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On Wednesday there will be a Q&A with Ajhan Sona regarding this documentary
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The documentary mentioned Abhidharma books, and suggested possibly the Greek influence on the Abhidharma books.
I disagree.
However, in this connection, one may consider to do a comparative study between the “Sutra-matrka” and the three early Abhidharma works: the Pali Vibhanga , the Abhidharma-dharmaskandha-pada-sastra of the Sarvastivada, and the Sariputra-abhidharma of the Dharmaguptaka school, on the Sutra-anga topics of SA/SN.
Cf.: The sūtra-mātṛkā (sūtra matrix, 契經, 摩呾理迦 or 本母) - Discussion - Discuss & Discover
It’s kind of challenging to form an (educated) opinion about a massive class of literature that has hardly been translated. The style of later Abhidharma like the Mahavibhasa reads very much like Plato’s dialogues. So does the Dazhidulun. Both of those large works were likely composed in Central Asia or the Hindu Kush region. The format is a dialogue between a questioner and a teacher without any particular organizing principle. The texts meander their way through their subject matter like a conversation between people would. I think there is at least an influence in the later Abhidharma texts. Early on, they do seem to be oral tradition works.
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Ajahn Sona mentions (Clear Mountain Monastery interview) very favourable, the recently published book Gold Road by William Dalrymple. Publishers quote “a masterful exploration of India’s profound and far-reaching influence on the world over a millennium and a half” This lecture at the Explorer’s Club is a great follow up to Ajahn’s documentary.
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The Abhidhamma’s analytical framework of lakkhaṇa (characteristic), rasa (function), paccupaṭṭhāna (manifestation), and padaṭṭhāna (proximate cause) may represent a Buddhist philosophical adaptation of Aristotelian causal theory.
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Here is another podcast related to this topic….
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This is a wonderful book.