user16806: From a purely Theravada perspective, how much important is it to read and know Abhidhamma? Is the knowledge of Sutta Pitaka enough to realize nirvana?

user10100: Abhidhamma is inside of a person who fulfilled perfection of wholesome, Parami. A person who seeing the fastest-of-trillion-thousand-arising-and-vanishing-mind-moments-per-second  is a person who understood abhidhamma.
It's hard for a foolish one who has no perfection of wholesome and wisdom. But it Tipitaka there are many people who have fulfilled perfection of wholesome, so it looks like easy to enlighten in Tipitaka when one just read, not memorize Tipitaka Pali.
So, the question is something like making an unequal person to be equal such as  "Is it important for  Albert Einstein to learn physic to understand the Theory of relativity" and "Is it important for a normal person to learn physic to understand the Theory of relativity".
Remember whether one important reason to meditate Jhana is because of the hardness of the insight meditation. The practitioner's wholesome need to be perfect enough, by Jhana, to study the hardest part of wisdom, the insight meditation. It is not only Abhidhamma, but it is seeing Abhidhamma in the past lives and the next lives until enlightenment like the Buddha did in his enlightening night.
Science is hard because of it's detail, the Dhamma is hard because it included all sciences as a little part of the whole Dhamma, Abhidhamma.
However, practice Jhana before study Abhidhamma. And it is very important to study Abhidhamma whith Jana-Mastery who memorized entired Tipitaka. The practitioner don't know who is Jhana-mastery without meditate by himself.

user471: The traditional Theravada view is that the Abhidhamma was taught by the Buddha himself and traditionalists view it as "advanced Dhamma".
But modern academic scholarship and monk-scholars like Ven. Bodhi and Ven. Analayo (from this answer) say that Abhidhamma means "about the Dhamma" or "analysis of the Dhamma" and it's basically a body of work that evolved over the centuries based on discussions by monks of the sangha, and serves to provide additional explanation on the Dhamma taught by the Buddha himself.
On the other hand, the Buddha stated that he has taught everything necessary for liberation, for example, in the Simsapa Sutta. There's no absolute need for sutta commentaries and the Abhidhamma.
However, traditional sutta commentaries and the Abhidhamma are useful for improving our understanding of the Dhamma as taught by the Buddha. The traditional sutta commentaries provide context for the suttas (for e.g. the Dhammapada stories), or explain some cryptic statements (for e.g. this question).
The Abhidhamma provides meta-explanations or study guides on the sutta contents for e.g. explaining perception (saññā) as being related to memory, the enumeration of various mind states like wholesome mind states, unwholesome mind states etc. It also formalizes the concept of mind-moments and the linking of mind-moments.
So, in conclusion, the Abhidhamma should be treated as an optional study guide on the suttas.
Also, as explained in this answer, the main suttas are mostly common between different schools, but the Abhidhamma or Abhidharma, being a later work, is highly divergent between different schools.

user23873: 1st Q:

Is the knowledge of Sutta Pitaka enough to realize nirvana?

For some people even the gist is enough

Then Sariputta the wanderer spoke
thus to the Ven. Assaji:
Speak a little or a lot,  but tell me just the gist. The gist is what
I want.   What use is a lot of verbosity? Then Ven. Assaji gave this
Dhamma exposition to Sariputta the Wanderer:
Whatever phenomena arise from cause:      their cause         & their
cessation. Such is the teaching of the Tathagata,     the Great
Contemplative.
Then to Sariputta the wanderer, as he heard this Dhamma
exposition, there arose the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye: "Whatever
is subject to origination is all subject to cessation."
Even if just this is the Dhamma, you have penetrated  to the
Sorrowless (asoka) State  unseen, overlooked (by us) for many myriads
of aeons. Upatissa-pasine: Upatissa's (Sariputta's) Question

For some a discourse is enough, for some two discourses and for others thousands won't do.
Some people are just too dull

An6.87. Kamma Obstructions
“Endowed with these six qualities, a person is incapable of alighting
on the lawfulness, the rightness of skillful mental qualities even
when listening to the true Dhamma. Which six?
“He has killed his mother; he has killed his father; he has killed an
arahant; he has, with corrupt intent, caused the blood of a Tathagata
to flow; he has caused a split in the Sangha; or he is a person of
dull discernment, slow & dull-witted.

