Name - Ashin Vicittasra

Class - M.A

Subject Advanced Study of Abhidhamma

Date - 16 /9/2023

"A Study of the Two Truths in Abhidhamma"

Introduction

The Buddhas teaching of the Dharma is based on two truths: A truth of worldly convention and
an ultimate truth. "In the advanced level of Dhamma, the Buddha did not use expressions such as man,
woman, person, individual, etc. However, in the Conventional Truth (Sammuti Sacca Level), Buddha
employed such expressions to aid individuals in understanding his teachings at the beginner level.
Buddha stated, "The Absolute Truth (Paramattha Sacca Level) is that there is no 'person' or 'individual' in
reality. Only Dukkha (Suffering) exists". When Suffering (Dukkha) disappears, it marks the end of
suffering. Therefore, all Buddhists must recognize that the Absolute Truth Level comprises only Dukkha
and Dukkhanirodha." The distinction between ultimate truth and conventional truth was formulated in
the abhidhamma to clean up apparent contradictions in the Buddhas teaching.

Conventional Truth

Conventional truth is that which conforms to the convention or usage of the world. In the early
days of human life on this earth, by common consent a name for something is accepted. That name was
accepted by all people. A thing comes to be known by that name. For example, a certain kind of animal
is known as, or is designated as 'a cat'. If someone wants to refer to that animal, he can use the word
'cat', since it is accepted by the people at large. Conventional truth is called Sammuti-sacca in Pali.
Sammuti means just common concept or common agreement. Sacca means truth.

Sammuti-sacca is also called Pannatti. Pannatti comprises names and things. The names are
pannatti for someone can know things through names. Things are also pannatti as they have to be
known through names. All of the names and all of the words used by people at large are "sadda
pannatti", since, through them they have to know the things concerned. The things are "attha pannatti".
Because they have to be known by mean of names and words. Pannatti changes its designation when its
form or substance changes.

Ultimata Truth

Ultimate truth is called Paramattha-sacca in Pali. Paramattha is the ultimate reality. The
dhamma of ultimate reality is that they never change (their nature or characteristic). It is real forever.
The ultimate reality is abstract truth (paramattha sacca). Using the abstract truth, the Buddha expounds
the wisdom of realization and emancipation (liberation). The word paramattha is a compound form of
parama and attha. Parama is defined as immutable (aviparita) or abstract (nibbattita); Attha means
thing. Although the term immutable is used here, this should not be interpreted as saying that all
ultimate realities are eternal or permanent. In fact, all mental and material forces are subject to change,
they are impermanent and in fact are constantly changing. However, their distinctive characteristics are
the same whenever they arise. Although all phenomena change, their inherent qualities do not. Take
lobha (greed) for example, greed/craving arises momentarily, yet greed never loses its inherent nature,
which is to cling. Thus, the best translation of the word Paramattha may in fact be "abstract" reality.

Ultimate realities exist by reason of their own intrinsic nature (sabhava). These are all those of
mental and material phenomena that are the final irreducible components of existence, the entities that
result from right analysis of the phenomenal world. Thus, just as one extracts oil from sesame seed, so
one can extract the ultimate realities from the conventional realities. The ultimate realities, therefore,
are characterised not only from the ontological perspective as the true ultimate entities but also from
the epistemological perspective as the ultimate object of right knowledge. For example, a so called
"being", "man" or "woman" is a conceptual or conventional reality. In fact, however, the "being", "man"
or "woman" is just a combination of ultimate realities. When we analyses such conceptual or
conventional realities in the light of the Abhidhamma, we find that they do not possess any ultimate
truth, even though this might appear to be strongly implied by the concepts. They are merely a
conventional reality comprising of an assemblage of ever-changing factors, of mental and physical
processes. Thus, by examining the conventional realities with wisdom, we will finally come to realise
that it is only the ultimate realities (paramattha dhamma) that maintain their intrinsic nature
independently.

