An Outline Of The Patthana System Of Relations

Patthana, made up of the words 'pa and thdna \ means a system of relations The Great Treatise of Patthana arranges all conditioned things, (twenty-two Tikas and one hundred Dukas of the Matika), under twenty-four kinds of relations, describes and classifies them into a complete system for understanding the mechanics of the uni- verse of Dharnma The~whole work is divided into four great divi- sions, namely:

1. Anuloma Patthana which studies the instances in which paccaya relations do exist between the dhammas,
2. Paccamya Patthana which studies the instances m which paccaya relations do not exist between the dhammas
3. Anuloma Paccaniya Patthana which studies the instances in which some of the paccaya relations do exist between the dhammas but the others do not.
4. Paccaniya Anuloma Patthana which studies the instances in which some of the paccaya relations do not exist between the dhammas, but the others do exist.

 The twenty-four paccaya divisions in the following six:

1. Tika Patthana
2. Duka Patthana
3. Duka-Tika Patthana
4. Tika-Duka Patthana
5. Tika-Tika Patthana
6. Duka-Duka Patthana

Relations are applied to these four great ways

• The twenty-four paccayas are applied to the dhammas in their twenty-four Tika groups
• The twenty-four paccayas are applied to the dhammas in their one hundred Duka groups.
• The twenty-four paccayas applied to the dhammas in their one hundred Dukas mixed with twenty-two Tika groups
• The twenty-four paccayas applied to the dhammas in their twenty-two Tikas mixed with one hundred Duka groups.
• The twenty-four paccayas applied to the dhammas in their twenty-two Tika groups mixed with one another
• The twenty-four paccayas applied to the dhammas in their one hundred Duka groups mixed with one another.

The four patthanas of the four great divisions when permuted with the six patthanas of the six ways result in twenty-four treatises which constitute the gigantic compilation of abstract Abhidhamma known as the Mahapakarana or as the commentary and sub-commen- tary name it 'Ananianaya Samania Patthana' to denote its profundity and fathomless depth.