indriya
Indriya: ‘abilities’, is a name for 22, partly physical, partly mental, phenomena often treated in the Suttas as well as in the Abhidhamma. They are:
6 Bases āyatana:
- eye: cakkhu
- ear: sota
- nose: ghāna
- tongue: jivhā
- body: kāya
- mind: mano
Gender bhava:
- femininity: itthi
- masculinity: purisa
- vitality: jīvita
5 Feelings vedanā q. v.
- bodily pleasant feeling: sukha
- bodily pain: dukkha
- gladness: somanassa
- sadness: domanassa
- indifference: upekkhā
5 Spiritual Abilities see: bala
- faith: saddhā
- energy: viriya
- awareness or mindfulness: sati
- concentration: samādhi
- understanding: paññā
3 supra-mundane Abilities
- the assurance: ‘I shall know what I did not yet know!’: aññātañ-ñassāmīt’ indriya
- the ability of highest knowledge: aññindriya
- the ability of him who knows: aññātāvindriya
1-5, 7-8 are physical; 9 is either physical or mental. All the rest are mental. - 14 see: upekkhā is here merely indifferent feeling = adukkha - m - asukhā vedanā i.e. ‘neither pleasant nor unpleasant feeling’ and not identical with that highly ethical state of equanimity = tatramajjhattatā i.e. ‘keeping everywhere the middle’, the equipoise of mind, also called upekkhā which belongs to the group of mental constructions sankhāra - khandha see: Tab II. - 20 arises at the moment of entering the Sotāpatti- path sotāpatti - magga 21 on reaching the Sotāpatti-Fruition sotāpatti - phala 22 at attaining the Arahat-Fruition arahatta - phala For the three last, see: ariya-puggala
The abilities, excepting 7 and 8, form one of the 24 conditions paccaya 6.
In Vibh. V all these abilities are treated in the above order, whereas see: XLVIII enumerates and explains them by way of the above indicated groups, leaving only 20-22 unexplained. See Vis XVI; path 138ff. - For the 5 spiritual abilities 15-19, see: The Way of Wisdom WHEEL 65/66.