The Post # 59 - Five spiritual powers (pancha bala)  

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The Five Spiritual Powers (pañcabalā) in Buddhism are faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. They are one of the seven sets of "qualities conducive to enlightenment".  They are parallel facets of the five "spiritual faculties" already discussed in the earlier posts. The Five Faculties and Powers are two facets of the same thing. As these five attributes conducive for enlightenment were discussed in detail in the earlier posts I will be brief here in respect of the Five Spiritual Powers.  

We will now discuss each one of these factors in some detail based on the contents of the discourses by the learned monks mentioned in Post #  56 ,  Post # 57 and Post # 58.

When the five spiritual faculties are developed, refined and well founded, they become spiritual powers which are firm, strong and powerful enough to oppose and control the factors that oppose the five spiritual faculties. Thus faith/conviction (saddhā bala) - controls doubt; energy/effort/persistence (viriya bala) – controls laziness; mindfulness (sati bala) - controls heedlessness; concentration (samādhi bala) - controls distraction; wisdom/discernment (paññā bala) – controls ignorance. These were discussed in some detail in the three earlier posts.

When faith becomes a power, it manifests as the four brahma vihara -namely loving kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy (muditha) and equanimity (upekkha). When effort and concentration become powers they lead to deep states of concentration (jhana) and when wisdom becomes a power it leads to the insight into the three universal characteristics of impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and  not self (anatta). When one is able to develop mindfulness by contemplating on the body, feelings, mind and the mind objects, mindfulness becomes a power.

The five powers exercise control in their respective domains.  Faith or saddhā is in control of the domain of adhimokkha (decision or resolve), viriya or exertion in paggaha , sati or awareness in upatthäna , samādhi or concentration in avikkhepa (non-distraction), and paññā or view or vision in dassana . When they are powers, they become unshakable and oppose indecision, laziness, negligence, agitation, and delusion or ignorance.

The five indriya and five bala and are well balanced only in an Arahant. We can reap many benefits even before reaching that ultimate goal by cultivating them, making sure to try to keep them balanced.

Even for an Arahant, there are some leftover “imperfections” even though they are not defilements. Only a Sammā Sambuddha (like Buddha Gotama) is perfect in every respect. This is why he is called “thathagatha.  

. The Buddha's path is called the middle path, which means a path of balance. We have to balance all extremes, so that they become a useful basis for a harmonious person, whose practice will flourish. When the above powers develop they result in the meditative absorptions. When wisdom becomes a power, it means insight into the three characteristics of impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) and corelessness (anatta). When faith turns into a power, then it also manifests as the four skills giving rise to loving kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy (mudita), equanimity (upekkha). Mindfulness is a power when all four foundations (i.e., mindfulness of body, feeling, volition and thought content) are habitually practiced.  

To become a master of all of these aspects is an ideal, but to practice them is a necessity. And since all of us have these faculties within, there is every reason to cultivate and develop them. Then one finds oneself to be a more harmonious and balanced person, with less difficulties, and capable of helping others. Therefore to develop these five powers should be a primary object in one's life. Balancing of them needs to be seen as connecting heart (emotion) with mind.

We saw from Post # 41 onward descriptions on the seven sets of the 37 factors that assist in attaining enlightenment. Towards the end of his life, Buddha has stated several times that as long as the teachings in these 37 factors were remembered and put into practice, his message would endure.

This concludes the descriptions on these seven sets. I trust that these accounts gave you some idea of the 37 factors that assist in attaining enlightenment and how they develop as you progress in developing the Noble Eight fold Path as discussed in earlier posts.  

I will attempt to gather some material on the Samsaric Process - why it is unsatisfactory and dangerous, in order to motivate us to seek liberation from it. I will share them with the visitors to this Blog in a future Post.