Abstract

This thesis has three objectives: to study Pan͂n͂indriya (the Five Faculties) appears in the Theravāda Buddhist doctrines, to study the practice of Satipaṭṭhāna: foundations of mindfulness taught in the Theravāda Buddhist scripture and to study how to develop the Five Faculties for Satipaṭṭhāna practice. Clarified and analyzed data are taken from the Theravāda Buddhist scriptures namely, the Tipitaka, Aṭṭhakathā (Buddhist commentaries), Ṭīkā (Sub-commentaries) and other related scriptures such as the Visuddhimagga then composed, explained in details and verified by Buddhist scholars.

The study found that Paññindriya or the Faculties consist of (1) Saddhā: confidence, (2) Viriya: energy or effort, (3) Sati: mindfulness, (4) Samādhi: concentration and (5) Paññā: wisdom or understanding. These faculties are important because they support meditators in the foundations of mindfulness practice so that practitioners perceive thoroughly the Three Characteristics and the Four Noble Truths, which will lead them to total extinction of all sufferings.

                     Satipaṭṭhāna: foundations of mindfulness practice means to be aware in all four bases. That is, to be mindful in the bases namely: Kāyānupassanā (contemplation of the body), Vedanānupassanā (contemplation of feelings), Cittānupassanā (contemplation of mind) and Dhammānupassanā (contemplation of mind-objects). In doing so practitioners have to develop all five faculties so that they are well-equiped with consciousness that they can comprehend more and more thorough of the rising and falling of all Three Characteristics. This comprehensibility then equip practitioners with wisdom that they can understand the Four Noble Truths, which then leads them to obtain the highest goal, the Nibbāna.