PTS Pali-English dictionary - The Pali Text Society's Pali-English dictionary
Indriya,(nt.) [Vedic indriya adj.only in meaning “belonging to Indra”; nt.strength,might (cp.inda),but in specific pāli sense “belonging to the ruler”,i.e.governing,ruling nt.governing,ruling or controlling principle] A.On term:Indriya is one of the most comprehensive & important categories of Buddhist psychological philosophy & ethics,meaning “controlling principle,directive force,élan,du/namis”,in the foll.applications:(a) with reference to sense-perceptibility “faculty,function”,often wrongly interpreted as “organ”; (b) w.ref.to objective aspects of form and matter “kind,characteristic,determinating principle,sign,mark” (cp.woman-hood,hood = Goth.haidus “kind,form”); (c) w.ref.to moods of sensation and (d) to moral powers or motives controlling action,“principle,controlling” force; (e) w.ref.to cognition & insight “category”.‹-› Definitions of indriya among others at DhsA.119; cp.Expositor 157; Dhs.trsl.LVII; Cpd.228,229. B.Classifications and groups of indriyāni.An exhaustive list comprises the indriyāni enumd under A a-e,thus establishing a canonical scheme of 22 Controlling Powers (bāvīsati indriyāni),running thus at Vbh.122 sq.(see trsl.at Cpd.175,176); and discussed in detail at Vism.491 sq.(a.sensorial) (1) cakkh-undriya (“the eye which is a power”,Cpd.228) the eye or (personal potentiality of) vision,(2) sot-indriya the ear or hearing,(3) ghān° nose or smell,(4) jivh° tongue or taste,(5) kāy° body-sensibility,(6) man°) mind; (b.material) (7) itth° female sex or femininity,(8) puris° male sex or masculinity,(9) jīvit° life or vitality; (c.sensational) (10) sukh° pleasure,(11) dukkh° pain,(12) somanasa° joy,(13) domanass° grief,(14) upekh° hedonic indifference (d.moral) (15) saddh° faith,(16) viriy° energy,(17) sat° mindfulness,(18) samādh° concentration,(19) paññ° reason; (e.cognitional) (20) anaññāta-ñassāmīt° the thought “I shall come to know the unknown”,(21) aññ° (= aññā) gnosis,(22) aññātā-v° one who knows.-- Jīvitindriya (no.9) is in some redactions placed before itth° (no.7),e.g.at Ps.I,7,137.-- From this list are detached several groups,mentioned frequently and in various connections,no.6 manas (mano,man-indriya) wavering in its function,being either included under (a) or (more frequently) omitted,so that the first set (a) is marked off as pañc’indriyāni,the 6th being silently included (see below).This uncertainty regarding manas deserves to be noted.The foll.groups may be mentioned here viz 19 (nos.1--19) at Ps.I,137; 10 (pañca rūpīni & pañca arūpīni) at Nett 69; three groups of five (nos.1~5,10~14,15~19) at D.III,239,cp.278; four (group d without paññā,i.e.nos.15~18) at A.II,141; three (saddh°,samādh°,paññ°,i.e.nos.15,18,19) at A.I,118 sq.Under aṭṭhavidhaṁ indriya-rūpaṁ (Cpd.159) or rūpaṁ as indriyaṁ “form which is faculty” Dhs.661 (cp.trsl.p.204) are understood the 5 sensitives (nos.1~5),the 2 séx-states (nos.7,8) and the vital force (no.9),i.e.groups a & b of enumn.; discussed & defined in detail at Dhs.709~717,971~973.-- It is often to be guessed from the context only,which of the sets of 5 indriyāni (usually either group a or d) is meant.These detached groups are classed as below under C.f.-- Note.This system of 22 indriyāni reflects a revised & more elaborate form of the 25 (or 23) categories of the Sāṅkhya philosophy,with its 10 elements,10 indri,īni & the isolated position of manas.
