Bodhipakkhiyādhammā

In Buddhism, bodhipakkhiyā dhammā (Pali, variant spellings include bodhipakkhikā dhammā and bodhapakkhiyā dhammā; Skt.: bodhipaka dharma) are qualities (dhammā) conducive or related to (pakkhiya) Enlightenment or Awakening (bodhi).

In the Pali commentaries, the term bodhipakkhiyā dhammā is applied to seven sets of such qualities regularly mentioned by the Buddha throughout the Pali Canon. Within these seven sets of Enlightenment qualities, there is a total of thirty-seven individual qualities (sattatisa bodhipakkhiyā dhammā).

These seven sets of qualities are recognized by both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists as complementary facets of the Buddhist Path to Enlightenment.

Seven sets of thirty-seven qualities
In the Pali Canon's Bhāvanānuyutta sutta ("Mental Development Discourse," AN 7.67), 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, these seven sets of thirty-seven qualities conducive to Enlightenment are enumerated as:

Four frames of reference (satipatthana)

 * 1) Contemplation of the body (kayanupassana)
 * 2) Contemplation of feelings (vedananupassana)
 * 3) Contemplation of consciousness (cittanupassana)
 * 4) Contemplation of mental qualities (dhammanupassana)

Four right exertions (sammappadhana)

 * 1) Exertion for the non-arising of unskillful states
 * 2) Exertion for the abandoning of unskillful states
 * 3) Exertion for the arising of skillful states
 * 4) Exertion for the sustaining of skillful states

Four bases of power (iddhipada)

 * 1) Zeal (chanda)
 * 2) Energy (viriya)
 * 3) Consciousness (citta)
 * 4) Discrimination (vimamsa or )

Five faculties (indriya)

 * 1) Faith (saddha)
 * 2) Energy (viriya)
 * 3) Mindfulness (sati)
 * 4) Concentration (samadhi)
 * 5) Wisdom (panna)

Five powers (bala)

 * 1) Faith (saddha)
 * 2) Energy (viriya)
 * 3) Mindfulness (sati)
 * 4) Concentration (samadhi)
 * 5) Wisdom (panna)

Seven factors of Enlightenment (bojjhanga)

 * 1) Mindfulness (sati)
 * 2) Investigation (dhamma vicaya)
 * 3) Energy (viriya)
 * 4) Joy (piti)
 * 5) Tranquility (passaddhi)
 * 6) Concentration (samadhi)
 * 7) Equanimity (upekkha)

Noble Eightfold Path ()

 * 1) Right View (samma ditthi)
 * 2) Right Intention (samma sankappa)
 * 3) Right Speech (samma vacca)
 * 4) Right Action (samma kammanta)
 * 5) Right Livelihood (samma ajiva)
 * 6) Right Energy (samma vayama)
 * 7) Right Mindfulness (samma sati)
 * 8) Right Concentration (samma samadhi)

Forty-three qualities
In the Pali Canon's Netti discourses 112 and 237, forty-three bodhipakkhiya dhammas are enumerated which include the aforementoned thirty-seven plus:


 * The three marks of existence:
 * 1) impermanence ()
 * 2) suffering (dukkha)
 * 3) non-self (anatta)
 * abandoning [dukkha] ()
 * absence of desire, arahantship ()
 * destruction [of mental taints], nibbana ()

