Grammatical Analysis
Atthasālinī: [f.] The Expositor; The Endowed with Meaning. Formed by attha (meaning, substance) + sālinī (endowed with, rich in).
Orthodox Definition
The Atthasālinī is Venerable Buddhaghosa’s supreme commentary on the Dhammasaṅgaṇī, the first book of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka.
If the Visuddhimagga is the manual of practice, the Atthasālinī is the absolute bedrock of Theravāda psychological theory. It begins with a grand historical introduction (Nidāna) forcefully defending the Abhidhamma as the authentic word of the Buddha.
It then proceeds to define every single ultimate reality (consciousness, mental factors, and matter) using a strict four-fold diagnostic tool: characteristic (lakkhaṇa), function (rasa), manifestation (paccupaṭṭhāna), and proximate cause (padaṭṭhāna). The brilliant, vivid similes found in this text (like the king’s ministers, the lotus leaf, or the blind man) have been used for 1,500 years to explain the microscopic workings of the mind.
Textual References
- Subject Matter: Commentary on the Dhammasaṅgaṇī.
- Key Features: The indispensable definitions of the 52 mental factors (cetasikas).