Whereas others are too invested in thinking otherwise

But this generation delights in attachment, is excited by attachment,
enjoys attachment. For a generation delighting in attachment, excited
by attachment, enjoying attachment, this/that conditionality and
dependent co-arising are hard to see. This state, too, is hard to see:
the resolution of all fabrications, the relinquishment of all
acquisitions, the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding. Ayacana Sutta: The Request


“No wonder you don’t understand, Vaccha, no wonder you’re confused. For this principle is deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of logic, subtle, comprehensible to the astute. It’s hard for you to understand, since you have a different view, creed, preference, practice, and tradition.With Vacchagotta on Fire

People are generally afraid of non-existence and are delighting in existence, which prevents them from understanding how to give up the wrong views in regards to existence & non existence

(8) “Bhikkhus, of the speculative views held by outsiders, this is the foremost, namely: ‘I might not be and it might not be mine; I shall not be, and it will not be mine.’ For it can be expected that one who holds such a view will not be unrepelled by existence and will not be repelled by the cessation of existence. 10.29. Kosala (1)


"The world in general, Kaccaayana, inclines to two views, to existence[2] or to non-existence.[3] But for him who, with the highest wisdom, sees the uprising of the world as it really is,[4] 'non-existence of the world' does not apply, and for him who, with highest wisdom, sees the passing away of the world as it really is, 'existence of the world' does not apply. SN 12.15 Kaccayanagotta Sutta: To Kaccayana Gotta (on Right View)

Of course meditation is the way to overcome this but people don't generally want to go

9.414.With the Householder Tapussa
“Sir, Ānanda, we are laypeople who enjoy sensual pleasures. We like
sensual pleasures, we love them and take joy in them. But renunciation
seems like an abyss. I have heard that in this teaching and training
there are very young mendicants whose minds are eager for
renunciation; they’re confident, settled, and decided about it. They
see it as peaceful. Renunciation is the dividing line between the
multitude and the mendicants in this teaching and training.”
“Householder, we should see the Buddha about this matter. Come, let’s
go to the Buddha and inform him about this. As he answers, so we’ll
remember it.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Tapussa. Then Ānanda together with Tapussa went to
the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. Ānanda told him what had
happened.
“That’s so true, Ānanda! That’s so true! Before my awakening—when I
was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I too
thought, ‘Renunciation is good! Seclusion is good!’ But my mind wasn’t
eager for renunciation; it wasn’t confident, settled, and decided
about it. I didn’t see it as peaceful. Then I thought, ‘What is the
cause, what is the reason why my mind isn’t eager for renunciation,
and not confident, settled, and decided about it? Why don’t I see it
as peaceful?’ Then I thought, ‘I haven’t seen the drawbacks of sensual
pleasures, and so I haven’t cultivated that. I haven’t realized the
benefits of renunciation, and so I haven’t developed that. That’s why
my mind isn’t eager for renunciation, and not confident, settled, and
decided about it. And it’s why I don’t see it as peaceful.’ 

2nd Q:

From a purely Theravada perspective, how much important is it to read and know Abhidhamma?

I am not an expert on Theravadin Abhidhamma, merely familiar with it, and would want to compare it to the Sarvastivadin Abhidhamma before i can give a real educated answer but i'll share my thoughts.
It is my impression so far that it's main utility & value is two-fold:

Cross-referencing with Sutta, that might be a great way to study both in tandem.

'Interrogation' for the purpose of conformity, preventing people from saying wrong things.



