Buddhism maintains that man is superior to other beings in some aspects. In the discourses, there are statements which indicate the superiority of man:
(1) attāhi attano nātho (man’s security is himself, no one else)
(2) dullabhan ca manussattaṃ (it is very rare to become human being)
(3) kiccho manussapaṭilābho (to become human being, one must try very hard)
The difference between this later Abhidhamma and the early Buddhism regarding man is that in the later Abhidhamma the existence of individuals is negated while in the early Buddhist texts the presence of individuals is never negated by the Buddha.
