Reconstructing Cognitive Process Models from the Vibhaṅga: An Abhidhammic Analysis

Abstract

 Abhidhamma, the second canonical book of the Buddha's teachings, contains detailed explanations of the cognitive process. However, this understanding has not yet been fully explored. The purpose of this study is to reconstruct the models of cognitive process as detailed in the Vibhaṅga, based on the systematic examination of classifications and relationships between mind (citta), mental concomitants (cetasika), and the process of mental activity (citta-vīthi). By examining the relationships between these three types of mental activity, the study identifies and utilizes the cognitive models implicit in the text, in a manner consistent with the cognitive model of mental activity presented in the Abhidhamma. This research applies a textual analysis and qualitative methodology to draw the structures and doctrinal aspects of thought processes depicted in the text Vibhaṅga. Although the research focuses on the detailed exposition of the cognitive process models, it is, however, confined to the Vibhaṅga’s textual framework and does not carry its empirical justification. Its findings focus on how intricate Abhidhammic thought is in modeling thought process and offering a means of integrating the Vibhaṅga teachings with contemporary cognitive theory. This study contributes to contemporary scholarship by offering a structured approach to early theories of the mind and mental processes.