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Five Strengths

October 22, 2023

The Five Strengths (Sanskrit, Pali: pañcabalā) in Buddhism are faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. They are one of the seven sets of Bodhipakkhiyadhamma ("qualities conducive to enlightenment"). They are paralleled in the five spiritual faculties, which are also part of the Bodhipakkhiyadhamma.

Translations of
pañcabalāni
Englishthe five powers,
the five strengths
Sanskritपञ्चबलानि (pañcabalāni)
Palipañcabalāni
Chinese五力
(Pinyin: wǔ lì)
Japanese五力
(Rōmaji: goriki)
Khmerបញ្ចពល
(banhja bula)
Korean오력
(RR: olyeog)
Tibetanསྟོབས་ལྔའི་མིང་ལ་
(Wylie: stobs lnga'i ming la)
Thaiเบญจพล
(benjapol)
Glossary of Buddhism

Meaning Edit

Pañca (Sanskrit, Pali) means "five."[1] Bala (Sanskrit, Pali) means "power," "strength," "force."[2]

The five strengths are:

  1. Faith/Conviction (saddhā bala)
  2. Energy/Effort/Persistence (viriya bala)
  3. Mindfulness (sati bala)
  4. Concentration (samādhi bala)
  5. Wisdom/Discernment (paññā bala)

In the Abbidhamma-tradition, the five strengths are regarded as antidotes to ill will (vyapada), sloth and torpor (styana-middha), heedlessness (apramada) or sensual desire (kamacchanda), distraction or restlessness and worry (auddhatya-kaukrtya), and skeptical doubt (vicikitsa).[3]

In SN 48.43, the Buddha declares that the five strengths are the five spiritual faculties 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.[4] 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.[5]

Interpretation Edit

According to Le Sy Minh Tung, faith here does not mean blind trust, but using our intellect to carefully consider our actions. We should have faith in Enlightenment because when we reach Enlightenment, there are no more delusions or confusion. There should also be faith in striving to achieve the Right View (sammā-diṭṭhi) or the "right understanding", one of the factors Noble Eightfold Path. The right understanding includes knowing what is right or wrong and the nature of the self and the world. Lastly, we should also put faith in controlling and quieting down the six roots of sensation (the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the body, and the mind).[6] According to Thich Nhat Hanh, faith can also be understood as confidence in ourselves. Faith can be applied to ideas but also practices.[7]

According to Le Sy Minh Tung, energy is the drive to push forward on the journey of learning. When we have faith in the Buddhist teachings, we then commit to fulfilling what we believe in. There is no gain if there is only faith. Since the learning journey is full of obstacles, we need patience and strength to keep moving on our journey. The more we learn, the more interested we will be in the subjects. The more effort we put in, the less tired we will be. That is persistence.[6] Thich Nhat Hanh claims that persistence is diligence in maintaining daily practices. [7]

According to Le Sy Minh Tung, mindfulness is the accumulation and preservation within us. We need to be mindful in committing good deeds like helping and donating what we can to others. We could donate money and properties to the poor or deliver teachings to bring people out of misery and reach Enlightenment. We also need to enforce mindfulness in preserving what we have learned, keeping a clear mind, and not losing sight of the right path. In practice, Thich Nhat Hanh believes that mindfulness involves avoiding the events that invoke negative seeds/feelings within us. We should consume information mindfully and not let negative thoughts contaminate our minds.[7]

According to Le Sy Minh Tung, concentration is quietness of the mind. The goal is to keep the focus on the dharma and use the mind to practice. There are three types of samadhi:

  1. elimination of all mental obstacles;
  2. elimination of mental obstacles gives great merit;
  3. this merit should benefit all sentient beings, helping them to attain liberation.

According to Le Sy Minh Tung, wisdom refers to having a clear mind. There is no more discrimination, differentiation, or distinguishment. Discrimination or differentiation comes from deluded consciousness. It then causes people to chase after the Three Poisons. For example, we denote an object as good or bad, beautiful or ugly, etc. However, these connotations are delusions. When we learn to stop differentiating objects, people, and other aspects of the world, we have gained wisdom.[6] Wisdom can be achieved with many methods including meditation which helps to clear our minds and get rid of delusions.[6]

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ See Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), p. 387, entry for "Pañca," retrieved 2008-03-11 from "U. of Chicago" at [1]; and, Monier-Williams (1964), e.g., p. 579, entry "Pañcaka," retrieved 2008-03-11 from "U. of Cologne" at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/MWScanpdf/mw0578-paJcAGguri.pdf.
  2. ^ See Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), p. 482, entry for "Bala," retrieved 2008-03-11 from "U. of Chicago" at [2]; and, Monier-Williams (1964), p. 722, entry "Bala," retrieved 2008-03-11 from "U. of Cologne" at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/serveimg.pl?file=/scans/MWScan/MWScanjpg/mw0722-barAsI.jpg.
  3. ^ Buswell & Lopez 2013, p. pañcabala.
  4. ^ Bodhi 2000, p. 1688-1689.
  5. ^ Bodhi 2000, p. 1511.
  6. ^ a b c d Le, Sy Minh Tung (2011-08-04). "Pha Me Khai Ngo". Thu Vien Hoa Sen. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  7. ^ a b c "The Five Spiritual Powers (Plus One) | Thich Nhat Hanh (short teaching video) | Amara". amara.org. Retrieved 2022-04-24.

Sources Edit

External links Edit

  • The Way of Wisdom - The Five Spiritual Faculties, by Edward Conze
  • The Five Spiritual Powers, Dharma talk by Sarah Doering
  • Indriyas from Encyclopedia of Spiritual Knowledge
  • The Secret of 5 Powers, Comic Book - Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh


 

