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← Saṃyutta Nikāya

Endowed With Faculties

SN 35.154 · Indriyasampannasutta

Delicate frost crystals line a dry grass stem in quiet morning light.

Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha … and asked him, “Sir, they speak of someone who is ‘accomplished in the faculties’. How is someone accomplished in the faculties defined?”

“Mendicant, if someone meditates observing rise and fall in the eye faculty, they grow disillusioned with the eye faculty.

If they meditate observing rise and fall in the ear faculty … nose faculty … tongue faculty … body faculty … mind faculty, they grow disillusioned with the mind faculty.

Being disillusioned, desire fades away. … When they’re freed, they know they’re freed.

They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.’

This is how someone who is accomplished in the faculties is defined.”

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Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.