The Buddha describes the five powers of a trainee—faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom—that support a mendicant on the path.

AN 5.1 In Brief

Evaṁ me sutaṁ ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: “bhikkhavo”ti.

“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

“Pañcimāni, bhikkhave, sekhabalāni. Katamāni pañca? Saddhābalaṁ, hirībalaṁ, ottappabalaṁ, vīriyabalaṁ, paññābalaṁ imāni kho, bhikkhave, pañca sekhabalāni.

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ: ‘saddhābalena samannāgatā bhavissāma sekhabalena, hirībalena samannāgatā bhavissāma sekhabalena, ottappabalena samannāgatā bhavissāma sekhabalena, vīriyabalena samannāgatā bhavissāma sekhabalena, paññābalena samannāgatā bhavissāma sekhabalenā’ti. Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.

Idamavoca bhagavā. Attamanā te bhikkhū bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandunti.

Paṭhamaṁ.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

Evaṁ me sutaṁ

So I have heard.

ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:

There the Buddha addressed the mendicants,

“bhikkhavo”ti.

“Mendicants!”

“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.

“Venerable sir,” they replied.

Bhagavā etadavoca:

The Buddha said this:

“Pañcimāni, bhikkhave, sekhabalāni.

“Mendicants, there are these five powers of a trainee.

Katamāni pañca?

What five?

Saddhābalaṁ, hirībalaṁ, ottappabalaṁ, vīriyabalaṁ, paññābalaṁ

The powers of faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom.

imāni kho, bhikkhave, pañca sekhabalāni.

These are the five powers of a trainee.

Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, evaṁ sikkhitabbaṁ:

So you should train like this:

‘saddhābalena samannāgatā bhavissāma sekhabalena, hirībalena samannāgatā bhavissāma sekhabalena, ottappabalena samannāgatā bhavissāma sekhabalena, vīriyabalena samannāgatā bhavissāma sekhabalena, paññābalena samannāgatā bhavissāma sekhabalenā’ti.

‘We will have the trainee’s powers of faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom.’

Evañhi vo, bhikkhave, sikkhitabban”ti.

That’s how you should train.”

Idamavoca bhagavā.

That is what the Buddha said.

Attamanā te bhikkhū bhagavato bhāsitaṁ abhinandunti.

Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.

Paṭhamaṁ.

Qualities:

Conscience

Conscience

An inner moral sensitivity that shrinks from wrongdoing out of self-respect and personal integrity. It is the voice within that knows what is beneath one's dignity, guarding conduct through an inward standard of honor.

Also known as: with sense of right and wrong, sense of shame, modesty, (comm) originating from inside
Pāli: hirī
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Faith

Faith

Confidence in the Buddha's awakening and the efficacy of the path. It brightens and steadies the mind, removing doubt and inspiring energy toward wholesome practice. True faith rests on clarity and direct experience rather than mere belief.

Also known as: confidence, trust, belief, conviction, self-assurance
Pāli: saddha, pasanna
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Vigour

Vigour

Energetic effort and resilience in practice. It is the refusal to shrink back, the 'uphill' force that initiates and sustains wholesome actions against the gravity of habit.

Also known as: energy, effort, enthusiasm, zeal, application of will, persistence
Pāli: vīriya
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Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026