Fourfold Realities

In the sutta the Buddha in the Sutta Pitaka usually analyses a being or an individual into five
aggregates (pancakkhandha), the five kinds of ultimate realities, the twelve bases (ayatana) and the
eighteen kinds of elements (dhatu). In the Abhidhamma the ultimate realities are enumerated in four
categories: consciousness (citta), mental states (cetasika), material qualities (rupa) and nibbana. Of them
the first three are conditioned ultimate realities and the last reality (nibbna) is unconditioned.

Although the ultimate realities (paramattha dhamma) exist within all mental and material things
as the concrete essences of things, they are so subtle and profound that an ordinary person who lacks
deep training in meditation cannot perceive them. Such an untrained person cannot see the ultimate
realities because his mind is obscured by concepts (pannatti). The ordinary person perceives things
according to their shape or form, which conventionally define their appearance. Only one who has
trained deeply in meditation, and who has developed insight and right thought towards things (yoniso
manasikra), can see things beyond the concepts, realising them as the object of awareness. Thus,
paramattha dhamma is described as the domain of supreme knowledge, insight.

There are four such Paramatthas or abstract realities. These four embrace everything that is
mundane or supra-mundane. The so-called being is mundane. Nibbana is supra- mundane. The former is
composed of Nama and Rupa. According to Abhidhamma "Rupa" connotes both funda
(Nandamalabhivamsa, 2005)mental units of matter and material changes as well. As such Abhidhamma
enumerates 28 species of matter. "Nama" denotes both consciousness and mental states. The mental
states (Cetasikas) are 52 in number. One of these is "Vedana" (feeling). Another is "Sanna" (perception).
The remaining 50 are collectively called "Sankhara" (mental states). The receptacle of these mental
properties is "Vinnana" (consciousness).

According to the above analysis the so-called being is composed of five Groups or Aggregates
(Pancakkhandha): -Rupa (matter), Vedana (feeling), Sanna (perception), Sankhara (mental states) and
Vinnana (consciousness). Consciousness, mental states (with the exception of 8 types of supramundane
consciousness and their adjuncts), and matter are Mundane (Lokiya), and Nibbana is Supramundane
(Lokuttara), The Supramundane Nibbana is the only absolute reality, which is the summum bonum of
Buddhism. The other three are called realities in that they are things that exist (vijjamana dhamma).
Besides, they are irreducible, immutable, and abstract things. They deal with what is within us and
around us.

The validity of the two kinds of statement corresponding to sammuti and paramattha is set out
as follows:

Statements referring to convention-based things

(sanketa) are valid because they are based on common

agreement; statements referring to ultimate

categories (paramattha) are valid because they are

based on the true nature of the real existents.

As shown here, the distinction between the two truths depends on the distinction between
sanketa and paramattha. Now, sanketa includes things which depend for their being on mental
interpretations superimposed on the category of the real. For instance, the validity of the term "table" is
based, not on an objective existent corresponding to the term, but on mental interpretation
superimposed on a congeries of material dhammas organised in a particular manner. Although a table is
not a separate reality distinct from the material dhammas that enter into its composition, nevertheless
the table is said to exist because in common parlance it is accepted as a separate reality. On the other
hand, the term paramattha denotes the category of real existents (dhammas) which have their own
objective nature (sabhava). Their difference may be set out as follows: When a particular situation is
explained on the basis of terms indicative of the real elements of existence (the dhammas), that
explanation is paramattha-sacca. When the self-same situation is explained on the basis of terms
indicative of things which have their being dependent on the mind's synthetic function (i.e. pannatti),
that explanation is sammuti- sacca. The validity of the former is based on its correspondence to the
ultimate data of empirical reality. The validity of the latter is based on its correspondence to things
established by conventions.

Conclusion
 The two truths doctrine in Buddhism differentiates between two levels of truth in Buddhist
discourse, a low, or commonsense truth, and a high, or ultimate truth or between a relative and an
absolute truth. It is used to avoid confusion between doctrinally accurate statements about the true
nature of reality (e.g., there is no self) and practical statements that refer to things that, while not
expressing the true nature of reality, are necessary in order to communicate easily and help people
achieve higher knowledge.

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