Five Faculties In the Pali tradition, the five faculties (Pali: pañca indriyāni) are identified as:
Faith is faith in the Buddha's awakening. Energy refers to exertion towards the four efforts. Mindfulness refers to focusing on the four satipatthana. Concentration (refers to achieving the four jhanas.) Wisdom refers to discerning the Four Noble Truths. The Buddha declares that, of these five faculties, wisdom is the "chief" (agga)
S 48:51. In the Sāketa Sutta
S 48:43, the Buddha declares that the five spiritual faculties are the five powers and vice-versa. He uses the metaphor of a stream passing by a mid-stream island; the island creates two streams, but the streams can also be seen as one and the same. The Pali commentaries remark that these five qualities are "faculties" when used to control their spheres of influence, and are "powers" when unshakeable by opposing forces. The five spiritual faculties are ‘controlling' faculties because they control or master their opposites:
Faith - controls doubt Energy / Effort / Persistence – controls laziness Mindfulness - controls heedlessness Concentration - controls distraction Wisdom / Discernment – controls ignorance   |
