11 (1) Obtainment

“Bhikkhus, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom.

“And what, Bhikkhus, is the faculty of faith? Here, Bhikkhus, the noble disciple is a person of faith, one who places faith in the enlightenment of the Tathāgata thus: ‘The Blessed One is … teacher of devas and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One.’ This is called the faculty of faith.

“And what, Bhikkhus, is the faculty of energy? The energy that one obtains on the basis of the four right strivings. This is called the faculty of energy.

“And what, Bhikkhus, is the faculty of mindfulness? The mindfulness that one obtains on the basis of the four establishments of mindfulness. This is called the faculty of mindfulness.

“And what, Bhikkhus, is the faculty of concentration? Here, Bhikkhus, the noble disciple gains concentration, gains onepointedness of mind, having made release the object. This is called the faculty of concentration.

“And what, Bhikkhus, is the faculty of wisdom? Here, Bhikkhus, the noble disciple is wise; he possesses wisdom directed to arising and passing away, which is noble and penetrative, leading to the complete destruction of suffering. This is called the faculty of wisdom.

“These, Bhikkhus, are the five faculties.”

12 (2) In Brief (1)

“Bhikkhus, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. These are the five faculties.

“One who has completed and fulfilled these five faculties is an arahant. If they are weaker than that, one is a nonreturner; if still weaker, a once-returner; if still weaker, a stream-enterer; if still weaker, a Dhamma-follower; if still weaker, a faith-follower.”

13 (3) In Brief (2)

“Bhikkhus, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. These are the five faculties.

“One who has completed and fulfilled these five faculties is an arahant. If they are weaker than that, one is a nonreturner … a once-returner … a stream-enterer … a Dhamma-follower … a faith-follower.

“Thus, Bhikkhus, due to a difference in the faculties there is a difference in the fruits; due to a difference in the fruits there is a difference among persons.”

14 (4) In Brief (3)

“Bhikkhus, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. These are the five faculties.

“One who has completed and fulfilled these five faculties is an arahant. If they are weaker than that, one is … a faith-follower.

“Thus, Bhikkhus, one who activates them fully succeeds fully; one who activates them partly succeeds partly. The five faculties, Bhikkhus, are not barren, so I say.”

15 (5) In Detail (1)

“Bhikkhus, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. These are the five faculties.

“One who has completed and fulfilled these five faculties is an arahant. If they are weaker than that, one is an attainer of Nibbāna in the interval; if still weaker, an attainer of Nibbāna upon landing; if still weaker, an attainer of Nibbāna without exertion; if still weaker, an attainer of Nibbāna with exertion; if still weaker, one who is bound upstream, heading towards the Akaniṭṭha realm; if still weaker, a once-returner; if still weaker, a stream-enterer; if still weaker, a Dhamma-follower; if still weaker, a faith-follower.”

16 (6) In Detail (2)

“Bhikkhus, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. These are the five faculties.

“One who has completed and fulfilled these five faculties is an arahant. If they are weaker than that, one is an attainer of Nibbāna in the interval … (as in §15) … if still weaker, a faith-follower.

“Thus, Bhikkhus, due to a difference in the faculties there is a difference in the fruits; due to a difference in the fruits there is a difference among persons.”

17 (7) In Detail (3)

“Bhikkhus, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. These are the five faculties.

“One who has completed and fulfilled these five faculties is an arahant. If they are weaker than that, one is an attainer of Nibbāna in the interval … (as in §15) … if still weaker, a faith-follower.

“Thus, Bhikkhus, one who activates them fully succeeds fully; one who activates them partly succeeds partly. The five faculties, Bhikkhus, are not barren, so I say.”

18 (8) Practising

“Bhikkhus, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. These are the five faculties.

“One who has completed and fulfilled these five faculties is an arahant. If they are weaker than that, one is practising for the realization of the fruit of arahantship; if still weaker, one is a nonreturner; if still weaker, one is practising for the realization of the fruit of nonreturning; if still weaker, one is a once-returner; if still weaker, one is practising for the realization of the fruit of oncereturning; if still weaker, one is a stream-enterer; if still weaker, one is practising for the realization of the fruit of stream-entry.

“But, Bhikkhus, I say that one in whom these five faculties are completely and totally absent is ‘an outsider, one who stands in the faction of worldlings.’”

19 (9) Equipped

Then a certain Bhikkhu approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and said to him:

“Venerable sir, it is said, ‘one equipped with faculties, one equipped with faculties.’ In what way, venerable sir, is one equipped with faculties?”

“Here, Bhikkhu, a Bhikkhu develops the faculty of faith, which leads to peace, leads to enlightenment. He develops the faculty of energy … the faculty of mindfulness … the faculty of concentration … the faculty of wisdom, which leads to peace, leads to enlightenment.

“It is in this way, Bhikkhu, that one is equipped with faculties.”

20 (10) Destruction of the Taints

“Bhikkhus, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculty of faith … the faculty of wisdom. These are the five faculties.

“It is, Bhikkhus, because he has developed and cultivated these five faculties that a Bhikkhu, by the destruction of the taints, in this very life enters and dwells in the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, realizing it for himself with direct knowledge.”