The Five Faculties – Putting Wisdom in Charge of the Mind

The Five Faculties with the subtitle Putting Wisdom in Charge of the Mind by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. The Five Faculties are in the Buddhist tradition known as conviction, persistence, mindfulness, concentration, and discernment. These are qualities that the Buddha numbered among his most important teachings. When put in charge of the mind, they lead all the way to awakening. Taken together, they deal primarily with the practice of meditation, which makes them a good framework for a meditation retreat. However, the first faculty—conviction—focuses on questions of self and world: what kinds of happiness you believe you are capable of attaining, along with what kind of happiness you believe can be found in the world. This means that the five faculties also provide an excellent framework for covering the entire practice of the Buddha’s teachings, both on retreat and in the world at large. This book was written in 2017 after a nine-day retreat held by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu with a Buddhist group near Marseilles.

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The Five Faculties