user471: According to the Theravada tradition, the Abhidhamma was taught by the Buddha.
From "The Abhidhamma in Practice" by N.K.G. Mendis:

Theravaada tradition holds that the Buddha conceived the Abhidhamma in
  the fourth week after his enlightenment, while still sitting in the
  vicinity of the Bodhi tree. Tradition also has it that he first
  preached the Abhidhamma to the assembly of deities in the Taavatimsa
  heaven; his mother, reborn as a deity, was present in the assembly.
  This can be taken to mean that the Buddha, by intense concentration,
  transcended the earth-bound mentality and rose mentally to the world
  of the deities, a feat made possible by his attainment of higher
  powers (abhiññaa) through utmost perfection in mental concentration.
  Having preached the Abhidhamma to the deities, he returned to earth,
  that is, to normal human consciousness, and preached it to the
  venerable Saariputta, the arahant disciple most advanced in wisdom.

However, in this YouTube video, Ajahn Brahm stated that the Theravada Abhidhamma was not taught by the Buddha and that the complexity of the Abhidhamma is not needed. He said that the Buddha's original teachings in the Pali suttas is simpler and completely sufficient.
One of the evidences he cited is as follows - only the Suttas (Dhamma) and the Vinaya were recited at the First Buddhist Council and there was no mention of the Abhidhamma.
I quote from Harvey, P (2013), "An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices" (2nd Edition), Cambridge University Press, p. 88:

Just after the Buddha’s passing away (c. 404 BCE), a 'communal
  recitation' (council)  of 500 Arahats was held at Rājagaha (Skt
  Rājagraha, Vin.ii.284–7) to agree the contents of the Dhamma and
  Vinaya which the Buddha had left as ‘teacher’ (D.ii.154). Ānanda,  the
  Buddha’s  faithful attendant monk, recited the Suttas, such that each
  begins: ‘Thus have I heard’. The monk Upāli recited the Vinaya.

This wikipedia page on Theravada Abhidhamma states that according to scholars, the Theravada Abhidhamma was probably composed in 3rd century BCE, which is after the Buddha's lifetime. I also call it the Theravada Abhidhamma specifically, because there seems to be another Sarvastivada Abhidharma.
So, my question is: Was the Theravada Abhidhamma really taught by the Buddha? Or is that an exaggeration?

user5779: Mendis refers to “Theravāda tradition”. His source is the introduction to the Atthasālinī, which was compiled by Buddhaghosa in about 400 AD based on earlier texts that no longer exist.
The Abhidhamma is a framework that consolidates teachings from more than 10,000 Suttas. This framework follows the Theravāda perspective. IMHO, the scholar’s view that the Abhidhamma was developed slightly after the Suttas makes sense.
Though the Abhidhamma may not be the literal word of the Buddha, it is extremely important. The commentaries, which explain the Suttas according to the Theravāda perspective are based on the Abhidhamma.
I once met a monk who had heard that I taught Abhidhamma. The monk said, “I have my own interpretation of the Suttas based on my own experience. It differs from the Abhidhamma and Commentaries.”
I replied, “Venerable Sir, I cannot say whose interpretation is correct. But if I follow your interpretation, then if I have any questions, I have only one source of reference... you. If I follow the traditional Theravāda interpretation, then I can refer to many books and many teachers.”
People who say, “I will only focus on the Suttas and ignore the Abhidhamma and Commentaries” risk misinterpreting the Buddha’s message! Unfortunately, I have seen many examples of this.

user471: From this YouTube video entitled "The Theravada Abhidhamma with Bhikkhu Bodhi (Class #1, 5 Mar 2018)", Ven. Bodhi, the famous translator and scholar of the Pali Canon, explained the account of modern scholarship, which he accepts to be more accurate, compared to the traditional account:

That is the traditional view, but modern scholarship takes a different
view. And I have to say that I agree with modern scholarship. The
Abhidhamma is a body of teachings which emerged through a gradual
process of evolution. ...
The word "Abhidhamma" appears in the Sutta Pitaka, the collection of
discourses, but we never see in the Sutta Pitaka a statement to the
effect of the Buddha teaching the Abhidhamma to the monks. We never
find anything like that, but rather the word "Abhidhamma" always occurs
in the context of discussions that monks are holding among themselves.
To support this point, I collected a few passages.

First, he quotes from Mahāgosiṅga Sutta (MN 32):

“Reverend Sāriputta, it’s when two mendicants engage in discussion
about the teaching. They question each other and answer each other’s
questions without faltering, and their discussion on the teaching
flows on.
“Idhāvuso sāriputta, dve bhikkhū abhidhammakathaṃ kathenti, te aññamaññaṃ pañhaṃ pucchanti, aññamaññassa pañhaṃ puṭṭhā vissajjenti,
no ca saṃsādenti, dhammī ca nesaṃ kathā pavattinī hoti.

