The Tree of Enlightenment

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
hilosophy & sychology in the bhidharma
O ne of the functions of the Abhidharma is definition.
Definition is important because, to successfully communicate
about a rather technical subject, we must know precisely
what our terms mean. us I would like to look at a number of
terms used frequently and popularly in speaking about Buddhist
thought. I would like to arrive at an understanding of the definitions
of these terms and then relate them to the nature of the
teachings of the Buddha.
Buddhism has often been called a religion, a philosophy,
and, in recent years, a psychology. ‘Religion’ refers to belief in,
or recognition of, a higher, unseen power that controls the course
of the universe. Moreover, religion has an emotional and moral
component and has to do with rituals and worship. Because
Buddhism does not recognize the existence of such a power and
does not universally emphasize rituals and worship, it is difficult
to categorize Buddhism in general – and particularly the
Abhidharma – as a religion.
In its original sense, ‘philosophy’ means the ‘love of wisdom
and knowledge.’ More generally, it means investigation of the
nature of the laws or causes of all being. is definition might
apply to Buddhism except that it remains somewhat vague, due
to the various meanings of the words ‘nature’ and ‘being.’ is
has led to two approaches in philosophical thinking, called metaphysics
and phenomenology. Metaphysics is the study of absolute
or first principles. It is also sometimes called the science of
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