“He dwells relying upon these five powers of a trainee: the powers of faith, moral shame, fear of wrongdoing, energy, and wisdom. These five faculties are extremely strong in him: the faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. Because of the strength of these five faculties, in this very life he attains Nibbāna through volitional exertion. This is how a person, in this very life, attains Nibbāna through volitional exertion.”
– Anguttara Nikāya
Some roots run deep.
Even strong trees still grow.
The Buddha spoke of one
whose faculties are strong—
yet still applies effort.
“These five faculties are extremely strong…
and in this very life he attains Nibbāna through volitional exertion.”
— Anguttara Nikāya
Faith is firm.
Energy is steady.
Mindfulness does not slip.
Still, he practices.
A sage would say:
Even when the path is clear,
you still walk it.
Strength does not remove effort—
it makes effort precise.
Nothing wasted.
Nothing scattered.
Is your effort scattered—
or does it move in one direction?
Like a river with strong banks,
it flows straight to the sea.