After that, he quotes other suttas, but did not mention the sutta numbers, or perhaps I missed it.
So, according to Ven. Bodhi, the Abhidhamma was taught not by the Buddha but arose out of the discussions and analyses of the monks. He suggested that Ven. Sariputta had a strong contribution towards it i.e. he probably started it, but it evolved over time.
From pages 70 - 71 of the book "The Dawn of Abhidharma" by Bhikkhu Analayo:

In the Mahāgosiṅga-sutta and its Madhyama-āgama parallel the reference to “abhidharma  talk”  or  to  discussing  the “abhidharma”
occurs alongside “Dharma talk” or “teaching the Dharma”. This gives
the impression that the two terms Dharma and abhidharma are here
interchangeable. In the Mahāgosiṅga-sutta,  the  prefix abhi- would
thus  convey the  sense  of “about”  or “concerning” the Dharma. The
passage  would then describe having a talk “about the Dharma” and
discussing “about the Dharma”, abhidharma.49
The notion that the prefix abhi- conveys a sense of superiority appears to reflect a later understanding of the implications of the
term. In line with later understanding, the commentary on the
Dhammasaṅgaṇī, the Atthasālinī, refers to the present passage in
support of the authenticity of the Abhidharma-piṭaka as the Buddha’s
word.50
A discourse in the Aṅguttara-nikāya describes a group of elder monks seated together “talking abhidharma talk”.51 In this
case the Madhyama-āgama parallel does not employ the term abhidharma
at all, but rather describes that these monks were “wanting to settle
a matter of dispute, namely  to  discuss  what  is  Dharma  and
Vinaya,  what is the  Buddha’s teaching”.52 This case would
be in line with the impression that abhidharma talk can simply stand
for talk about the Dharma.


471: <p>According to the Theravada tradition, the Abhidhamma was taught by the Buddha.</p>

<p>From "<a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/mendis/wheel322.html#intro" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Abhidhamma in Practice</a>" by N.K.G. Mendis:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Theravaada tradition holds that the Buddha conceived the Abhidhamma in
  the fourth week after his enlightenment, while still sitting in the
  vicinity of the Bodhi tree. Tradition also has it that he first
  preached the Abhidhamma to the assembly of deities in the Taavatimsa
  heaven; his mother, reborn as a deity, was present in the assembly.
  This can be taken to mean that the Buddha, by intense concentration,
  transcended the earth-bound mentality and rose mentally to the world
  of the deities, a feat made possible by his attainment of higher
  powers (<em>abhiññaa</em>) through utmost perfection in mental concentration.
  Having preached the Abhidhamma to the deities, he returned to earth,
  that is, to normal human consciousness, and preached it to the
  venerable Saariputta, the arahant disciple most advanced in wisdom.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>However, in <a href="https://youtu.be/LIK3h-UMwaw" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this YouTube video</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajahn_Brahm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ajahn Brahm</a> stated that the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therav%C4%81da_Abhidhamma" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Theravada Abhidhamma</a> was not taught by the Buddha and that the complexity of the Abhidhamma is not needed. He said that the Buddha's original teachings in the Pali suttas is simpler and completely sufficient.</p>

<p>One of the evidences he cited is as follows - only the Suttas (Dhamma) and the Vinaya were recited at the First Buddhist Council and there was no mention of the Abhidhamma.</p>

<p>I quote from <a href="https://toleratedindividuality.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/an-introduction-to-buddhism-teachings-history-and-practices.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Harvey, P (2013), "An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices" (2<sup>nd</sup> Edition), Cambridge University Press, p. 88</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Just after the Buddha’s passing away (c. 404 BCE), a 'communal
  recitation' (council)  of 500 Arahats was held at Rājagaha (Skt
  Rājagraha, Vin.ii.284–7) to agree the contents of the <em>Dhamma</em> and
  <em>Vinaya</em> which the Buddha had left as ‘teacher’ (D.ii.154). Ānanda,  the
  Buddha’s  faithful attendant monk, recited the Suttas, such that each
  begins: ‘Thus have I heard’. The monk Upāli recited the Vinaya.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This wikipedia page on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therav%C4%81da_Abhidhamma" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Theravada Abhidhamma</a> states that according to scholars, the Theravada Abhidhamma was <strong>probably</strong> composed in 3rd century BCE, which is after the Buddha's lifetime. I also call it the Theravada Abhidhamma specifically, because there seems to be another Sarvastivada Abhidharma.</p>

<p>So, my question is: Was the Theravada Abhidhamma really taught by the Buddha? Or is that an exaggeration?</p>
 5779: <p>Mendis refers to “Theravāda tradition”. His source is the introduction to the Atthasālinī, which was compiled by Buddhaghosa in about 400 AD based on earlier texts that no longer exist.</p>

