JpEstablishment of Knowledge
Pāli / Sanskrit:Jñānaprasthāna
The full title is Abhidharmajñānaprasthānaśāstra (Apidamo Fa Zhi Zu Lun, 阿毘達磨發智論). It was composed by Kātyāyanīputra and translated in twenty fascicles by Xuanzang on February 14th, 657–June 20th, 660 in Yü-hua Monastery (玉華寺), Hsi-ching (西京). The largest of the Sarvāstivādin Abhidhamma books, this formed the basis for the later Sarvāstivāda treatises, and hence the modern study of Abhidharma especially in Tibetan Buddhism. In the Taishō edition of the Chinese canon, the authoritative translation by Xuanzang is text number 1544, located at T vol. 26, 918a. There was an earlier translation by Saṅghadeva and Zhu-fo-nian in CE 383, which may be found at T 1543, T vol. 26, 771a.
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Explanation of the “Establishment of Knowledge” Discourse (Jñānaprasthāna)
Background
The “Establishment of Knowledge” discourse (Abhidharmajñānaprasthānaśāstra, or the Treatise of the Foundation of Buddhist Knowledge) is a canonical work of the Sarvāstivāda tradition, an important branch of early Buddhism. Composed by Kātyāyanīputra, it is the most profound Abhidhamma document in the Sarvāstivāda teachings and is regarded as the greatest and most influential.
This work was translated into Chinese by the great monk Xuanzang during the years 657-660 CE at Yuhua Monastery, in twenty fascicles. Xuanzang’s translation is regarded as the standard version and is preserved in the western Buddhist canon, the Taishō canon. Earlier, in 383 CE, Saṅghadeva and Zhu Fonian made an earlier translation, showing the long-standing importance of this text in the Buddhist tradition.
Main Content
Jñānaprasthāna, “Establishment of Knowledge,” is a work that systematizes doctrinal elements (dharma) according to categories. Unlike Pāli scriptures that focus on practice and personal liberation, this work analyzes in detail the structure of mind, mental and material factors, and the causal relationships among them.
The discourse teaches basic dhammas such as the five skandhas (rūpa, vedanā, saññā, saṅkhāra, viññāṇa), the twelve sense bases (āyatana), and the eighteen elements (dhātu). In particular, however, it goes deeply into the theory of “existence” (satya-siddhi), the view that all dhammas, whether present or past, exist in some real way. This is a major difference from the Theravāda tradition.
The work also classifies dhammas according to material form and corresponding mind, explaining how causes and conditions (paṭiccasamuppāda) operate across many depths. It is the foundation for all later Sarvāstivāda masters, especially Vasubandhu, who composed the Abhidharmakośa based on these principles.
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