4.1. The Meaning of Indriya (Faculties)

This is indicated by Ven. Buddhaghosa by reference to the derivation of the word indriya from inda (Skt. indra) meaning lord. Thus, indriya means lordship, sovereignty; it is the ability to make all that is connected with it to follow it in their own career.

The world explanation of the term indriya is: “indassa kammaṃ indriyaṃ”. This means the act of ruling, or of controlling, by rulers. “The act of ruling by rulers” means that whatever the ruler rules, nobody can go against him.

Vasubandhu says that the explanation of indriya in the Abhidharmakośa:

What is the meaning of indriya? The root idi is used with regard to supreme lordship. They are indriyas in that they exercise control over something. Thus the meaning of indriya is over-lordship.^[1]

According to the Vibhaṅga commentary each indriya ‘carries out the purpose of a ruler’ (indaṭṭhhaṃ kāreti) with regard to its particular realm.^[2] Thus in the case of the five faculties indriyas, saddhindriya carries out the purpose of a ruler in manner, (lakkhaṇe) of adhimokkha or ‘commitment’; vīriyindriya in the manner of paggaha or ‘taking on’; satindriya in the manner of upaṭṭhāna or ‘standing near’; samādhinriya in the manner of avikkhepa or ‘non-distraction’; paññindriya in the manner of dassan ‘seeing’.

In Pāli and Sanskrit, the word indriya refers to the sense-organs, powers or faculties of a human being. This concept is common in Indian thought in its generality. In fact, the word indriya is derived from Indra (Pāli, Inda), the chief of the Vedic gods, the thunderbolt bearer (vajra, dhara). Among his numerous mighty deeds is the slaying of the dragon Vṛtra.

An indriya, then, might be basically thought of as anything that has something of the quality of the mighty god Indra. Thus in its application to a variety of categories in different systems of Indian thought, an indriya should be understood as an item or faculty that is seen as exercising some kind of power, force, influence or control over whatever is its domain; “(controlling) faculty” seems a more or less apt translation.

In Indian literature, the word indriya usually refers the five physical sense organs, namely, the eye, ear, nose, tongue and body. Sometimes, a sixth—the mind—is added. The various schools of Indian thought, including Buddhism, each had their own list of indriya items beyond these common six.

The faculties are factors that exercise control in their respective domains, while the powers are the same factors considered as being unshakable by their opposites. Thus, the five faculties exercise control in the respective spheres of resolution (abhimokkha), exertion (paggaha), awareness (upaṭṭhāna), non-distraction (avikkhepa), and discernment (dassana); in doing so, they help to overcome their opposites—indecision, laziness, negligence, agitation, and delusion. The faculties are not the powers of phenomena, but phenomena which are powers.

Indriya, faculties or controlling factors, a name given in the Buddhist texts twenty-two phenomena which perform particular functions in the mundane and supra-mundane life of individuals. The phenomena occur in other classifications found in the Abhidhamma, and there are treated from different standpoints. In this classification, their indriya aspect is brought out.

The twenty-two faculties may be classified, on the basis of their nature, into five groups: namely, (1) perceptual; (2) physical; (3) sensetional; (4) spiritual and (5) supramundane.

(1). The first group consists of the six sense-faculties, namely that of

1. cakkhundriya—the eye,
2. sotindriya—the ear,
3. ghānindriya—the nose,
4. jivhindriya—the tongue,
5. kāyindriya—the body,
6. manindriya—the mind, which constitute the so-called personality (attabhāva).

(2) The next group consists of the three material qualities:

7. itthindriya—femininity
8. purisindriya—masculinity
9. jīvitindriya—vitality; the first two material qualities designate as bhāvarūpa^[3] determine the sex of the individual whereas the third gives life to lt.

Out of the nine indriyas consisting of the perceptual (6) and physical (3), only the mind is psychological while others are materials (indriyarūpa).^[4] The first five together with the sixth regulate or control the five sense; the seventh and the eighth control the primary and secondary characters of either sex and the ninth keeps the coexistent qualities of body from decay. With these nine indriyas the living being, the so-called individual, is complete and is in position to communicate with the external world and to react to external stimuli.

(3). The third group consisting of five kinds of sensations, namely;

10. sukhindriya—bodily pleasurable feeling,
11. dukkhindriya—bodily painful feeling,
12. somanassindriya—mental pleasurable feeling,
13. domanassindriya—mental painful feeling,
14. upekkhindriya—indifference, explains the different reactions of the personality to external stimuli.

Thus these three groups, consisting of fourteen indriya faculties may be considered as sentient existence (saṃsāra).

(4). The fourth group, consisting of five faculties, namely,

15. saddhindriya—faith
16. viriyindriya—effort
17. satindriya—mindfulness
18. samādhindriya—concentration
19. paññindriya—wisdom, constitutes attributes of the path leading to release from sentient existence, i.e., emancipation.

These faculties may, therefore, correctly be described as ethical or spiritual faculties.

(5) The last group consisting of three faculties, namely, the assurance;

20. anaññtaññassāmītindriya—the assurance, “I shall know what I did not know!”,
21. aññindriya—highest knowledge,
22. aññātāvindriya—the one who knows [who has perfect knowledge, is the fruit of path described as the five spiritual faculties under the fourth group.^[5]

The individual is free to make his own choice between good and back. The discrimination between good and bad and the correct and path avoiding bad and cultivating good are discussed under five items called the spiritual facilities. They are saddhindriya—faith, vīriyindriya—effort, satindriya-mindfulness, samādhindriya-concentration and panindriya—wisdom.^[6]

In the Āpaṇa sutta, Ven. Sāriputta, in response to the Buddha’s question, answers confirming the importance of the five spiritual faculties in mental concentration and liberation:

It is indeed to be expected, venerable sir, that a faithful noble disciple whose energy is roused and whose mindfulness is established that, having made relinquishment the support, he will gain samādhi, he will gain one-pointedness of mind.^[7]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Abhidhānappadipikā, p. 38

[2]:

Vibh-a, p. 125

[3]:

Abhis, p. 27

[4]:

Abhis, p. 28

[5]:

Vism, p. 482

[6]:

SN V, p. 193

[7]:

SN V, p. 225