C.Material in detail (grouped according to A a-e) (a) sensorial:(mentioned or referred to as set of 5 viz B.nos.1~5):M.I,295:S.III,46 (pañcannaṁ °ānaṁ avak kanti),225; IV,168; A.II,151 (as set of 6,viz.B.nos.1--6):M.I,9; S.IV,176; V,74,205,230; A.I,113; II,16,39,152; III,99,163,387 sq.; V,348.Specially referring to restraint & control of the senses in foll.phrases:in driyāni saṁvutāni S.II,231,271; IV,112; pañcasu °esu saṁvuto Sn.340 (= lakkhaṇato pana chaṭṭhaṁ pi vuttaṁ yeva hoti,i.e.the 6th as manas included,SnA 343); °esu susaṁvuta Th.2,196 (= mana-chaṭṭhesu i° suṭṭhu saṁvutā ThA.168) indriyesu guttadvāra & guttadvāratā D.III,107; S.II,218; IV,103,112,175; A.I,25,94,113; II,39; III,70,138,173,199,449 sq.; IV,25,166; V,134; It.23,24; Nd1 14; Vbh.248,360; DA.I,182 (= manachaṭṭesu indriyesu pihita-dvāro hoti),i.vippasannāni S.II,275; III,2,235; IV,294; V,301; A.I,181; III,380.°ānaṁ samatā (v.l.samatha) A.III,375 sq.(see also f.below) °āni bhāvitāni Sn.516 (= cakkh’ādīni cha i.SnA 426); Nd2 475 B8.-- Various:S.I,26 (rakkhati),48 (°ûpasame rato); IV,40,140 (°sampanna); V,216,217 sq.(independent in function,mano as referee); Ps.I.190 (man°); Vbh.13 (rūpa),341 (mud° & tikkh°) 384 (ahīn°).-- (b) physical:(above B 7--9) all three:S.V,204; Vism.447; itthi° & purisa° A.IV,57; Vbh.122,415 sq.; puris° A.III,404; jīvit° Vbh.123,137; Vism.230 (°upaccheda = maraṇa).See also under itthi,jīvita & purisa.-- (c) sensational (above B 10--14):S.V,207 sq.(see Cpd.111 & cp.p.15),211 sq.; Vbh.15,71; Nett 88.-- (d) moral (above B 15‹-› 19):S.III,96,153; IV,36,365 sq.; V,193 sq.,202,219 (corresponding to pañcabalāni),220 sq.(and amata),223 sq.(their culture brings assurance of no rebirth),227 sq.(paññā the chief one),235,237 (sevenfold fruit of),A.IV,125 sq.,203,225; V,56,175; Ps.II,49,51 sq.,86; Nd1 14; Nd2 628 (sat° + satibala); Kvu 589; Vbh.341; Nett 15,28,47,54.Often in standard combn. with satipaṭṭhāna,sammappadhāna.iddhipāda,indriya,bala,bojjhaṅga,magga (see Nd2 s.v.p.263) D.II,120; Vin.III,93,Ps.II,166 & passim.As set of 4 indriyāni (nos.16‹-› 19) at Nett 83.-- (e) cognitional (above B 20--22) D.III,219 = S v.204 (as peculiar to Arahantship); It.53; Ps.I,115; II,30.-- (f) collectively,either two or more of groups a-e,also var.peculiar uses:personal; esp.physical faculties.S.I,61 (pākat°),204 (id.); III,207 (ākāsaṁ °āni saṅkamanti); IV,294 (vipari-bhinnāni); A.III,441 (°ānaṁ avekallatā).magic power A.IV,264 sq.(okkhipati °āni).indriyānaṁ paripāko (moral or physical) over-ripeness of faculties S.II,2,42; A.V,203; Nd2 252 (in def.of jarā); Vbh.137.moral forces Vin.I,183 (°ānaṁ samatā,+ viriyānaṁ s.as sign of Arahant); II,240 (pañc°).principle of life ekindriyaṁ jīvaṁ Vin.III,156; Miln.259.heart or seat of feeling in phrase °āni paricāreti to satisfy one’s heart PvA.16,58,77.obligation,duty,vow in phrase °āni bhinditvā breaking one’s vow J.II,274; IV,190.
