This is the Buddha's first discourse after he reached Enlightenment. In this sutta, the Buddha discusses the Middle Way, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths. Media:Example. ... Sutra (सूत्र) in Sanskrit is derived from the verb siv-, meaning to sew (these words, including English to sew and Latinate suture, all derive from PIE *syū-). It literally means a rope or thread, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms... . It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Spiritual enlightenment. ... The Middle Way or Middle Path (Sanskrit Madhyama Marga, Pali Majjhima Magga) is the Buddhist philosophy expounded by Gautama Buddha. ... The Dharma wheel, often used to represent the Noble Eightfold Path The Noble Eightfold Path (Pāli: अरियो अट्ठङ्गीको मग्गो, Ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo; Sanskrit: आर्याष्टाङ्गो मार्गो, Ārya ṣṭāṅga mārgaḥ; Chinese: 八正道, Bāzhèngdào; Japanese: 八正道, Hasshōdō) is, in the Buddhist tradition as taught by the Buddha Śākyamuni, considered to be the... The Four Noble Truths (Pali: Chattari Arya Sachchhani, Chinese: 四聖諦 Sìshèngdì), being among the most fundamental Buddhist teachings, appear many times throughout the most ancient Buddhist texts, the Pali Canon. ...

This sutta is also popularly known simply as the Dhammacakka Sutta or the "Wheel of Dhamma Discourse" (Dhamma, 1997, p. ix).

Source

In Pāli literature, this sutta is contained in the Samyutta Nikaya, chapter 56 ("Saccasamyutta" or "Connected Discourses on the Truths"), sutta number 11. (Thus, a reference to this sutta can be abbreviated as "SN 56:11".) Pāli is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ... Sutra (सूत्र) in Sanskrit is derived from the verb siv-, meaning to sew (these words, including English to sew and Latinate suture, all derive from PIE *syÅ«-). It literally means a rope or thread, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms... The Samyutta Nikaya, the third Nikaya (division) of the Sutta Pitaka of the Tipitaka, contains 2,889 suttas grouped into five sections (vaggas). ... SN can mean: Sam Neill, an Irish-born New Zealand actor, who has starred in films such as Jurassic Park, The Dish, Dead Calm and Death in Brunswick. ...

English Title

"Dhamma" (Pāli) or "Dharma" (Sanskrit) can mean a variety of things depending on its context^[1]; in this context, it refers to the Buddha's teachings or his "truth" that leads to ones liberation from suffering. "Chakka" (Pāli) or "chakra" (Sanskrit) can be translated as "wheel." The "dhammacakka," which can be translated as "Dhamma-Wheel," is a Buddhist symbol referring to Buddha's teaching of the path to enlightenment. "Pavattana" (Pāli) can be translated as "turning" or "rolling" or "setting in motion." The Dharmacakra (Sanskrit) or Dhammacakka (Pāli), Tibetan , Chinese fălún 法轮, Wheel of Dharma is an auspicious Buddhist symbol representing a Buddhas teaching of the path to enlightenment. ... The Dharma wheel, often used to represent the Noble Eightfold Path The Noble Eightfold Path (Pāli: अरियो अट्ठङ्गीको मग्गो, Ariyo aá¹­á¹­haá¹…giko maggo; Sanskrit: आर्याष्टाङ्गो मार्गो, Ä€rya ṣṭāṅga mārgaḥ; Chinese: 八正道, Bāzhèngdào; Japanese: 八正道, Hasshōdō) is, in the Buddhist tradition as taught by the Buddha Śākyamuni, considered to be the...

English translations of this sutta's full title include:

• "Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma" (Bodhi, 2000, pp. 1843-7)
• "Setting in Motion the Wheel of Truth" (Piyadassi, 1999)[3]
• "Setting Rolling the Wheel of Truth" (Ñanamoli, 1993)[4]
• "Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion" (Thanissaro, 1993)[5]
• "Turning the Wheel of Dhamma" (Dhamma, 1997).

Contents

In this discourse, the Buddha addresses five monks^[2] who attended to him just prior to his Enlightenment. ^[3] The Buddha cautions the monks against pursuing either of two extremes: worldly sensual pleasures or painful self-mortification. The Buddha refers to the path that avoids these extremes as the "Middle Way" (majjhimā patipadā). The Middle Way or Middle Path (Sanskrit Madhyama Marga, Pali Majjhima Magga) is the Buddhist philosophy expounded by Gautama Buddha. ...

The Buddha then states that the middle way he awakened to involves pursuing a "Noble Eightfold Path" (ariyo atthangiko maggo) that includes "right" (sammā) understanding, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration. This path leads to vision, knowledge, peace, enlightenment and Nibbana. The Dharma wheel, often used to represent the Noble Eightfold Path The Noble Eightfold Path (Pāli: अरियो अट्ठङ्गीको मग्गो, Ariyo aá¹­á¹­haá¹…giko maggo; Sanskrit: आर्याष्टाङ्गो मार्गो, Ä€rya ṣṭāṅga mārgaḥ; Chinese: 八正道, Bāzhèngdào; Japanese: 八正道, Hasshōdō) is, in the Buddhist tradition as taught by the Buddha Śākyamuni, considered to be the... The following article is about the term Nirvana in the context of Buddhism. ...

The Buddha then identifies the following "Four Noble Truths": The Four Noble Truths (Pali: Chattari Arya Sachchhani, Chinese: 四聖諦 Sìshèngdì), being among the most fundamental Buddhist teachings, appear many times throughout the most ancient Buddhist texts, the Pali Canon. ...