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October 22, 2023
five, strengths, sanskrit, pali, pañcabalā, buddhism, faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom, they, seven, sets, bodhipakkhiyadhamma, qualities, conducive, enlightenment, they, paralleled, five, spiritual, faculties, which, also, part, bodhipakkhiya. The Five Strengths Sanskrit Pali pancabala in Buddhism are faith energy mindfulness concentration and wisdom They are one of the seven sets of Bodhipakkhiyadhamma qualities conducive to enlightenment They are paralleled in the five spiritual faculties which are also part of the Bodhipakkhiyadhamma Translations ofpancabalaniEnglishthe five powers the five strengthsSanskritपञ चबल न pancabalani PalipancabalaniChinese五力 Pinyin wǔ li Japanese五力 Rōmaji goriki Khmerបញ ចពល banhja bula Korean오력 RR olyeog Tibetanས བས ལ འ མ ང ལ Wylie stobs lnga i ming la Thaiebycphl benjapol Glossary of Buddhism Contents 1 Meaning 2 Interpretation 3 See also 4 References 5 Sources 6 External linksMeaning EditPanca Sanskrit Pali means five 1 Bala Sanskrit Pali means power strength force 2 The five strengths are Faith Conviction saddha bala Energy Effort Persistence viriya bala Mindfulness sati bala Concentration samadhi bala Wisdom Discernment panna bala In the Abbidhamma tradition the five strengths are regarded as antidotes to ill will vyapada sloth and torpor styana middha heedlessness apramada or sensual desire kamacchanda distraction or restlessness and worry auddhatya kaukrtya and skeptical doubt vicikitsa 3 In SN 48 43 the Buddha declares that the five strengths are the five spiritual faculties 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 4 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 5 Interpretation EditAccording to Le Sy Minh Tung faith here does not mean blind trust but using our intellect to carefully consider our actions We should have faith in Enlightenment because when we reach Enlightenment there are no more delusions or confusion There should also be faith in striving to achieve the Right View samma diṭṭhi or the right understanding one of the factors Noble Eightfold Path The right understanding includes knowing what is right or wrong and the nature of the self and the world Lastly we should also put faith in controlling and quieting down the six roots of sensation the eyes the ears the nose the tongue the body and the mind 6 According to Thich Nhat Hanh faith can also be understood as confidence in ourselves Faith can be applied to ideas but also practices 7 According to Le Sy Minh Tung energy is the drive to push forward on the journey of learning When we have faith in the Buddhist teachings we then commit to fulfilling what we believe in There is no gain if there is only faith Since the learning journey is full of obstacles we need patience and strength to keep moving on our journey The more we learn the more interested we will be in the subjects The more effort we put in the less tired we will be That is persistence 6 Thich Nhat Hanh claims that persistence is diligence in maintaining daily practices 7 According to Le Sy Minh Tung mindfulness is the accumulation and preservation within us We need to be mindful in committing good deeds like helping and donating what we can to others We could donate money and properties to the poor or deliver teachings to bring people out of misery and reach Enlightenment We also need to enforce mindfulness in preserving what we have learned keeping a clear mind and not losing sight of the right path In practice Thich Nhat Hanh believes that mindfulness involves avoiding the events that invoke negative seeds feelings within us We should consume information mindfully and not let negative thoughts contaminate our minds 7 According to Le Sy Minh Tung concentration is quietness of the mind The goal is to keep the focus on the dharma and use the mind to practice There are three types of samadhi elimination of all mental obstacles elimination of mental obstacles gives great merit this merit should benefit all sentient beings helping them to attain liberation According to Le Sy Minh Tung wisdom refers to having a clear mind There is no more discrimination differentiation or distinguishment Discrimination or differentiation comes from deluded consciousness It then causes people to chase after the Three Poisons For example we denote an object as good or bad beautiful or ugly etc However these connotations are delusions When we learn to stop differentiating objects people and other aspects of the world we have gained wisdom 6 Wisdom can be achieved with many methods including meditation which helps to clear our minds and get rid of delusions 6 See also EditBodhipakkhiyadhamma lists the 37 qualities conducive to Enlightenment which includes the Five Powers Five Wisdoms Index of Buddhism related articles Indriya faculty includes extended discussion of the Five Spiritual Faculties Secular BuddhismReferences Edit See Rhys Davids amp Stede 1921 25 p 387 entry for Panca retrieved 2008 03 11 from U of Chicago at 1 and Monier Williams 1964 e g p 579 entry Pancaka retrieved 2008 03 11 from U of Cologne at http www sanskrit lexicon uni koeln de scans MWScan MWScanpdf mw0578 paJcAGguri pdf See Rhys Davids amp Stede 1921 25 p 482 entry for Bala retrieved 2008 03 11 from U of Chicago at 2 and Monier Williams 1964 p 722 entry Bala retrieved 2008 03 11 from U of Cologne at http www sanskrit lexicon uni koeln de cgi bin serveimg pl file scans MWScan MWScanjpg mw0722 barAsI jpg Buswell amp Lopez 2013 p pancabala Bodhi 2000 p 1688 1689 Bodhi 2000 p 1511 a b c d Le Sy Minh Tung 2011 08 04 Pha Me Khai Ngo Thu Vien Hoa Sen Retrieved 2022 04 11 a b c The Five Spiritual Powers Plus One Thich Nhat Hanh short teaching video Amara amara org Retrieved 2022 04 24 Sources EditBodhi Bhikkhu 2000 The Connected Discourses of the Buddha A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya Boston Wisdom Publications ISBN 0 86171 331 1 Buswell Robert E Jr Lopez Donald S Jr 2013 Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism Princeton NJ Princeton University Press ISBN 978 0 691 15786 3 Monier Williams Monier 1899 1964 A Sanskrit English Dictionary London Oxford University Press An on line search engine for the MWD is available from the U of Cologne at http www sanskrit lexicon uni koeln de monier Rhys Davids T W amp William Stede eds 1921 5 The Pali Text Society s Pali English Dictionary Chipstead Pali Text Society An on line search engine for the PED is available from Chicago U at http dsal uchicago edu dictionaries pali External links EditThe Way of Wisdom The Five Spiritual Faculties by Edward Conze The Five Spiritual Powers Dharma talk by Sarah Doering Indriyas from Encyclopedia of Spiritual Knowledge The Secret of 5 Powers Comic Book Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh nbsp This Buddhism related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Five Strengths amp oldid 1146527130, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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