The Seven Sets

(This set of seven form the core teachings of the Buddha)

1. The Four Foundations of Mindfulness:

  1. Mindfulness of the body.
  2. Mindfulness of feelings (affective tone: pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings).
  3. Mindfulness of mental objects (thinking, ordinary and higher states of mind).
  4. Mindfulness of the dhammas (the hindrances, the khandhas, the sense spheres, the awakening factors, and the four noble truths).

2. The Four Right Endeavors:

  1. To prevent the arising of un-arisen unwholesome states.
  2. To abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen.
  3. To arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen.
  4. To maintain and perfect wholesome states already arisen.

3. The Four Bases for Power:

  1. Chanda — will or aspiration, satisfaction, and joy in learning.
  2. Virya — diligent energy, cultivating the effort and exertion required.
  3. Citta — attending wholeheartedly to learning with active thoughtfulness.
  4. Vimamsa — investigation and examination, reasoning, and testing for oneself the material being learned.

4. The Five Spiritual Faculties*:

  1. Confidence
  2. Energy
  3. Mindfulness
  4. Concentration
  5. Wisdom

5. The Five Spiritual Powers:

  1. Confidence
  2. Energy
  3. Mindfulness
  4. Concentration
  5. Wisdom

6. The Seven Factors of Enlightenment:

  1. Mindfulness
  2. Investigation
  3. Energy
  4. Rapturous Joy
  5. Tranquility/Serenity
  6. Concentration
  7. Equanimity

7 . The Noble Eightfold Path:

  1. Right view (Right understanding)
  2. Right intention
  3. Right speech
  4. Right action
  5. Right livelihood
  6. Right effort
  7. Right mindfulness
  8. Right concentration

*Note: The five spiritual faculties (indriya) become the five spiritual powers (bala) when they become unshakable, with this particular aspect distinguishing them from the corresponding five spiritual faculties. The five spiritual powers are unshakable by their opposites: (1) the power of confidence is unshakable by doubt; (2) energy, by laziness; (3) mindfulness, by forgetfulness; (4) concentration, by distractedness; and (5) wisdom, by delusion.