What’s all about chanting at funeral ceremony ?What does audience learn from chanting?What dose chanting benefit ?Here come and see I will explain….
Chanting is called Abhidhamma,highest or supreme collection of teaching of Lord Buddha that originally delivered to his mother in heaven (Dusita level).This special collection is about common and true nature of truth of mental system regardless the personal identity,concists of 7 books:

1. Dhammasangani explains wholesome and unwholesome
2. Vibhanga explains life is constituted of five aggregates
3. Dhatukatha explains the distinctive relations of dhammas
4. Puggalapannatti explains the classification of beings
5. Kathavatthu explains no identity as ultimate truth
6. Yamaka explains the fair relationship of cause and effect
7. Patthana explains the insistency of everything has cause to exist

Unlike Suttas,these are not recorded of discourses and discussions occurring in real-life setting, they are rather full-blown treatises in which the principles of doctrine have been methodically organized and minutely defined, and meticulously tabulate and well classified.Abhidhamma is so deeply revered only comes clear as a result of thorough study and profound reflection.

In Theravada tradition regards the Abhidhamma as the most perfect expression of Buddha’s omniscient knowledge(sabbannuta nana).It is his statement of the way things appears to the mind of fully enlightened One,ordered in accordance with the poles of his teaching suffering and the cessation of suffering.The Abhidhamma articulates is simultaneously a philosophy, psychology and an ethical integrated into the framework of a program for liberation.

Abhidhamma is described as philosophy because it proposes an ontology, a perspective on the nature of the real which designated as Dhamma theory(Dhammavada),Briefly Dhamma theory maintains the ultimate reality consists of a multiplicity of element constituents called dhammas are noumena hidden behind phenomena,” not things in themselves”, as opposed to”mere appearances”but the fundamental component of the actuality,Thus the dhammas fall into two broad classes:unconditioned dhamma which solely Nibbana and conditioned dhammas which are the momentary mental and physical phenomena that constitute the process of experiences.

Abhidhamma is described as psychology because it studies the mental process that leading to actions(karma) which classified quality of action in accordance with mental process
Ethics in Abhidhamma is not a narrow sense of morality but as a complete guide to noble living and mental purification.Accordingly we find or hear Abhidhamma distinguishes states of mind principally on the basis of ethical criteria, the wholesome and unwholesome, beautiful factors and defilements.

With these three aspects of Abhidhamma derive their final justification the cornerstone of Buddha’s teaching, the program of liberation announced by the Four Noble Truths.The truth leads to unconditioned element(Nibbanadhatu)or asankhata dhatu

Thanawaro Bikhu
4/10/23