The study of the Abhidharma is indispensable for understanding the history of Buddhist philosophy and practice. Originally a summary of terms according to subject matters, it was first systematized into a philosophical analysis of man and his world by the bainhasikas. Their analysis was accepted by all subsequent schools who elaborated the implications of this earliest philosophical system in Buddhism. This book gives a synoptic view of the significance of the Abhidharma as presented by the Theravadins & brought to its climax by the Vaibhasikas & Yogacara-Vijnanovadins. It analyzes the concepts of Mind and its States with reference to healthy and unhealthy attitudes towards life and deals with the psychological factors and problems in Meditation which is geared to an individual's capacity and temperament. Theories of perception, a predominant feature of Indian & Buddhist philosophies, are discussed together with the interpretation of the world on the basis of these theories as well as their critiques. The discussion of the Path as conceived by the various schools concludes this survey of the Abhidharma. Of particular significance are the accompanying tables of the structure of mind in Buddhist philosophy.