Setting the Wheel of Dhamma �in Motion
(Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, SN 56.11)
By Thanajayo Bhikkhu
Tipitaka (Pali Canon)
Vinaya (8)
Sutta (25)
Abhidhamma (12)
84,000 Discourses
Man’s search for meaning
THUS HAVE I HEARD. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Baranasi in the Deer Park at Isipatana. There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus of the group of five thus:
(Kondanya, Vappa, Bhattiya, Mahanama, and Assaji)
Kondanya
"Bhikkhus, these two extremes should not be followed by one who has gone forth into homelessness. What two? The pursuit of sensual happiness in sensual pleasures, which is low, vulgar, the way of worldlings, ignoble, unbeneficial; and the pursuit of self-mortification, which is painful, ignoble, unbeneficial. Without veering towards either of these extremes, the Tathāgata has awakened to the middle way, which gives rise to vision, which gives rise to knowledge, which leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana.
Asceticism
(Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta)
Sense-pleasures
Self-mortification
The Middle Way
Supra-mundane state
(nibbana)
Mundane State
“It is the Path that making for vision, making for knowledge, which conduces to calming, to super-knowledge,
to awakening, to nibbana”
(SN 56.11)
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The First Teaching
"And what, bhikkhus, is that middle way awakened to by the Tathāgata, which gives rise to vision ... which leads to Nibbana? It is this noble eightfold path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This, bhikkhus, is that middle way awakened to by the Tathāgata, which gives rise to vision, which gives rise to knowledge, which leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana.
"Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.”
Dukkha
"Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to re-becoming, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures (kamma tanha), craving for becoming (Bava Tanha), craving for disbecoming (Vibava Tanha).”
Samudhaya
"Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: it is the remainderless fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, non-reliance on it.”
Nirodha
"Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: it is this noble eightfold path; that is, right view, right intension, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.”
Magga
“This is the noble truth of suffering (Dukkha): thus, bhikkhus, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.”
“This noble truth of suffering is to be fully understood': thus, bhikkhus, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision ... and light.”
“This noble truth of suffering has been fully understood': thus, bhikkhus, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision ... and light.”
Samudhaya
Nirodha
Magga
Three Turnings and Twelve Aspects of The Four Noble Truths
Three Turnings
Four Noble Truths | The insight into the truth
| The insight into the duty to be done
| The insight into accomplishment
|
Dukkha
| The suffering is like this. | Suffering is to be observed and clearly understood. | Suffering has been understood. |
Samudaya
| The cause of suffering is like this. | The cause of suffering is to be abandoned. | The cause of suffering has been abandoned. |
Nirodha | The cessation of suffering is like this. | The cessation of suffering is to be realized. | The cessation of suffering has been realized. |
Magga
| The way to cessation is like this. | The way to cessation of suffering is to be cultivated. | The way to cessation of suffering has been cultivated. |
(1) Understand
(2) Abandon
(3) Realize
(4) Practice
“So long, bhikkhus, as my knowledge and vision of these Four Noble Truths as they really are in their three phases and twelve aspects was not thoroughly purified in this way, I did not claim to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment in this world with its devas, Mara, and Brahma, in this generation with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans. But when my knowledge and vision of these Four Noble Truths as they really are in their three phases and twelve aspects was thoroughly purified in this way, then I claimed to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment in this world with its devas, Mara, and Brahma, in this generation with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans. The knowledge and vision arose in me: ‘Unshakable is the liberation of my mind. This is my last birth. Now there is no more renewed existence.’”
Then the Blessed One uttered this inspired utterance: "Kondanna has indeed understood! Kondanna has indeed understood!" In this way the Venerable Kondanna acquired the name "Anna Kondanna-Kondanna Who has understood."
Sense-pleasures
Self-mortification
The Middle Way
Supra-mundane state
(nibbana)
Mundane State
“It is the Path that making for vision, making for knowledge, which conduces to calming, to super-knowledge, to awakening, to nibbana”
“When my knowledge and vision of these
Four Noble Truths as they really are was thoroughly purified, then I claimed to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment in this world.”
(SN 56.11)
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Summary
In the past, and also now,
I teach suffering and the cessation of suffering.”
SN 22.86, p. 938
Rejoice in your merit