Summary: Puggalapaññatti is the sixth and final kind of designation defined in the Puggalapaññatti. It refers to the conceptual labeling and systematic classification of different types of individuals. While the first five designations deal with impersonal ultimate realities, puggalapaññatti deals with the conventional descriptions used to identify persons based on their traits, behaviors, and spiritual attainments. (Pp 1, 8)
Canonical locus
The Puggalapaññatti introduces this designation as the culmination of its opening matrix and the primary subject matter of the entire book. (Pp 1)
Pp 1.1 (pp1.1:8.1)
Kittāvatā puggalānaṁ puggalapaññatti?
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"In how many ways is there a designation of persons for persons?"
Analysis
Puggalapaññatti differs from the other five designations because its subject is not an ultimate reality (paramattha) but a conventional concept (paññatti). The Abhidhamma system maintains that a "person" is a concept built upon the impersonal aggregates, bases, and elements. (Pp 1, 8)
Typological classification
The Puggalapaññatti organizes these designations into numbered groups: (Pp 8-10)
- One-person descriptions: e.g., the ordinary person (puthujjana), the trainee (sekha).
- Two-person descriptions: e.g., those who are angry and those who are not.
- Up to ten-person descriptions: culminating in the perfectly enlightened one (sammāsambuddha).
Conventional usage
The inclusion of puggalapaññatti alongside the five impersonal designations serves a vital pedagogical function: it affirms that while ultimate analysis is necessary for liberation, conventional person-language is still a valid and necessary "designation" for understanding the path and the differences between beings. (Pp 1, 8)
Textual notes
- This designation provides the justification for the existence of the Puggalapaññatti as an Abhidhamma text.
- It demonstrates the Abhidhamma's ability to integrate conventional person-typology into its impersonal analytical framework.
Related concepts
Related pages
- puggalapannatti (text)
- kathavatthu (for the debate on the person)