Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
| Translations of Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta |
|
|---|---|
| English | Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dharma, Promulgation of the Law Sutra, The First Turning of the Wheel, The Four Noble Truths Sutra |
| Pali | Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta |
| Sanskrit | Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra धर्मचक्रप्रवर्तनसूत्र |
| Chinese | 轉法輪經, 转法轮经 |
| Sinhala | ධම්මචක්ක පවත්තන සූත්රය |
| Thai | |
| Glossary of Buddhism | |
The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (Pali; Sanskrit: Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra; English: The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of the Dharma Sutra or Promulgation of the Law Sutra) is a Buddhist text that is considered to be a record of the first teaching given by Gautama Buddha after he attained enlightenment. According to tradition, the Buddha gave this teaching in Sarnath, India, to the "five ascetics", his former companions with whom he had spent six years practicing austerities. The main topic of this sutra is the Four Noble Truths, which are the central teachings of Buddhism that provide a unifying theme, or conceptual framework, for all of Buddhist thought. This sutra also introduces the Buddhist concepts of the Middle Way, impermanence, and dependent origination.
The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta is said to be the first teaching given by the Buddha after he attained enlightenment. It is taught that the Buddha attained enlightenment while sitting under the Bodhi Tree by the Nerañjarā river in Bodh Gaya, and afterwards, he remained silent for forty-nine days. The Buddha then journeyed from Bodhgaya to Sarnath, a small town near the sacred city of Varanasi in central India. There he met his five former companions, the ascetics with whom he had shared six years of hardship. His former companions were at first suspicious of the Buddha, thinking he had given up his search for the truth when he renounced their ascetic ways. But upon seeing the radiance of the Buddha, they requested him to teach what he had learned. Thereupon the Buddha gave the teaching that was later recorded as the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which introduces the fundamental concepts of Buddhist thought, such as the Middle Way and the Four Noble Truths.
The Buddha addressed his first teaching, or discourse, to his five former companions, who are commonly referred to as the five ascetics. In this discourse, the Buddha addresses the ascetics as bhikkhus, a term which is normally translated as a Buddhist monk. However, Ajahn Sucitto explains that in this context bhikkhus means “alms-mendicants,” those who live on the free-will offerings of others.
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