The term abhidharma consists of “dharma” with the prefix “abhi,” which means “towards.” It means “approaching the Dharma,” or “Dharma analysis.” From around the second century BCE, interpretations of Śākyamuni’s teachings were written and gradually systematized in the form of treatises. These included what are referred to as the “six treatises”: (1) the Saṃgītiparyāyapādaśāstra or Pronouncements Treatise. This is based on the text translated into Chinese as the Shòngji jing or Communal Recitation Sūtra. It organizes doctrines using groups of dharmas, or phenomena, with sections numbering from one to ten. (2) the Dharmaskandhapādaśāstra or Aggregation of Factors Treatise. This explains doctrines such as the path of religious training, delusion, and various dharmas with quotes from the Buddha’s teachings. (3) the Prajñāptipādaśāstra or Designations Treatise. This establishes a worldview centered on Mt. Sumeru. (4) the Vijñānakāyapādaśāstra or Collection on Consciousness Treatise. This expounds a theory of consciousness that uses the doctrine of the “triple world of saṃsāra”: the mundane world of birth and death, and the “three natures”: good, evil, and neither good nor evil. (5) the Dharmaskandhapādaśāstra or Treatise on the Collection of Elements. This categorizes mental factors into “omnipresent,” “major afflictions,” “minor afflictions,” and other groupings. (6) the Prakaravapādaśāstra or Exposition Treatise. This further develops the topics in the previous five treatises and organizes all dharmas.