Five paired questions and answers, each naming where one faculty should be seen
Length
<1 minute to read
Northern parallel
No individual parallel confirmed by this project's own check
Significance
★★★★☆ — maps each faculty onto a DIFFERENT fourfold grouping, including this project's own just-completed Satipaṭṭhānasaṃyutta
Why this discourse
This discourse takes yet another approach, structurally distinct from every earlier discourse in this vagga: rather than a shared analytical lens applied to all five faculties together, it asks WHERE each individual faculty should be recognized (daṭṭhabba, “should be seen”), mapping each of the five onto a DIFFERENT fourfold grouping — including, for the faculty of mindfulness, the four kinds of mindfulness meditation this project has just finished translating in full as the Satipaṭṭhānasaṃyutta (SN 47).
Reading guide
Five faculties, five different fourfold homes
Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse maps each faculty onto its own distinct grouping: faith onto the four factors of stream-entry (sotāpattiyaṅga), energy onto the four right efforts (sammappadhāna), mindfulness onto the four kinds of mindfulness meditation (satipaṭṭhāna), immersion onto the four absorptions (jhāna), and wisdom onto the four noble truths (ariyasacca) — five faculties, each with its own separate fourfold home.
A direct link to this project's own completed work
This project's own recently completed Satipaṭṭhāna-saṃyutta (SN 47, all 104 discourses) is confirmed by direct reading to be the very grouping this discourse names for the faculty of mindfulness — giving this brief discourse an unusually direct connection to a body of work this project has already finished in full.
A structural map, not a causal or analytical claim
Confirmed by direct reading, this discourse makes no claim about origin, cessation, gratification, or escape — unlike every earlier discourse in this vagga — it simply LOCATES each faculty within an already-existing fourfold framework, a structural cross-reference rather than an analytical or causal statement.
Key terms
daṭṭhabba — “should be seen, should be recognized” — this discourse's own title term and governing verb
cattāri sotāpattiyaṅgāni — “the four factors of stream-entry” — where the faculty of faith is said to be seen
cattāro sammappadhānā — “the four right efforts” — where the faculty of energy is said to be seen
cattāro satipaṭṭhānā — “the four kinds of mindfulness meditation” — where the faculty of mindfulness is said to be seen, the same grouping this project has already translated in full as the Satipaṭṭhānasaṃyutta
cattāri jhānāni... cattāri ariyasaccāni — “the four absorptions... the four noble truths” — where the faculties of immersion and wisdom are said to be seen, respectively
The text
The complete discourse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Mendicants, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom. And where should the faculty of faith be seen? In the four factors of stream-entry. And where should the faculty of energy be seen? In the four right efforts. And where should the faculty of mindfulness be seen? In the four kinds of mindfulness meditation. And where should the faculty of immersion be seen? In the four absorptions. And where should the faculty of wisdom be seen? In the four noble truths. These are the five faculties.”
· · ·
Self-check quiz
3 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 3
How does this discourse's own structure differ from SN 48.6 and SN 48.7?
Correct: A. A structural map, locating each faculty within an already-existing framework rather than analyzing it causally.
Question 2 of 3
Where does this discourse say the faculty of mindfulness should be seen?
Correct: A. Giving this discourse a direct connection to a body of work this project has already finished in full.
Question 3 of 3
What kind of claim does this discourse make about the five faculties?
Correct: A. Unlike every earlier discourse in this vagga, which made analytical or causal claims.