16806: <p>From a purely Theravada perspective, how much important is it to read and know Abhidhamma? Is the knowledge of Sutta Pitaka enough to realize nirvana?</p>
 10100: <p>Abhidhamma is inside of a person who fulfilled perfection of wholesome, Parami. A person who seeing <strong>the fastest-of-trillion-thousand-arising-and-vanishing-mind-moments-per-second</strong>  is a person who understood abhidhamma.</p>
<p>It's hard for a foolish one who has no perfection of wholesome and wisdom. But it Tipitaka there are many people who have fulfilled perfection of wholesome, so it looks like easy to enlighten in Tipitaka when one just read, not memorize Tipitaka Pali.</p>
<p>So, the question is something like making an unequal person to be equal such as  <strong>&quot;Is it important for  Albert Einstein to learn physic to understand the Theory of relativity&quot;</strong> and <strong>&quot;Is it important for a normal person to learn physic to understand the Theory of relativity&quot;.</strong></p>
<p>Remember whether one important reason to meditate Jhana is because of the hardness of the insight meditation. The practitioner's wholesome need to be perfect enough, by Jhana, to study the hardest part of wisdom, the insight meditation. It is not only Abhidhamma, but it is seeing Abhidhamma in the past lives and the next lives until enlightenment <strong>like the Buddha did in his enlightening night.</strong></p>
<p>Science is hard because of it's detail, the Dhamma is hard because it included all sciences as a little part of the whole Dhamma, Abhidhamma.</p>
<p><strong>However, practice Jhana before study Abhidhamma. And it is very important to study Abhidhamma whith Jana-Mastery who memorized entired Tipitaka.</strong> The practitioner don't know who is Jhana-mastery without meditate by himself.</p>
 471: <p>The traditional Theravada view is that the Abhidhamma was taught by the Buddha himself and traditionalists view it as &quot;advanced Dhamma&quot;.</p>
<p>But modern academic scholarship and monk-scholars like Ven. Bodhi and Ven. Analayo (from <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/39471/471">this answer</a>) say that Abhidhamma means &quot;about the Dhamma&quot; or &quot;analysis of the Dhamma&quot; and it's basically a body of work that evolved over the centuries based on discussions by monks of the sangha, and serves to provide <strong>additional explanation</strong> on the Dhamma taught by the Buddha himself.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the Buddha stated that he has taught everything necessary for liberation, for example, in the <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.031.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Simsapa Sutta</a>. There's no absolute need for sutta commentaries and the Abhidhamma.</p>
<p>However, traditional sutta commentaries and the Abhidhamma are useful for improving our understanding of the Dhamma as taught by the Buddha. The traditional sutta commentaries provide context for the suttas (for e.g. the Dhammapada stories), or explain some cryptic statements (for e.g. <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/30691/471">this question</a>).</p>
<p>The Abhidhamma provides meta-explanations or study guides on the sutta contents for e.g. explaining perception (<em>saññā</em>) as being related to memory, the enumeration of various mind states like wholesome mind states, unwholesome mind states etc. It also formalizes the concept of mind-moments and the linking of mind-moments.</p>
<p>So, in conclusion, the Abhidhamma should be treated as an <strong>optional study guide</strong> on the suttas.</p>
<p>Also, as explained in <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/47428/471">this answer</a>, the main suttas are mostly common between different schools, but the Abhidhamma or Abhidharma, being a later work, is highly divergent between different schools.</p>
 23873: <p>1st Q:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Is the knowledge of Sutta Pitaka enough to realize nirvana?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For some people even the gist is enough</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Then Sariputta the wanderer spoke
thus to the Ven. Assaji:</p>
<p>Speak a little or a lot,  but tell me just the gist. The gist is what
I want.   What use is a lot of verbosity? Then Ven. Assaji gave this
Dhamma exposition to Sariputta the Wanderer:</p>
<p>Whatever phenomena arise from cause:      their cause         &amp; their
cessation. Such is the teaching of the Tathagata,     the Great
Contemplative.</p>
<p>Then to Sariputta the wanderer, as he heard this Dhamma
exposition, there arose the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye: &quot;Whatever
is subject to origination is all subject to cessation.&quot;</p>
<p>Even if just this is the Dhamma, you have penetrated  to the
Sorrowless (asoka) State  unseen, overlooked (by us) for many myriads
of aeons. <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/vin/mv/mv.01.23.01-10.than.html" rel="noreferrer">Upatissa-pasine: Upatissa's (Sariputta's) Question</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>For some a discourse is enough, for some two discourses and for others thousands won't do.</p>
<p>Some people are just too dull</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/an6.87/" rel="noreferrer">An6.87. Kamma Obstructions</a>
“Endowed with these six qualities, a person is incapable of alighting
on the lawfulness, the rightness of skillful mental qualities even