<p>The Abhidhamma is a framework that consolidates teachings from more than 10,000 Suttas. This framework follows the Theravāda perspective. IMHO, the scholar’s view that the Abhidhamma was developed slightly after the Suttas makes sense.</p>

<p>Though the Abhidhamma may not be the literal word of the Buddha, it is <strong>extremely</strong> important. The commentaries, which explain the Suttas according to the Theravāda perspective are based on the Abhidhamma.</p>

<p>I once met a monk who had heard that I taught Abhidhamma. The monk said, “I have my own interpretation of the Suttas based on my own experience. It differs from the Abhidhamma and Commentaries.”</p>

<p>I replied, “Venerable Sir, I cannot say whose interpretation is correct. But if I follow your interpretation, then if I have any questions, I have only one source of reference... you. If I follow the traditional Theravāda interpretation, then I can refer to many books and many teachers.”</p>

<p>People who say, “I will only focus on the Suttas and ignore the Abhidhamma and Commentaries” risk misinterpreting the Buddha’s message! Unfortunately, I have seen many examples of this.</p>
 471: <p>From <a href="https://youtu.be/mPztefkY778?t=540" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this YouTube video</a> entitled &quot;The Theravada Abhidhamma with Bhikkhu Bodhi (Class #1, 5 Mar 2018)&quot;, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhikkhu_Bodhi" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ven. Bodhi</a>, the famous translator and scholar of the Pali Canon, explained the account of modern scholarship, which he accepts to be more accurate, compared to the traditional account:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>That is the traditional view, but modern scholarship takes a different
view. And I have to say that I agree with modern scholarship. The
Abhidhamma is a body of teachings which emerged through a gradual
process of evolution. ...</p>
<p>The word &quot;Abhidhamma&quot; appears in the Sutta Pitaka, the collection of
discourses, but we never see in the Sutta Pitaka a statement to the
effect of the Buddha teaching the Abhidhamma to the monks. We never
find anything like that, but rather the word &quot;Abhidhamma&quot; always occurs
in the context of discussions that monks are holding among themselves.
To support this point, I collected a few passages.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>First, he quotes from Mahāgosiṅga Sutta (<a href="https://suttacentral.net/mn32/en/sujato" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MN 32</a>):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Reverend Sāriputta, it’s when two mendicants engage in discussion
about the teaching. They question each other and answer each other’s
questions without faltering, and their discussion on the teaching
flows on.</p>
<p><em>“Idhāvuso sāriputta, dve bhikkhū <strong>abhidhammakathaṃ</strong> kathenti, te aññamaññaṃ pañhaṃ pucchanti, aññamaññassa pañhaṃ puṭṭhā vissajjenti,
no ca saṃsādenti, dhammī ca nesaṃ kathā pavattinī hoti.</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>After that, he quotes other suttas, but did not mention the sutta numbers, or perhaps I missed it.</p>
<p>So, according to Ven. Bodhi, the Abhidhamma was taught not by the Buddha but arose out of the discussions and analyses of the monks. He suggested that Ven. Sariputta had a strong contribution towards it i.e. he probably started it, but it evolved over time.</p>
<p>From pages 70 - 71 of the book &quot;<a href="https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/5-personen/analayo/dawn-abhidharma.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Dawn of Abhidharma</a>&quot; by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhikkhu_Analayo" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bhikkhu Analayo</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In the Mahāgosiṅga-sutta and its Madhyama-āgama parallel the reference to “abhidharma  talk”  or  to  discussing  the “abhidharma”
occurs alongside “Dharma talk” or “teaching the Dharma”. This gives
the impression that the two terms Dharma and abhidharma are here
interchangeable. In the Mahāgosiṅga-sutta,  the  prefix abhi- would
thus  convey the  sense  of “about”  or “concerning” the Dharma. The
passage  would then describe having a talk “about the Dharma” and
discussing “about the Dharma”, abhidharma.<sup>49</sup></p>
<p>The notion that the prefix abhi- conveys a sense of superiority appears to reflect a later understanding of the implications of the
term. In line with later understanding, the commentary on the
Dhammasaṅgaṇī, the Atthasālinī, refers to the present passage in
support of the authenticity of the Abhidharma-piṭaka as the Buddha’s
word.<sup>50</sup></p>
<p>A discourse in the Aṅguttara-nikāya describes a group of elder monks seated together “talking abhidharma talk”.<sup>51</sup> In this
case the Madhyama-āgama parallel does not employ the term abhidharma
at all, but rather describes that these monks were “wanting to settle
a matter of dispute, namely  to  discuss  what  is  Dharma  and
Vinaya,  what is the  Buddha’s teaching”.<sup>52</sup> This case would
be in line with the impression that abhidharma talk can simply stand
for talk about the Dharma.</p>
</blockquote>
