The Post # 58 - The Pancha Indriya Dhamma; the Five Spiritual Faculties – Part 3

Are you visiting this Blog for the first time? It would be good if you could visit the 1^st Post to know about this Blog and then read the others in sequence.  

This is a continuation of the descriptions on the five spiritual faculties that develop when we strive to achieve release from this unsatisfactory cycle of Samsara. These descriptions have been extracted from the source material mentioned in the earlier posts. We saw that these faculties were saddhā: faith; viriya : energy; sati : awareness or mindfulness; samādhi : concentration ; and paññā : understanding or discernment. This Post should be read after visiting Post # 56 and Post # 57 where we discussed the nature of saddhā (faith), viriya (effort), sati (mindfulness/heedfulness) in some detail. In this post we will discuss the faculties of Samadhi (concentration) and Panna (wisdom /discernment) as follows.

Samadhi (concentration)

Concentration (samadhi) has been described in the Pali commentaries (visuddhi magga) as “the state, in virtue of which, consciousness and its concomitants remain evenly and rightly on a single object un-distracted and un-scattered”. It can also be described as calming the mind or wholesome one-pointedness of the mind, free from unwholesome states of greed (lobha), aversion (dosa) and delusion (moha). Concentration can be either mundane or supra-mundane. When concentration is developed in relation to the three worlds of existence namely, sensual world (kama loka), fine material world (rupa loka) and the formless immaterial world (arupa loka) it is mundane concentration. When it is developed in relation to the supra-mundane path of liberation from suffering and all existence it is supra-mundane concentration.

Concentration is mentioned at least four times within the thirty seven requisites of enlightenment. They are Concentration as one of the five spiritual faculties (pancha indriya); Concentration as one of the five spiritual powers (pancha bala); Concentration as the sixth of the seven factors of enlightenment (samadhi sambojjhanga); Right concentration (samma samadhi) as the eighth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path.

In concentration meditation the aim is to develop and maintain a state of deep concentration or one-pointedness of mind by focusing one’s attention on a single meditation object. This state will be maintained as long as the attention of the meditator is completely absorbed into that particular object. With the establishment of deep concentration, five qualities or attributes called Jhanic factors develop and become strong. These five Jhanic factors are; Initial application (vitakka); Sustained application (vicara); Rapture or joy (piti); Mental bliss or happiness (sukha); One-pointedness with equanimity (ekaggata with upekkha).

As the concentration of the mind becomes deeper and deeper, these Jhanic factors contribute to gradually suppress the five mental hindrances. The five mental hindrances are: sensual desire (kamacchanda), ill-will (vyapada), sloth and topor (thina middha), restlessness and remorse (uddacca kukkucca) and skeptical doubt (vicikicca). The mind could then remain in deep concentration continuously and the meditator can experience tranquility, calmness and bliss. During meditation, as the concentration on a meditation object deepens from preliminary concentration through access concentration and fixed concentration, these deep absorption states (jhana) arise in the mind.  In the Indriya Vibhanga sutta of the Samyutta nikaya, the Buddha has described the faculty of concentration as the attainment of the first, second, third and the fourth state of deep absorption (jhana) in concentration meditation.

The main differences among the four Jhana states are the depth of concentration and the number of Jhanic factors involved.

In addition to attaining the states of deep mental absorptions and tranquility, the deep state of concentration and the removal of the mental hindrances could provide the necessary foundation for the development of insight or wisdom into the real nature of physical and mental phenomena.

Panna (Wisdom / Discernment)

In Buddha Dhamma wisdom does not refer to knowledge regarding mundane issues related to world affairs however deep or extensive it is, but it refers to intuitive and experiential insight into the true characteristics of physical and mental phenomena. They are impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha) and lack of a permanent entity called self (anatta).

According to Buddhist literature wisdom (panna) can occur at three levels: Wisdom gained by listening to others or reading scriptures (sutamaya panna); Wisdom gained by personal intellectual analysis (cintamaya panna); Wisdom gained by direct experience through meditation (bhavanamaya panna). Wisdom gained by personal experiential insight through meditation into the true characteristics of natural phenomena is the true wisdom that needs to be developed in order to transcend all suffering and attain Nibbana.

In the Indriya vibhanga sutta the Buddha has described wisdom as the discernment of the Four Noble Truths: The Truth of universal suffering-unsatisfactory state (dukkha sacca); The Truth of the cause of suffering (samudaya sacca); The Truth of the cessation of suffering (nirodha sacca); The Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering (magga sacca).

In addition to the obvious causes of suffering such as birth, old age, disease, death, association with the unpleasant, dissociation from the pleasant, and not receiving what  one desires, the Buddha summarized that the five aggregates of clinging (pancha–upadanaskhanda) are suffering. The five aggregates of clinging are form (rupa upadanaskhanda), feeling (vedana upadanaskhanda), perception (sanna upadanaskhanda), mental formation (sankhara upadanaskhanda) and consciousness (vinnana upadanaskhanda) which constitute the psycho-physical aggregation (nama rupa) that we call a person or a being. They are transitory and are in a constant state of flux with no substantial entity in them. But we cling to them and identify with one or more of them as “me”, “mine” and “myself” thus creating suffering for ourselves.

