Saṃyutta Nikāya
5. Mahā-Vagga
48. Indriya Saṃyutta
1. Suddhika Vagga
The Book of the Kindred Sayings
5. The Great Chapter
48. Kindred Sayings on the Faculties
1. Purity
Sutta 9
Paṭhama Vibhaṇga Suttaṃ
Analysis (a)
Translated by F. L. Woodward
Edited by Mrs. Rhys Davids
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1] THUS have I heard:
Once the Exalted One was staying near Sāvatthī.
Then the Exalted One addressed the monks,
saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," replied those monks to the Exalted One.
The Exalted One said:
"Monks, there are these five controlling powers.
What five?
The controlling power of faith,
the controlling power of energy,
the controlling power of mindfulness,
the controlling power of concentration,
the controlling power of insight.
§
And of what sort, monks,
is the controlling power of faith?
Herein, monks, the Ariyan disciple has faith.
He has faith in the wisdom of the Tathāgata, thus:
He it is, the Exalted One,
Arahant,
supremely Enlightened One,
perfect in knowledge and practice,
world-knower,
unsurpassed charioteer of men to be tamed,
teacher of devas and mankind,
a Buddha,
an Exalted One.[1]
This, monks, is called
'the controlling power of faith.'
■
And of what sort, monks,
is the controlling power of energy?
Herein, monks, the Ariyan disciple
dwells resolute in energy,
ever striving to abandon bad qualities,
to acquire good qualities,
strenuously exerting himself,[2]
not throwing off the burden in good qualities.[3]
This, monks, is called
'the controlling power of energy.'
■
And of what sort, monks,
is the controlling power of mindfulness?
Herein, monks, the Ariyan disciple
is mindful,
possessed of supreme discrimination,[4]
one who calls to mind and remembers
things said and done long ago.
This is called
'the controlling power of mindfulness.'
■
[173] And of what sort, monks,
is the controlling power of concentration?
Herein, monks, the Ariyan disciple,
making self-surrender the object of his thought,
lays hold of concentration,
lays hold of one-pointedness.
This is called
'the controlling power of concentration.'
■
And of what sort, monks,
is the controlling power of insight?
Herein, monks, the Ariyan disciple
is possessed of insight[5] thus:
He has insight
for tracing out the rise and fall of things,[6]
insight which is Ariyan,
penetrating,
going on to the utter destruction of ill.
This, monks, is called
'the controlling power of insight.'
Such, monks, are the five controlling powers."
[1] Cf. K.S. iv, 211.
[2] Cf. Dhp. 23: Te jhāyino sātatika niccaṇ daḷha-parakkamā.
[3] Cf. Dialog. iii, 246.
[4] Sati-nepakkena samannāgato. Comy. nipakassa-bhavo nepakkaṇ. Cf. V.M. 3; infra, text 225.
[5] Paññavā. Cf. Dialog. iii, 227.
[6] Uday'attha-gāmimyā. [Comy. udayañ ca atthañ ca gacchantiyā udayabbaya-pariggāhikāya.]