when listening to the true Dhamma. Which six?</p>
<p>“He has killed his mother; he has killed his father; he has killed an
arahant; he has, with corrupt intent, caused the blood of a Tathagata
to flow; he has caused a split in the Sangha; <strong>or he is a person of
dull discernment, slow &amp; dull-witted.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Whereas others are too invested in thinking otherwise</p>
<blockquote>
<p>But this generation delights in attachment, is excited by attachment,
enjoys attachment. For a generation delighting in attachment, excited
by attachment, enjoying attachment, this/that conditionality and
dependent co-arising are hard to see. This state, too, is hard to see:
the resolution of all fabrications, the relinquishment of all
acquisitions, the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding. <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn06/sn06.001.than.html" rel="noreferrer">Ayacana Sutta: The Request</a></p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>“No wonder you don’t understand, Vaccha, no wonder you’re confused. For this principle is deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of logic, subtle, comprehensible to the astute. It’s hard for you to understand, since you have a different view, creed, preference, practice, and tradition.<a href="https://suttacentral.net/mn72/en/sujato?layout=plain&amp;reference=none&amp;notes=asterisk&amp;highlight=false&amp;script=latin" rel="noreferrer">With Vacchagotta on Fire</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>People are generally afraid of non-existence and are delighting in existence, which prevents them from understanding how to give up the wrong views in regards to existence &amp; non existence</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(8) “Bhikkhus, of the speculative views held by outsiders, this is the foremost, namely: ‘I might not be and it might not be mine; I shall not be, and it will not be mine.’ For it can be expected that one who holds such a view will not be unrepelled by existence and will not be repelled by the cessation of existence. <a href="https://suttacentral.net/an10.29/en/bodhi?reference=none&amp;highlight=false" rel="noreferrer">10.29. Kosala (1)</a></p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;The world in general, Kaccaayana, inclines to two views, to existence[2] or to non-existence.[3] But for him who, with the highest wisdom, sees the uprising of the world as it really is,[4] 'non-existence of the world' does not apply, and for him who, with highest wisdom, sees the passing away of the world as it really is, 'existence of the world' does not apply. <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.015.wlsh.html" rel="noreferrer">SN 12.15 Kaccayanagotta Sutta: To Kaccayana Gotta (on Right View)</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Of course meditation is the way to overcome this but people don't generally want to go</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/an9.41/en/sujato?layout=plain&amp;reference=none&amp;notes=asterisk&amp;highlight=false&amp;script=latin" rel="noreferrer">9.414.With the Householder Tapussa</a></p>
<p>“Sir, Ānanda, we are laypeople who enjoy sensual pleasures. We like
sensual pleasures, we love them and take joy in them. But renunciation
seems like an abyss. I have heard that in this teaching and training
there are very young mendicants whose minds are eager for
renunciation; they’re confident, settled, and decided about it. They
see it as peaceful. Renunciation is the dividing line between the
multitude and the mendicants in this teaching and training.”</p>
<p>“Householder, we should see the Buddha about this matter. Come, let’s
go to the Buddha and inform him about this. As he answers, so we’ll
remember it.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” replied Tapussa. Then Ānanda together with Tapussa went to
the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. Ānanda told him what had
happened.</p>
<p>“That’s so true, Ānanda! That’s so true! Before my awakening—when I
was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I too
thought, ‘Renunciation is good! Seclusion is good!’ But my mind wasn’t
eager for renunciation; it wasn’t confident, settled, and decided
about it. I didn’t see it as peaceful. Then I thought, ‘What is the
cause, what is the reason why my mind isn’t eager for renunciation,
and not confident, settled, and decided about it? Why don’t I see it
as peaceful?’ Then I thought, ‘I haven’t seen the drawbacks of sensual
pleasures, and so I haven’t cultivated that. I haven’t realized the
benefits of renunciation, and so I haven’t developed that. That’s why
my mind isn’t eager for renunciation, and not confident, settled, and
decided about it. And it’s why I don’t see it as peaceful.’ </p>
</blockquote>
<p>2nd Q:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>From a purely Theravada perspective, how much important is it to read and know Abhidhamma?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I am not an expert on Theravadin Abhidhamma, merely familiar with it, and would want to compare it to the Sarvastivadin Abhidhamma before i can give a real educated answer but i'll share my thoughts.</p>
<p>It is my impression so far that it's main utility &amp; value is two-fold:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Cross-referencing with Sutta, that might be a great way to study both in tandem.</p>
</li>
<li><p>'Interrogation' for the purpose of conformity, preventing people from saying wrong things.</p>
</li>
</ol>