1. Suffering (dukkho) involves birth, aging, illness, death, being with what is displeasing, being separated from what is pleasing, not getting what one wants, and "in brief" the five aggregates-of-clinging (pancupādānakkhandhā).
2. Suffering's origin (dukkhasamudayo) is craving (tanhā) for sensual pleasures, existence and extermination.
3. Suffering's end (dukkhanirodho) comes from the relinquishment of and freedom from this craving.
4. The path leading to suffering's end is the aforementioned Noble Eightfold Path.

These Four Noble Truths should be individually achieved in a threefold manner: the noble truth is recognized, its pursuit envisioned, its attainment fully achieved. The Buddha relays that, once he achieved each of the four truths in this threefold manner, he awakened to unsurpassed perfect "Enlightenment" (anuttaram sammāsambodhim ). Dukkha (Pāli; Sanskrit: duḥkha) is a central concept in Buddhism, the word roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including sorrow, suffering, affliction, pain, anxiety, dissatisfaction, discomfort, anguish, stress, misery, and aversion. ... The skandhas (Sanskrit: Pāli: Khandha; literally: heap or bundle) are the five constituents or aggregates through which the functioning and experience of an individual is created according to Buddhist phenomenology. ... The Sanskrit word Upadana has the following meanings: Buddhism Upadana tranlated from Sanskrit means clinging or grasping and refers to the ninth link in the twelve-linked chain of Dependent Origination (Pratitya-samutpada). ... Taṇhā (Pāli) or Tṛṣṇā (Sanskrit) means thirst, desire, craving, wanting, longing, yearning. Synonyms: æ„› Cn: ài; Jp: ai; Vi: ái Tibetan: The most basic of these meanings (in non-technical language) is thirst, however, in Buddhism it has a technical meaning that is much broader. ... Bodhi, the Pāli and Sanskrit word for awakening or enlightenment, is an abstract noun formed from the verbal root budh (awake, become aware, notice, know or understand), corresponding to the verbs bujjhati (Pāli) and bodhati or budhyate (Sanskrit). ...

While each of the monks listening to the Buddha delighted in his words, one in particular, Ven. Kondanna, understood.

Thus the Dhamma-Wheel had been set unstoppably in motion.

See also

• Dharmacakra
• Enlightenment
• Four Noble Truths
• Middle Way
• Noble Eightfold Path

The Dharmacakra (Sanskrit) or Dhammacakka (Pāli), Tibetan , Chinese fălún 法轮, Wheel of Dharma is an auspicious Buddhist symbol representing a Buddhas teaching of the path to enlightenment. ... . It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Spiritual enlightenment. ... The Four Noble Truths (Pali: Chattari Arya Sachchhani, Chinese: 四聖諦 Sìshèngdì), being among the most fundamental Buddhist teachings, appear many times throughout the most ancient Buddhist texts, the Pali Canon. ... The Middle Way or Middle Path (Sanskrit Madhyama Marga, Pali Majjhima Magga) is the Buddhist philosophy expounded by Gautama Buddha. ... The Dharma wheel, often used to represent the Noble Eightfold Path The Noble Eightfold Path (Pāli: अरियो अट्ठङ्गीको मग्गो, Ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo; Sanskrit: आर्याष्टाङ्गो मार्गो, Ārya ṣṭāṅga mārgaḥ; Chinese: 八正道, Bāzhèngdào; Japanese: 八正道, Hasshōdō) is, in the Buddhist tradition as taught by the Buddha Śākyamuni, considered to be the...

Notes

1. ^ For instance, in the context of the objects of mindfulness, "dhamma" refers to "mental objects" (see, Satipatthana Sutta).
2. ^ While the Pali text refers to the five as "bhikkhus" (which is typically translated as "monks"), there was no Sangha yet and these five individuals believed in practices of severe self-denial (see, for instance, the Mahasaccaka Sutta ["The Longer Discourse to Saccaka," MN 36][1]). Thus, some commentators refer to them as ascetics.
3. ^ Prior to his Enlightenment, these monks became disgusted with and abandoned the bodhisatta (that is, the as-yet-unenlightened-person-who-was-to-become-a-Buddha) because he had accepted solid food to eat (see the Mahasaccaka Sutta ["The Longer Discourse to Saccaka," MN 36][2]).

The Satipaá¹­á¹­hāna Sutta and the Mahāsatipaá¹­á¹­hāna Sutta are two of the most popular works in the Pali canon, embraced by both Theravada and Mahayana practitioners (see, e. ... A Buddhist Monk in Sri Lanka In Pāli, a bhikkhu (male) or bhikkhuni (female) is a fully ordained Buddhist monk. ... Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as association or assembly. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups. ... The Majjhima Nikaya, or Middle-length Discourses of the Buddha, is the second of the five nikayas, or collections, in the Sutta Pitaka of the Tipitaka. ... Samaná is a province of the Dominican Republic. ...

References

• Bodhi, Bhikkhu (trans.) (2000). The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Pubs. ISBN 0-86171-331-1.
• Dhamma, Ven. Dr. Rewata (1997). The First Discourse of the Buddha. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Pubs. ISBN 0-86171-104-1.
• Ñanamoli Thera (trans.) (1993). Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting Rolling the Wheel of Truth. Available on-line at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.nymo.html.
• Piyadassi Thera (trans.) (1999). Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting in Motion the Wheel of Truth. Available on-line at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.piya.html.
• Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1993). Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion. Available on-line at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html.

External links

• Pāli version of the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta