พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าพละ 5 ต้องอาศัยอินทรีย์ 5 คือความเป็นใหญ่ในตัวเองเป็นฐานก่อน โดยไล่ลำดับตั้งแต่สติ ศรัทธา ปัญญา สมาธิ จนถึงวิริยะ อธิบายว่าเหตุใดคนส่วนใหญ่จึงตกเป็นทาสของธรรมชาติฝ่ายอื่น และการหลอมรวมธรรม 5 ประการให้ทำงานอัตโนมัติจึงเป็นเงื่อนไขก่อนจะสร้างพละ 5 ได้Pra Ajarn explains that the five powers (bala) depend on first establishing the five faculties (indriya) — mastery over oneself — building in sequence from mindfulness, faith, and wisdom through to concentration and effort. He explains why most people end up governed by other forces instead of themselves, and why fusing these five qualities into an automatic system is the precondition for the five powers to arise.
Someone asked: could Pra Ajarn continue from the earlier teaching on the jhana factors that oppose , and explain the five powers (bala)?
The Five Powers Depend on First Building the Five Faculties
The five powers are a strength that requires first building — mastery over oneself. Once the are established, the five powers can then be built on top of them. Practice that fails to bear fruit usually fails because the five faculties are not yet complete. It's like learning arithmetic: you must learn addition and subtraction before multiplication and division. The five faculties and the five powers share the same five components — , faith, wisdom, concentration, and effort — but at different depths.
Why We Must Establish Mastery Over Ourselves
Ordinarily, we are governed by or neutral-unwholesome forces. We are like a young emperor who should rightfully rule his own kingdom of body and mind, yet finds his thinking dominated instead by older, more experienced ministers — because our own and strength are still less developed than theirs. We must therefore learn the five qualities — mindfulness, faith, wisdom, concentration, and effort — to establish mastery over ourselves first. Once that mastery is established, it becomes strong enough to override the influence of the other natures as well.
The Sequence in Which the Five Faculties Arise
Mindfulness comes first — continuous, unwavering awareness. Once mindfulness is established, the Triple Gem appears, layered within, and an automatic system begins drawing in pure energy to continuously purify defilement. Faith arises alongside it, since mindfulness and faith are s that arise together with a wholesome mind. Once faith — confidence in what is right and good — is present, it leads to wisdom: gathering information to upgrade oneself and solve problems. Wisdom cannot arise at all without mindfulness.
Wisdom From Learning Requires Retention
Wisdom at the level of learning requires retention — if it isn't remembered, it can't be put to use. One must repeatedly bring a given topic to mind, so that the energy of merit protects that memory from being erased by . From learning, this gradually develops into wisdom from reflection — examining and considering a matter until it becomes thoroughly clear — and then develops further into wisdom from meditative cultivation, connecting with the inner knower, guided in the early stages by an outer teacher.
Concentration Depends on Wisdom to Become Steady
Once wisdom is present, concentration follows. Wisdom and concentration work together to establish steady focus, drawing in pure energy to purify defilement until the mind becomes settled. Without wisdom, concentration is extremely difficult to achieve, because one doesn't know how to work through problems. But even with wisdom, if the mind isn't yet settled, it scatters and wanders, unable to accomplish anything either.
Effort: The Diligence That Drives Us Forward
Last comes effort — sustained diligence. Once mindfulness, faith, wisdom, and concentration have converged into one, effort is what drives us forward without retreating. The empowered one descends to help unify these five qualities into a single whole, drawing in pure energy to generate strength.
From Weak Faculties to Mature Faculties
When these five qualities fuse together to the point of working automatically — moving from something we must consciously will, step by step, into something automatic — this is called mature faculties. If they haven't yet fused, the faculties remain weak, still easily disrupted by the hindrances: drowsiness, restlessness, doubt, and craving for the five sensory pleasures — because mastery over oneself is not yet stable.
In Conclusion: The Five Faculties Must Mature Before the Five Powers Can Arise
The sequence of the five faculties is: mindfulness first, followed by faith, which leads to wisdom; these three then combine to establish steady concentration; and finally, sustained effort drives everything forward. If the five faculties have not yet converged into a unified whole, building the five powers — a true strength — is simply not possible. One must first train the five faculties to maturity; only then can the five powers arise, generating the strength needed for practice, or for any undertaking, to truly succeed.