The Buddha stated that the origin of suffering is craving (tanha) which is of three types; Craving for sense pleasures (kama tanha); Craving for a becoming or existence (bhava tanha); Craving for non-becoming or non-existence (vibhava tanha).  Cessation of suffering by overcoming and totally abandoning craving is the state of Nibbana, the sublime state beyond all suffering, a state of complete peace with no possibility of rebirth in any of the thirty one planes of existence. The path leading to the cessation of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.

Among the five spiritual faculties, the faculties of faith (saddha) and wisdom (panna) are paired together while effort (viriya) and concentration (samadhi) are paired together in a reciprocal relationship. A balance needs to be found between faith and wisdom as well as between effort and concentration to facilitate spiritual progress. The faculty of mindfulness acts as the moderator to make sure that each pair maintains the correct balance without resorting to extremes which can adversely affect the spiritual development. For example, if faith dominates over wisdom the ability of analysis and investigation will weaken whereas if wisdom dominates over faith then it will lead to doubt and uncertainty. Likewise, if effort or energy dominates over concentration then it will cause restlessness and agitation whereas if concentration dominates over effort then it will cause sloth and topor (thina middha).

Because the five faculties are means to deathlessness-rather than ends in themselves- they must not only be developed skillfully but also used skillfully as they are developed. The texts emphasizing this point focus on two of the faculties: persistence and discernment.

As for discernment one's mastery of the faculties is not complete until one discerns the "escape" from them. Normally the texts make this comment only about deceptively attractive objects or unskillful qualities in the mind, but here they use it in connection with skillful qualities. What this means is that there comes a point in the practice where one must go beyond even such skillful qualities as concentration and discernment. An awakened person-through regarding views not in terms of their content, but in terms of the effect they have on the mind-comes to discern what lies beyond views, and yet does not hold even to that act of discernment. As a result of knowing but not holding, the mind experiences ‘unbinding’ in the here and now. This "knowing but not holding" is yet another reference to the perceptual mode of emptiness verging on non-fashioning.

I decided to give in some detail these attributes of the five spiritual faculties, because as we saw before, they become our guides, they direct us and exercise control over our thoughts and intent, enabling us to be on track in the path to liberation.

Please await the Post on the five spiritual powers (pancha bala), the last set to be described of the 37 factors, that assist in realizing the world transcending wisdom.  When the five spiritual faculties are developed, refined and well founded they become spiritual powers that drive us forward in our spiritual journey.

The Post # 57 - The Pancha Indriya Dhamma; the Five Spiritual Faculties – Part 2

Are you visiting this Blog for the first time? It would be good if you could visit the 1^st Post to know about this Blog and then read the others in sequence.  

This is a continuation of the descriptions on the five spiritual faculties that develop when we strive to achieve release from this unsatisfactory cycle of Samsara. We saw that these faculties were saddhā- faith; viriya - energy; sati - awareness or mindfulness; samādhi - concentration ; and paññā - understanding. This Post should be read after visiting Post #56 where we discussed the nature of saddha- faith in some detail.

In this post we will discuss the faculties of viriya –effort and sati - mindfulness   

Viriya –effort:  In the Buddhist literature, effort has also been mentioned as energy, persistence, exertion, diligence, perseverance and vigour. The Buddha considered effort (viriya) to be an important factor in one’s progress in the spiritual journey, that it has been mentioned at least nine times while describing the thirty seven requisites of enlightenment.

In Post # 54 we discussed the four types of right effort which are requisites of enlightenment. There we referred to the effort to prevent the development of unwholesome mental states that have not arisen; effort to abandon the unwholesome mental states that have arisen; effort to cultivate the un-arisen wholesome mental states; and effort to maintain the wholesome mental states that have arisen. The unwholesome mental states include the five mental hindrances of sensual desire (kamacchanda), ill-will (vyapada), sloth and topor (thina middha), restlessness and remorse (uddacca kukkucca) and sceptical doubt (vicikicca). Effort should be applied to abandon thoughts of sensual desire (kama sankappa), hatred (vyapada sankappa) and cruelty (vihimsa sankappa) that have already arisen. The wholesome mental states that need to be developed and maintained with right effort are the seven factors of enlightenment (satta bojjhanga). They are mindfulness (sati); investigation of dhammas (dhamma vicaya); energy or effort (viriya); rapture or joy (piti); tranquillity (passaddhi); concentration (samadhi) and equanimity (upekkha).

