No. Theravada treats it as canonical; Mahayana traditions largely do not.
The Abhidhamma is a collection of texts that provides detailed philosophical analysis of Buddhist doctrine, breaking down experience into fundamental mental and physical phenomena. The Theravada tradition has seven texts in its Abhidhamma Pitaka (the third division of its canon), with the Dhammasangani and Visuddhimagga being among the most influential. These texts systematize and expand upon teachings found in the earlier Suttas (discourses attributed to the Buddha).
In Theravada Buddhism, primarily practiced in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Burma, the Abhidhamma is fully canonical. It forms the third of the three "baskets" (Tripitaka) of the Pali Canon alongside the Suttas and Vinaya. Theravada scholars treat Abhidhamma texts as authoritative Buddhist scripture, believing they contain the Buddha's analytical teachings, even if composed or compiled after his lifetime. This acceptance is nearly universal among Theravada communities and scholars.
Mahayana Buddhism—the dominant form in East Asia, Tibet, and Vietnam—does not recognize the Abhidhamma Pitaka as canonical. Instead, Mahayana traditions developed their own philosophical texts called Abhidharma, but these are not scriptural in the same binding way. Mahayana considers the Mahayana sutras (like the Lotus Sutra and Heart Sutra) as primary canonical texts, alongside interpretive commentaries by Indian philosophers like Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu. The Pali Abhidhamma specifically holds no authoritative status in Mahayana.
Scholarly consensus suggests the Abhidhamma texts were likely composed several centuries after the Buddha's death, which creates a fundamental difference in how traditions evaluate them. Theravada maintains that these works faithfully represent the Buddha's philosophy, even if formally organized later. Mahayana traditions, which developed in a different cultural context and prioritized different sutras, never incorporated the Pali Abhidhamma into their canonical framework. This reflects genuine historical divergence in Buddhist communities rather than a later decision to exclude texts.
For practitioners and scholars, this distinction matters significantly. Theravada monks and scholars regularly study Abhidhamma texts as authoritative guides to Buddhist psychology and metaphysics. Mahayana Buddhists generally do not reference the Pali Abhidhamma in their practice, instead relying on their own philosophical traditions. However, modern scholars across traditions now study the Abhidhamma for historical understanding of early Buddhist thought, regardless of canonical status in their own tradition.