The Discourse on The Five Powers of a Trainee (AN.5.1)

By Satiman

Purport:

This Discourse on the Five Powers of a Trainee or Learner was delivered by Gotama Buddha in Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery at Jeta Grove near Sāvatthī in ancient India. The Five Powers to be developed and acquired through Buddhist training are enumerated as follows:

1. The Power of Faith
2. The Power of Shame
3. The Power of Remorse
4. The Power of Effort
5. The Power of Wisdom

Power of Faith

A noble trainee or learner of Dhamma is said to have developed and acquired the Power of Faith when he or she has developed a strong belief in the Buddha in terms of the following attributes:

1. The Buddha is an Exalted or Blessed One.
2. He is a Fully Enlightened One with perfect knowledge or wisdom and virtue
3. He is a Tathāgata
4. He is a knower of the worlds as he possesses the six supernormal knowledges
5. He is an incomparable tamer of those to be tamed
6. He is the teacher of both devas and human beings

Power of Shame

A noble trainee or learner of Dhamma is said have developed and acquired the Power of Shame if he conceives the fear of being blamed for having committed unwholesome or demeritorious actions (akusalakammas). For instance, if he has negligently or unheedfully transgressed anyone of the Five Precepts (pañcasīlas), he would feel shameful and would be afflicted with the fear or displeasure of shame. The fear or displeasure arises from being blamed. The Power of Shame prevents the noble trainee or learner from committing the evils or any unwholesome action through the body, speech and mind. In other words, the Five Precept are not breached because of the Power of Shame or the fear of being blamed.

Power of Remorse

When one has committed an unwholesome or demeritorious action, a normal person will feel remorseful or his conscience will disturb the peace of his mind. When the noble trainee or learner of Dhamma has developed the Power of Remorse, he or she will not transgress the Five Precepts. In this manner, bodily, verbal and mental misconduct is avoided.

Power of Effort

The Power of Effort is the mentally aroused four-fold energy to become firm to dispel bodily, verbal, and mental misconduct and also demeritorious actions. The Four Energies recommended by the Buddha are enumerated as follows:

1. When a wholesome thought has not arisen, it is to be developed
2. When a wholesome thought has arisen, it is to be preserved and expanded
3. When an unwholesome has arisen, it should be eliminated.
4. When an unwholesome has not arisen, it should be prevented from arising.

All human actions are mind-made. The control of the nature of the thought will regulate the nature of action or external conduct. What is in the inner mind is reflected through the external conduct. Therefore, the Four Energies are rooted in and commanded by the human mind. The human mind regulates and directs the external conduct. A wholesome thought produces a wholesome action like a shadow following a man. Likewise, an unwholesome thought produces an unwholesome action like the wheel of a chariot following the legs of a pulling bull. Cause and effect are inseparable. This constitutes the moral accountability of an individual to maintain the intrinsic justice of life.

Power of Wisdom

The Power of Wisdom is the penetrative insight into the Ultimate Truth which destroys the cankers completely. With the destruction of cankers, the trainee or learner is liberated mentally. He or she becomes truly learned with perfect knowledge of Truth of Insubstantiality and Dependent Co-arising . Of the Five Powers, the most important power is the Power of Wisdom. The first four Powers may still be tainted with cankers while the Power of Wisdom is characterized by the complete destruction of cankers.

When all these Five Powers are developed, cultivated, and acquired , cankers are completely destroyed. As a result, the mind is purified and free from vexation of suffering. With these developed, cultivated and acquired five powers, the learned trainee’s or learner’s holy life is established. When the Five Powers are present, he eliminates his fallibilities. He would not commit wrong actions or vices. He is able to protect himself as he would not be negligent or unheedful. He guards his six-sense doors perfectly so that he is free from mental corruptions or cankers.

With these Powers, his teacher does not need to protect him. He can protect himself as he is absolutely mindful and vigilant. He is no more unruly and rebellious as his mind has been completely appeased by the Wisdom developed. As he or she has established himself or herself with the Dhamma, he has successfully appeased his mental volitions or kammic formations. Being mentally appeased, he is not vulnerable to immoral downfall. He enjoys heavenly life on earth here and now. After demise, he attains deathlessness or eternality of Nibbāna.

Conclusion

A noble trainee or learner of Saddhamma, with the endowment of these Five Powers of Faith, Shame, Remorse, Effort and Wisdom, consummates the Noble Eight-fold Path of Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Efforts, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. The first three Powers of Faith, Shame and Remorse will consummate Right Speech, Right Actions and Right Livelihood which are the moral fundamentals of life. The Power of Effort will consummate Right Efforts or Energies, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. The Power of Wisdom will perfect Right Understanding and Right Thought at the supramundane level. In other words, these Five  Powers are the fundamental Buddhist three-fold training of Morality (Sīla), Concentration (Samādhi) and Wisdom (Paññā). Therefore, the training of the Five Powers is applicable to both the Saṅgha as well as to the lay Buddhist community.