Thirty-seven qualities conducive to Enlightenment

Thirty-seven qualities conducive to Enlightenment

In the Pali Canon's Bhāvanānuyutta sutta (Mental Development Discourse), the Buddha is recorded as saying:

'Monks, although a monk who does not apply himself to the meditative development of his mind may wish, "Oh, that my mind might be free from the taints by non-clinging!", yet his mind will not be freed. For what reason? "Because he has not developed his mind," one has to say. Not developed it in what? In the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right kinds of striving, the four bases of success, the five spiritual faculties, the five spiritual powers, the seven factors of enlightenment and the Noble Eightfold Path.'

Elsewhere in the Canon, and in numerous places in the āgamas of other early schools, these seven sets of thirty-seven qualities conducive to Enlightenment are enumerated as:

Four frames of reference (satipatthana, S.smṛtyupasthāna) or the four foundations of mindfulness

1) Mindfulness of the body (kayanupassana, S. kayānupasthāna)
2) Mindfulness of feelings (vedananupassana, S. vedanānupasthāna)
3) Mindfulness of consciousness (cittanupassana, S. cittanupasthāna)
4) Mindfulness of mental qualities (dhammanupassana, S. dharmanupasthāna)

Four right exertions (sammappadhana, S. samyakprahṇa)

1) Exertion for the preventing of non-arising of unskillful states to arise
2) Exertion for the abandoning of the already arisen unskillful states
3) Exertion for the arising of skillful states
4) Exertion for the sustaining and increasing of arisen skillful states

Four bases of power (iddhipada, S. ṛddhipāda)

1) Will (chanda, S. chanda)
2) Energy (viriya, S. virya)
3) Consciousness (citta, S. citta)
4) Discrimination (vimamsa or vīmaŋsā, S. mimāṃsā)

Five faculties (indriya, S. indriya)

1) Conviction (saddha, S. śraddā)
2) Energy (viriya, s. virya)
3) Mindfulness (sati, S. smṛti)
4) Concentration (samadhi, S. samādhi)
5) Wisdom (panna, S. prajñā)

Five powers (bala, S. bala)

1) Faith (saddha, S. śraddā)
2) Energy (viriya, S. virya)
3) Mindfulness (sati, S. smṛti)
4) Concentration (samadhi, S. samādhi)
5) Wisdom (panna, S. prajñā)

Seven factors of Enlightenment (bojjhanga, S. bodhiyaṅga)

1) Mindfulness (sati, S. smṛti)
2) Investigation (dhamma vicaya, S. dharmapravicaya)
3) Energy (viriya, S. virya)
4) Joy (pīti, S. prīti)
5) Tranquility (passaddhi, S. praśrabdhi)
6) Concentration (samadhi, S. samādhi)
7) Equanimity (upekkha, S. upekṣā)

Noble Eightfold Path (Ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo, S. Ārya 'ṣṭāṅga mārgaḥ)

1) Right View (samma ditthi, S. samyag-dṛṣṭi)
2) Right Intention (samma sankappa, S. samyak-saṃkalpa)
3) Right Speech (samma vacca, S. samyag-vāc)
4) Right Action (samma kammanta, S. samyak-karmānta)
5) Right Livelihood (samma ajiva, S. samyag-ājīva)
6) Right Energy (samma vayama, S. samyag-vyāyāma)
7) Right Mindfulness (samma sati, S. samyak-smṛti)
8) Right Concentration (samma samadhi, S. samyak-samādhi)