E.As adj.(-°) having one’s senses,mind or heart as such & such S.I,138 (tikkh° & mud°); III,93 (pākat°); V,269 (id.); A.I,70 (id) & passim (id.); A.I,70 (saṁvut°) 266 (id.),236 (gutt°); II,6 (samāhit°); 8n 214 (susamāhit° his senses well-composed); PvA.70 (pīṇit° joyful or gladdened of heart).
F.Some compounds:--gutta one who restrains & watches his senses S.I,154; Dh.375.--gutti keeping watch over the senses,self-restraint DhA.IV,111.a paropariya,b paropariyatta &c paropariyatti (°ñāṇa) (knowledge of) what goes on in the senses and intentions of others a J.I,78; b A.V,34,38; b Ps.I,121 sq.,133 sq.; II,158,175; b Vbh.340,342; c S.V,205; c Nett 101.See remark under paropariya.--bhāvanā cultivation of the (five,see above Cd) moral qualities Vin.I,294 (+ balabhāvanā); M.III,298.--saṁvara restraint or subjugation of the senses D.II,281; M.I,269,346; S.I,54; A.III,360; IV,99; V,113 sq.,136,206; Nd1 483; Nett 27,121 sq; Vism.20 sq.(Page 121)
Concise Pali-English Dictionary by A.P. Buddhadatta Mahathera
indriya:'faculties',is a name for 22,partly physical,partly mental,phenomena often treated in the Suttas as well as in the Abhidhamma.They are:
6 Bases (āyatana,q.v.):
1.eye:cakkhu
2.ear:sota
3.nose:ghāna
4.tongue:jivhā
5.body:kāya
6.mind:mano
Sex (bhava,q.v.):
7.femininity:itthi
8.masculinity:purisa
9.vitality:jīvita
5 Feelings (vedanā,q.v.):
10.bodily pleasant feeling:sukha
11.bodily pain:dukkha
12.gladness:somanassa
13.sadness:domanassa
14.indifference:upekkhā
5 Spiritual Faculties (s.bala):
15.faith:saddhā
16.energy:viriya
17.mindfulness:sati
18.concentration:samādhi
19.wisdom:paññā
3 Supermundane Faculties:
20.the assurance:'I shall know what I did not yet know!':aññātañ-ñassāmītindriya
21.the faculty of highest knowledge:aññindriya
22.the faculty of him who knows:aññātāvindriya.
(1-5,7-8) are physical; (9) is either physical or mental.All the rest are mental.- (14) (s.upekkhā) is here merely indifferent feeling (= adukkha-m-asukhā vedanā,i.e.'neither pleasant nor unpleasant feeling') and not identical with that highly ethical state of equanimity (= tatramajjhattatā,i.e.'keeping everywhere the middle',the equipoise of mind),also called upekkhā which belongs to the group of mental formations (saṅkhāra-kkhandha; s.Tab II).- (20) arises at the moment of entering the Sotāpatti-Path (Sotāpatti-magga),(21) on reaching the Sotāpatti-Fruition (Sotāpatti-phala),(22) at attaining the Arahat-Fruition (Arahatta-phala).For the three last,s.ariya-puggala.
The faculties,excepting (7) and (8),form one of the 24 conditions (paccaya 16,q.v.).
In Vibh.V all these faculties are treated in the above order,whereas S.XLVIII enumerates and explains them by way of the above indicated groups,leaving only 20-22 unexplained.See Vis XVI; Path 138ff.- For the 5 spiritual faculties (15-19),s.The Way of Wisdom (WHEEL 65/66).