The degree of effort that the Buddha applied in search of the truth, on the night of enlightenment while sitting under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya in India, as shown in Buddhist literature is an example for us. In applying effort (viriya) to develop one’s spiritual advancement, it needs to be maintained from the beginning till the final liberation and depending on the stage of a particular task, there are three types of effort - effort required to begin a particular action (arambha dhatu viriya); effort required to sustain an action in spite of obstacles (nikkama dhatu viriya); effort required to continue till the completion of  an action (parakkama dhatu viriya). Also in order to succeed in one’s spiritual journey and attain enlightenment, one needs to apply the right level of effort. Too much effort or too little effort could both hinder the path to enlightenment. The Buddha has advised that in meditation, too much effort will lead to restlessness (uddacca) while too little effort will lead to sloth and topor (thina middha) both of which are mental hindrances affecting the meditation process

What therefore is the faculty of persistence? There is the case where a monk, a noble disciple, keeps his persistence aroused for abandoning unskillful mental qualities and taking on skillful mental qualities. He is steadfast, solid in his effort, not shirking his duties with regard to skillful mental qualities. He generates desire, endeavors, arouses persistence, upholds and exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen...for the sake of the abandoning of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen...for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen...(and) for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, and culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen. This is called the faculty of persistence in the texts.

Mindfulness (Sati) or heedfulness : Although the Pali word “Sati” has several meanings such as memory, mindfulness, recollection and wakefulness, as a spiritual faculty it is considered as the mindful-awareness to the content of one’s experience as it manifests from moment to moment in the immediate present. Mindful awareness is paying bare attention to whatever happens from moment to moment, whether it is a physical or a mental process, without any reaction or judgment in order to have an insight into their true nature. One is expected to keep full awareness on what is happening right now, not paying attention to the past which is already gone or to the future which is yet to come. Mindfulness has been mentioned several times within the thirty seven requisites of enlightenment. They are - Mindfulness as the four foundations of mindfulness (satipatthana); Mindfulness as one of the five spiritual faculties (pancha indriya); Mindfulness as one of the five spiritual powers (pancha bala); Mindfulness as the first of the seven factors of enlightenment (sati sambojjhanga); Right mindfulness (samma sati) as the seventh factor of the Noble Eightfold Path (ariya attanghika magga).

Through well developed mindfulness, one is able to maintain equanimity towards the sense experiences received through the six sense organs of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and the mind. By not reacting with craving to pleasant sense objects or with aversion to unpleasant sense objects, one is able to exert control over the process in which unwholesome mental roots of greed (raga), aversion (dosa) and delusion (moha) may lead to unskillful mental, verbal or physical actions.

As a spiritual faculty mindfulness (sati) has the key role of acting as the moderator for the other four faculties to ensure that a proper balance is maintained among them. A balance between the faculties of faith (saddha) and wisdom (panna) as well as between effort (viriya) and concentration (samadhi) is essential for the spiritual progress to continue smoothly.

The techniques of developing mindfulness in insight meditation are derived from one of the most important discourses by the Buddha named Satipatthana sutta. The Buddha has persistently emphasized the fact that in order to achieve the spiritual outcome as described by him, the meditator needs to develop the four foundations of mindfulness with diligence (atapi), clear comprehension (sampajanna) and mindfulness (sati) leading to the development of mindfulness as a factor of enlightenment and insight wisdom (panna).

Four factors have been described in the Buddhist literature which can strengthen the development of mindfulness as a factor of enlightenment. They are -Mindfulness with clear comprehension; avoiding association with confused and unmindful persons; association with persons who cultivate mindfulness; strong commitment towards developing mindfulness. In mindfulness with clear comprehension one maintains mindfulness during the performance of all daily activities. 

The underlying element throughout the spiritual development is the mental quality of heedfulness.  This is explained as a combination of right effort and relentless mindfulness. Heedfulness realizes the dangers inherent in the round of birth and death, and the fact that those dangers are inherent in each careless act of the mind. It thus fosters conviction in the possibility of a release from those dangers and a sense of urgency and precision in the practice. This combination of urgency and precision provides the impetus for the full and thorough development of the faculties as one seriously pursues the possibility of release through the skillful development of the mind. This pattern of heedfulness developing the five faculties in the quest of the security of release from the cycle of birth and death, mirrors Buddha’s own quest, which began with his conviction that there was no need to resign himself to the rule of aging, illness, and death, and ended with the discernment that brought about his actual escape from that status.

And what is the faculty of mindfulness? There is the case where a monk, a noble disciple, is mindful, highly meticulous, remembering and able to call to mind even things that were done and said long ago. He remains focused on the body in and of itself-ardent, alert, and mindful-putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings in and of themselves...the mind in and of itself...mental qualities in and of themselves-ardent, alert, and mindful-putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. This is called the faculty of mindfulness in the texts.

Please await Post # 58 for descriptions on Samadhi (concentration) and Panna ( discernment /wisdom)