Five Strengths


The Five Strengths in Buddhism are faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. They are one of the seven sets of "qualities conducive to enlightenment." They are parallel facets of the five "spiritual faculties."

Translation

Pañca means "five." Bala means "power," "strength," "force."

Exegesis

Faith and Wisdom balance each other, as do Energy and Concentration.
The Five Faculties are ‘controlling' faculties because they control or master their opposites.
The faculties and powers are two aspects of the same thing.
  1. Faith/Conviction - controls doubt
  2. Energy/Effort/Persistence – controls laziness
  3. Mindfulness - controls heedlessness
  4. Concentration - controls distraction
  5. Wisdom/Discernment – controls ignorance