Dear James,
Op 23-jan-2010, om 12:33 heeft James Whelan het volgende geschreven:

> The puthujjana will say 'I am angry'. The meditator will note that a
> certain phenomenon (dhamma) has occurred, and he will perform a
> dhammavicaya
> - i.e. he will investigate the phenomenon by 'deconstructing' -
> observing
> the sequence of arising and falling, the attachment and the sense
> of attaa,
> and the entire process of mental events, rather than leaving it as one
> undifferentiated mass/heap/ citi called 'anger'.

-------
I like your example of anger. The Abhidhamma is not theory, it refers
to all the phenomena arising at the present moment in daily life,
like anger. It shows all the time that whatever arises is anattaa,
non-self.
As we see in the Abhidhammattha Sangaha, Manual of the Abhidhamma,
Dhammavicaya can also be translated as investigation of the truth,
since all realities that arise are truth.
Let me first give the link for the English translation of this Manual:

<http://www.palikanon.com/english/sangaha/sangaha.htm>

This manual, attributed to Anuruddha, has been composed later on, but
it is based on the ancient Abhidhamma Pi.taka. It is a very good
summary and it can be used as an introductory.

We read in this manual:
<vi. Sattabojjhangā - satisambojjhango, dhammavicayasambojjhango,
viriyasambojjhango, pītisambojjhango, passaddhisambojjango,
samādhisambojjhango, upekkhāsambojjhango.

vi. There are seven Constituents of Enlightenment (33): 1.
Mindfulness, 2. Investigation of the Truth, 3. Effort, 4 Rapture, 5.
Quietude, 6. Concentration, 7. Equanimity.>

notes by Ven. Narada:

33. Sambojjhanga - Sam = exalted, good; bodhi = enlightenment or one
who is striving for enlightenment; anga = factor. Here dhammavicaya
means seeing mind and matter as they truly are. It is insight.
--------
N: It is pa~n~naa cetasika. There is one citta arising at a time and
it is accompanied by several cetasikas. Kusala cittas are accompanied
by sobhana cetasikas (beautiful mental factors) and these can be
accompanied by pa~n~naa or unaccompanied by pa~n~naa, it all depends
on conditions.

There are many names to denote pa~n~naa, understanding, since there
are many degrees, and in this way different aspects are shown.
Pa~n~naa can be intellectual understanding of realities, but it can
also be direct understanding of realities, without having to think
about them. Today we speak about pa~n~naa that is dhammavicaya and
this is direct understanding, insight.
In your example above: also the observing of anger is not done by a
person or self. It is because of the right conditions that
dhammavicaya arises and penetrates the characteristic of anger as not
'my anger', only a conditioned dhamma. It has to be insight, since it
is a factor leading to enlightenment.

-------
Nina.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]