The Chapter on Powers of a Trainee
AN 5.1 In Brief Saṁkhittasutta
SO I HAVE HEARD. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, "Mendicants!"
"Venerable sir," they replied. The Buddha said this:
"Mendicants, there are these five powers of a trainee. What five? The powers of faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom. These are the five powers of a trainee.
So you should train like this: 'We will have the trainee's powers of faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom.' That's how you should train."
That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the mendicants approved what the Buddha said.
AN 5.2 In Detail Vitthatasutta
"Mendicants, there are these five powers of a trainee. What five? The powers of faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom.
And what is the power of faith? It's when a noble disciple has faith in the Realized One's awakening: 'That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those who wish to train, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.' This is called the power of faith.
And what is the power of conscience? It's when a noble disciple has a conscience. They're conscientious about bad conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, and conscientious about having any bad, unskillful qualities. This is called the power of conscience.
And what is the power of prudence? It's when a noble disciple is prudent. They're prudent when it comes to bad conduct by way of body, speech, and mind, and prudent when it comes to acquiring any bad, unskillful qualities. This is called the power of prudence.
And what is the power of energy? It's when a noble disciple lives with energy roused up for giving up unskillful qualities and embracing skillful qualities. They're strong, staunchly vigorous, not slacking off when it comes to developing skillful qualities. This is called the power of energy.
And what is the power of wisdom? It's when a noble disciple is wise. They have the wisdom of arising and passing away which is noble, penetrative, and leads to the complete ending of suffering. This is called the power of wisdom. These are the five powers of a trainee.
So you should train like this: 'We will have the trainee's powers of faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom.' That's how you should train."
AN 5.3 Suffering Dukkhasutta
"Mendicants, when a mendicant has five qualities they live unhappily in this very life---with distress, anguish, and fever---and when the body breaks up, after death, they can expect a bad rebirth. What five? It's when a mendicant is faithless, shameless, imprudent, lazy, and witless. When a mendicant has these five qualities they live unhappily in this very life---with distress, anguish, and fever---and when the body breaks up, after death, they can expect a bad rebirth.
When a mendicant has five qualities they live happily in this very life---without distress, distress, or fever---and when the body breaks up, after death, they can expect a good rebirth. What five? It's when a mendicant is faithful, conscientious, prudent, energetic, and wise. When a mendicant has these five qualities they live happily in this very life---without distress, anguish, or fever---and when the body breaks up, after death, they can expect a good rebirth."
AN 5.4 Cast Down Yathābhatasutta
"Mendicants, a mendicant with five qualities is cast down to hell. What five? It's when a mendicant is faithless, shameless, imprudent, lazy, and witless. A mendicant with these five qualities is cast down to hell.
A mendicant with five qualities is raised up to heaven. What five? It's when a mendicant is faithful, conscientious, prudent, energetic, and wise. A mendicant with these five qualities is raised up to heaven."
AN 5.5 Disrobing Sikkhāsutta
"Mendicants, any monk or nun who rejects the training and returns to a lesser life deserves rebuttal and criticism on five legitimate grounds in this very life. What five? 'You had no faith, conscience, prudence, energy, or wisdom regarding skillful qualities.' Any monk or nun who rejects the training and returns to a lesser life deserves rebuttal and criticism on these five legitimate grounds in this very life.
Any monk or nun who lives the full and pure spiritual life in pain and sadness, weeping, with tearful face, deserves praise on five legitimate grounds in this very life. What five? 'You had faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom regarding skillful qualities.' Any monk or nun who lives the full and pure spiritual life in pain and sadness, weeping, with tearful face, deserves praise on these five legitimate grounds in this very life."
AN 5.6 Becoming Samāpattisutta
"Mendicants, you don't become unskillful as long as faith is established in skillful qualities. But when faith vanishes and faithlessness takes over, you become unskillful.
You don't become unskillful as long as conscience ... prudence ... energy ... wisdom is established in skillful qualities.
But when wisdom vanishes and witlessness takes over, you become unskillful."
AN 5.7 Sensual Pleasures Kāmasutta
"Mendicants, sentient beings are mostly charmed by sensual pleasures. When a gentleman has abandoned the scythe and flail and gone forth from the lay life to homelessness, they're qualified to be called 'a faithful renunciate from a good family'. Why is that? Because a youth can get sensual pleasures of this kind or that. Now, all sensual pleasures are just reckoned as 'sensual pleasures', regardless of whether they're inferior, average, or superior.
Suppose there was a little baby boy who, because of his nursemaid's negligence, puts a stick or stone in his mouth. The nursemaid would very quickly notice and try to take it out. If that didn't work, she'd cradle his head with her left hand, and take it out using a hooked finger of her right hand, even if it drew blood. Why is that? I admit she'd know, 'This will distress the child, there's no denying.' Still, it should be done by a nursemaid who wants what's best for him, out of kindness and sympathy. And when the boy has grown up and has enough sense, his nursemaid would not worry about him, thinking: 'The boy can look after himself. He won't be negligent.'
In the same way, I still need to look after a mendicant who hasn't finished developing faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom regarding skillful qualities. But when a mendicant has finished developing faith, conscience, prudence, energy, and wisdom regarding skillful qualities, I need not be concerned, thinking: 'They can look after themselves. They won't be negligent.'"
AN 5.8 Failure Cavanasutta
"Mendicants, a mendicant with five qualities fails, and doesn't establish themselves in the true teaching. What five? A mendicant who is faithless ... shameless ... imprudent ... lazy ... witless fails, and doesn't establish themselves in the true teaching. A mendicant with these five qualities fails, and doesn't establish themselves in the true teaching.
A mendicant with five qualities doesn't fail, and establishes themselves in the true teaching. What five? A mendicant who is faithful ... conscientious ... prudent ... energetic ... wise doesn't fail, and establishes themselves in the true teaching. A mendicant with these five qualities doesn't fail, and establishes themselves in the true teaching."
AN 5.9 Disrespect (1st) Paṭhamaagāravasutta
"Mendicants, a disrespectful and irreverent mendicant with five qualities fails, and doesn't establish themselves in the true teaching. What five? A disrespectful and irreverent mendicant who is faithless ... shameless ... imprudent ... lazy ... witless fails, and doesn't establish themselves in the true teaching. A disrespectful and irreverent mendicant with these five qualities fails, and doesn't establish themselves in the true teaching.
A respectful and reverent mendicant with five qualities doesn't fail, and establishes themselves in the true teaching. What five? A respectful and reverent mendicant who is faithful ... conscientious ... prudent ... energetic ... wise doesn't fail, and establishes themselves in the true teaching. A respectful and reverent mendicant with these five qualities doesn't fail, and establishes themselves in the true teaching."
AN 5.10 Disrespect (2nd) Dutiyaagāravasutta
"Mendicants, a disrespectful and irreverent mendicant with five qualities can't achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training. What five? A disrespectful and irreverent mendicant who is faithless ... shameless ... imprudent ... lazy ... witless can't achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training. A disrespectful and irreverent mendicant with these five qualities can't achieve growth, improvement, or maturity in this teaching and training.
A respectful and reverent mendicant with five qualities can achieve growth, improvement, and maturity in this teaching and training. What five? A respectful and reverent mendicant who is faithful ... conscientious ... prudent ... energetic ... wise can achieve growth, improvement, and maturity in this teaching and training. A respectful and reverent mendicant with these five qualities can achieve growth, improvement, and maturity in this teaching and training."