In the Pali literature
The technical term, bodhipakkhiyā dhammā, explicitly referring to the seven sets of qualities identified above, is first encountered in the Pali commentaries;Regarding the use of the compound Pali term bodhipakkhiyā dhammā in the canonical discourses, based on a search of the Sinhala SLTP tipitaka using the La Trobe University search engine at http://www.chaf.lib.latrobe.edu.au/dcd/pali.htm, the term bodhipakkhiyā dhammā (and its variant spellings and declensions) was found in following nine discourses in the Sutta Pitaka: The Digha Nikaya (DN 27) and Itivuttaka (Iti., 82, 97) discourses each refer to "seven" (satta) factors of enlightenment. In his translation of DN 27, Walshe (1995, pp. 415 para. 30, 605 n. 854) interprets the "seven" to refer to the seven enlightenment factors (satta bojjhagā) described in the Mahasatipatthana Sutta (DN 22). Conversely, in their translations of the Itivuttaka discourses, Ireland (1997) and Thanissaro (2001) interpret the "seven" as referring to the "seven groups of" or "seven [sets of]" factors of enlightenment, respectively. None of these three discourses themselves explicitly identifies which seven factors or sets of factors are being referenced. Moreover, the Anguttara Nikaya (AN 5.56, 6.17, 9.1) discourses neither numerically quantify nor elaborate upon the terms bodhipakkhiyāna dhammāna, bodhapakkhiyāna dhammāna or sambodhipakkhiyānaṃ ... dhammānaṃ (respectively). Uniquely, in the three discourses from the Samyutta Nikaya (48.51, 48.55, 48.57), all three explicitly associate the term bodhipakkhiyā dhammā (and variant spellings) solely with the five faculties (indriya) of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom (Bodhi, 2000, p. 1695). Perhaps summing up the vagueness and apparent inconsistencies in these identified discourses and their translations, in an end note to the Sālā Sutta (SN 48.51) Bodhi (2000, p. 1937 n. 235) comments: "In the commentaries bodhipakkhiyā dhammā is the umbrella term for the seven sets of training factors repeatedly taught by the Buddha, but in the suttas the expression has a more flexible, less technical meaning." Bodhi then refers to Gethin (1992), pp. 289-98, for further discussion. nonetheless, the seven sets of bodhipakkhiya dhammas are themselves first collated, enumerated and referenced in the Sutta Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitaka.
 * 1) DN 27 (Aggañña Sutta)
 * 2) SN 48.51 (Sālā Sutta)
 * 3) SN 48.55 (Sāra Sutta)
 * 4) SN 48.67 (Rukkha Sutta)
 * 5) AN 5.56 (Upajjhāya Sutta)
 * 6) AN 6.17 (Kusala Sutta or Soppa Sutta)
 * 7) AN 9.1 (Sambodhipakkhiya Sutta)
 * 8) Iti. 82 (Devasadda Sutta)
 * 9) Iti. 97 (Kalyāṇasīla Sutta)

Sutta Pitaka
In the Digha Nikaya's famed Maha-parinibbana Sutta (DN 10), which recounts the Buddha's last days, in the Buddha's last address to his assembly of followers he states:
 * "Now, O bhikkhus, I say to you that these teachings of which I have direct knowledge and which I have made known to you — these you should thoroughly learn, cultivate, develop, and frequently practice, that the life of purity may be established and may long endure, for the welfare and happiness of the multitude, out of compassion for the world, for the benefit, well being, and happiness of gods and men.
 * "And what, bhikkhus, are these teachings? They are the four foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four constituents of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path. These, bhikkhus, are the teachings of which I have direct knowledge, which I have made known to you, and which you should thoroughly learn, cultivate, develop, and frequently practice...."

In the Majjhima Nikaya's "Greater Discourse to Sakuludāyin" (MN 77), when asked why his disciples venerated him, the Buddha identified five qualities he possessed: highest virtues (adhisīle ... paramena sīlakkhandha); highest knowledge and vision ; highest wisdom ; his explanation of the Four Noble Truths (ariyasaccāni); and, his identification of numerous ways to develop wholesome states. The Buddha's elaboration of the last item included the seven sets of thirty-seven bodhipakkhiya dhammas which are enumerated individually in this discourse.

In the Samyutta Nikaya, the fifth division's first seven chapters are each devoted to one of the bodhipakkhiya dhammas. While there is a great deal of repetition among these chapters' discourses, these seven chapters include almost 900 discourses.

In the Anguttara Nikaya's "" (AN 5.6.6), the Buddha recommends five things for a monk to overcome spiritual hindrances: control mental faculties; eat the right amount of food; maintain wakefulness; be aware of merit; and, develop the bodhipakkhiya dhammas throughout the day.

In the Khuddaka Nikaya, the bodhipakkhiya dhammas are mentioned at Iti. 82, Th. 900, and Nett. 31, 112, 197, 237, 240 and 261.

Abhidhamma Pitaka
The bodhipakkhiya dhammas are mentioned in several passages of the Abhidhamma, such as at Vbh. sections 571 and 584.

Commentaries
In the Visuddhimagga, Buddhaghosa enumerates the seven sets of bodhipakkhiya dhammas along with a relevant Suttapitaka discourse (Vism. XXII.33), describes each set (Vism. XXII.34-38), and describes their existence in the consciousness of an arahant (Vism. XXII.39-40). In addition, Buddhaghosa factors the 37 qualities in a manner so as to describe fourteen non-redundant qualities (Vism. XXII.40-43); thus, for instance, while nine qualities (zeal, consciousness, joy, tranquility, equanimity, intention, speech, action, livelihood) are mentioned only once in the full list of 37 qualities, the other five qualities are mentioned multiple times. Table 1 below identifies the five qualities spanning multiple bodhipakkhiya-dhamma sets.

In terms of other Pali commentaries, the bodhipakkhiya dhammas are also mentioned in Dhammapada-atthakatha (DhA i.230), Suttanipata-atthakatha (SnA 164), and Jataka-atthakatha (J i.275, iii.290, and v.483).