2024)

Recently, the Prime Minister of India addressed a ceremony in celebration of International Abhidhamma Divas and recognition of Pali as classical language in New Delhi.

Abhidhamma Divas commemorates the day when Lord Buddha descended from the celestial realm, Tāvatiṃsa-devaloka, to Sankassiya (now Sankisa Basantapur) in Uttar Pradesh.
The Asokan Elephant Pillar, a historical marker at the site, marks this significant event.
According to Theravāda Buddhist texts, Lord Buddha spent three months teaching the Abhidhamma to the deities in Tāvatiṃsa, including his mother.
The celebration of Abhidhamma Divas coincides with the end of the first Rainy Retreat (Vassa) and the Pavāraņā festival, a time when monks and nuns conclude their retreat period with a ceremony.
This year International Abhidhamma Divas was hosted by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC).

The Abhidhamma adopts a specialized and analytical approach to explore reality.
It offers a detailed framework for understanding the nature of existence, addressing the processes of birth, death, and mental phenomena in a precise and abstract manner.
The four ultimate realities in the Abhidhamma are: "citta" (consciousness), "cetasika" (mental factors), "rupa" (materiality), and "nibbana" (final liberation).