พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าอินทรีย์ 5 คือ สติ ศรัทธา ปัญญา สมาธิ วิริยะ เป็นความเป็นใหญ่ในตนเองที่ต้องบ่มให้แก่กล้าจนกลายเป็นพละ 5 อันเป็นกำลังเอาชนะนิวรณ์ 5 พร้อมอธิบายว่าแต่ละธรรมเป็นคู่อริกับนิวรณ์ข้อใด และนำไปใช้ในชีวิตประจำวันอย่างไรPra Ajarn explains that the five faculties — mindfulness, faith, wisdom, concentration, and effort — form our inner sovereignty, and when matured, become the five powers that overcome the five hindrances, one by one, in daily life and practice.
Someone asked: yesterday Pra Ajarn left off partway through a teaching on the Five Faculties, and today's question was for him to continue with the Five Powers.
The Five Faculties: Sovereignty Over Oneself
The (indriya) are what give us sovereignty over ourselves — something we must establish first. Without it, side and the neutral (abyakata) side of nature will lead us. When the unwholesome side takes the lead, it forces us into wrongdoing, because we don't know the truth of the — what is right and good. Without knowing this truth, the unwholesome and neutral forces of nature compel us toward things that bring no real benefit — luring us to spend our precious time and resources carelessly, with no thought for the future. Worse still, the unwholesome side presses and squeezes us into wrongdoing in body and speech that brings trouble to ourselves and others. All of this happens because () obscures the truth and shapes wrong view (micchaditthi), which in turn gives rise to wrong intention (micchasankappa) — sensual desire, ill will, and harming others — arising automatically, without our even realizing it.
But once we've learned and understood the truth of the Dhamma, even though defilements may still compel us at times — knowing right from wrong yet unable to resist — we must purify those defilements through practice and meditation, grounding ourselves in calm (), which gradually lessens our delight in sensual pleasures — forms, tastes, smells, sounds, and touch. We therefore need to build sovereignty over ourselves, in order to overcome and keep developing, so that no other force can dominate or mislead us.
The Five Qualities That Form Inner Sovereignty
To become sovereign over oneself requires five qualities: (), faith (saddha), wisdom (panna), concentration (samadhi), and effort (viriya) — together called . When these five fuse into one, we gain sovereignty over ourselves. This is the starting point for developing toward paired with and . The wholesome system no longer hides, the Triple Gem shines within us, and our development continues without interruption. As these five faculties mature and grow strong, they develop from faculties into powers (bala) — the foundation that supports the Noble Path, leading us toward clearing away every defilement.
Without sovereignty over oneself, though, everything becomes difficult — laziness, fear, gloom, anger, confusion, and craving for sensual pleasure make it hard for any real strength to arise. But once sovereignty is established, mindfulness, faith, wisdom, concentration, and effort can be cultivated. Together, these five qualities become a channel that draws in pure energy, lifting us toward ever subtler levels.
### Mindfulness
Mindfulness is recall — the antidote to ignorance, our not-knowing of the true knowledge that already exists. With mindfulness, self-awareness arises instantly. Without it, the unwholesome side can lead us anywhere. Mindfulness and faith are s that arise together with system; the moment that system is established, mindfulness and faith bring immediate benefit, along with a sense of shame and fear of wrongdoing, and other subtle qualities that bring lightness of body and mind, gentleness, and ease.
### Faith
Faith is the belief that leads us toward an exit and a refuge. Nothing we do — studying, running a business — can be done without faith that it leads somewhere safe, somewhere bright. Faith is wholesome because it arises together with the wholesome system. It unfolds in five stages: acceptance, respect, reverence, devotion, and faith itself — the brightest of all. Mindfulness and faith together lead us on to wisdom.
### Wisdom
Wisdom is a different kind of mental factor — it doesn't arise automatically with a wholesome mind; it must be deliberately cultivated. Using wisdom to solve problems means drawing on the store of memory we've built up, so gathering knowledge is essential — this is called wisdom from learning (suya panna). From there, we reflect and contemplate the content of the Dhamma, much like practicing — this is wisdom from reflection (cintamaya panna) — until it distills down to the key words and essential points, a key that opens the door to the inner knower. Relying on meditation to bring about purity is wisdom from meditation (namaya panna), the highest level, with countless degrees according to the depth of the Dhamma. Wisdom is the antidote to sensual desire (kamachanda) — once we understand the truth of life as it plays out through eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body, we can resolve our craving for sense pleasures.
### Concentration
Like wisdom, concentration doesn't arise automatically with the wholesome mind — it must be deliberately established, relying on mindfulness, faith, and wisdom held steadily together. Without these three, concentration is very hard to establish. When mindfulness, faith, and wisdom are steady, they draw in pure energy that purifies defilements, allowing concentration to take hold and carry us into ever subtler inner dimensions. Concentration is the direct antidote to restlessness and worry (uddhacca-kukkucca) — when restlessness is strong, concentration cannot be established; but when concentration is strong, it can dispel restlessness.
### Effort
Once mindfulness, faith, wisdom, and concentration have fused into one, we can press forward through effort (viriya) — sustained diligence that drives us onward, bringing progress.
From Faculties to Powers: The Strength That Overcomes the Hindrances
These five qualities must all work together — none can be missing: mindfulness; faith that points us toward safety; wisdom that resolves problems; the steadiness of concentration that carries us into inner dimensions; and the tireless effort of viriya. Together they are essential to progress, in worldly life and in Dhamma alike. But this is only the foundation — the sovereignty over oneself.
Each of these five is the natural opponent of a corresponding hindrance. Doubt (vicikiccha) opposes faith; (thina-middha) oppose effort. Whichever side is stronger overpowers the other. If we don't build up the wholesome side, doubt overwhelms faith and leaves it powerless to help us; strong sloth and torpor overwhelm effort and diligence never arises; strong restlessness overwhelms concentration and it cannot settle; strong sensual desire leaves wisdom unable to resolve our entanglement with the world. Everything depends on strength. That's why we must keep building up mindfulness, faith, wisdom, concentration, and effort until they're strong enough to clear away the defilement that opposes each one.
Applying This in Daily Life and Work
The problem of is a basic problem for every life. Any task we're unfamiliar with makes us drowsy, drained, doubtful, irritated, and dissatisfied — all of these are hindrances blocking what is good, and we need to train the five faculties, then develop them into the five powers, to overcome whatever blocks our progress. Whether we're students, athletes, musicians, or in business, without sovereignty over ourselves, success is hard to reach. We must use these five qualities to train ourselves in whatever field we pursue, refining each one further and further — and success follows. These five qualities are the essential tools that draw in pure energy to resolve the obstacles in whatever work we're doing. Once we understand this and put it into practice, our hardships grow lighter.