Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal: The First Sutra: Turning the True Wheel

Saturday, January 1, 2022

The First Sutra: Turning the True Wheel

Javier Fernandez Vina; Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly, based on Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans.), Saṁyutta Nikāya, Connected Discourses (56.11); Ven. Sujato (trans.) Pathama Sutta (SuttaCentral)

Setting in Motion the Wheel of the True Doctrine Sutra

A large sangha (spiritual community) will be taught.

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Varaṇasi in the Deer Park at the Resort of Seers (Isipatana). There he addressed the group of five wanderers:

“Meditators, these two extremes should be abandoned by one who has gone forth into the the left-home life of a wandering ascetic. What two?

They are the pursuit of sensual happiness in sensual pleasures, which is low, vulgar, the way of ordinary worldlings, ignoble, unprofitable, on the one hand, and the pursuit of self-mortification, on the other hand, which is painful, ignoble, unprofitable.

Without veering toward either of these extremes, the Tathagata [the Supremely Enlightened One] 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 (full awakening), to nirvana.

“What, meditators, is that Middle Way awakened to by the Tathagata (the Wayfarer), which gives rise to [knowing and seeing, knowledge and vision]…which leads to nirvana?

It is this Ennobling Eightfold Path, that is to say:

right view,
right intention,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right effort,
right mindfulness,
right stillness.

This, meditators, is that Middle Way awakened to by the Tathagata, which gives rise to vision, which gives rise to knowledge, which leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to nirvana.

“Now, meditators, this is the noble truth of suffering (dukkha, disappointment, the painful, that which is incapable of fulfilling, the ill, the woeful):

birth is suffering,
aging is suffering,
illness is suffering,
death is suffering,
union with what is displeasing (contact with the hated) is suffering,
separation from what is pleasing (the loved) is suffering,
to not get what one wants is suffering;
in brief, the Five Aggregates clung to as self are suffering.

“Now, meditators, this is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: It is this craving (thirst, desire, yearning) that leads to renewed existence (rebirth), accompanied by delight and lust, seeking such delight here and there; that is to say, [the threefold craving]

craving for sensual pleasures,
craving for existence, and
craving for nonexistence (annihilation).

“Now, meditators, this is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: It is the remainderless fading away and cessation of that craving, the letting go up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, nonreliance on it.

“Now, meditators, this is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: It is this Ennobling Eightfold Path; that is to say:

right view,
right intention,
right speech,
right action,
right livelihood,
right effort,
right mindfulness,
right stillness.

Look at it in terms of these four truths that enlighten.

“‘This is the noble truth of suffering.’ Meditators, 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.’ Meditators, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.

“‘This noble truth of suffering has been fully understood.’ Meditators in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.

“‘This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering.’ Meditators, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.

“‘This noble truth of the origin of suffering is to be abandoned.’ Meditators, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.

“‘This noble truth of the origin of suffering has been abandoned.’ Meditators, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.

“‘This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering.’ Meditators, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.

“‘This noble truth of the cessation of suffering is to be realized.’ Meditators, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.

“‘This noble truth of the cessation of suffering has been realized.’ Meditators, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.

“‘This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering.’ Meditators, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.

“‘This noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering is to be developed.’ Meditators, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.

“‘This noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering has been developed.’ Meditators, in regard to things unheard before, there arose in me vision, knowledge, wisdom, true knowledge, and light.

“So long, meditators, as my knowing and seeing of these Four Ennobling [Enlightening] Truths as they truly are in their three phases and 12 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, maras, and brahma, in this generation with its wandering ascetics and priests, its [earthly] devas and humans.

“But when my knowing and seeing of these Four Ennobling Truths as they truly are in their three phases and 12 aspects was thoroughly purified in this way, then I claimed to have awakened to the unsurpassed perfect enlightenment in this world with its devas, maras, and brahmas, in this generation with its wandering ascetics and priests, its devas and humans.

“This knowledge and vision arose in me: ‘Unshakable is the liberation of mind. This is the last rebirth. Now there is no more again coming to be (rebecoming, rebirth, renewed existence).’”

This is what the Blessed One said. Elated, the meditators of the group of five delighted in the Blessed One’s words.

Now while this sutra was being uttered, there arose in Kondañña the dust-free, stainless vision of the Dharma: “Whatever is subject to origination is subject to cessation.” [He awakened.]

And when the Wheel of the True Dharma had been set in motion by the Blessed One, the earth-dwelling devas raised a cry:

“At Varaṇasi, in the Deer Park, at the Resort of Seers, this unsurpassed Wheel of the True Doctrine has been set in motion by the Blessed One, which cannot be stopped by any wandering ascetic or priest or deva or a mara or a brahma or by anyone in the world!”

Having heard the cry of the earth-dwelling devas, the devas of the Realm of the Four Great Kings raised a cry:

“At Varaṇasi…this unsurpassed Wheel of the True Doctrine has been set in motion by the Blessed One, which cannot be stopped…by anyone in the world.”

Having heard the cry of the devas of the Realm of the Four Great Kings, the devas of the Realm of the Thirty-Three… the Yama devas … the Tusita [Contented] devas… the Nimmanarati devas… the Paranimmitavasavatti devas… the devas of Brahma’s company raised a cry:

“At Varaṇasi, in the Deer Park, at the Resort of Seers, this unsurpassed Wheel of the True Doctrine has been set in motion by the Blessed One, which cannot be stopped by any wandering ascetic or priests or deva or a mara or a brahma or by anyone in the world.”

Thus at that moment, at that instant, at that second, the cry spread as far as the brahma world, and this 10,000-fold world system shook, quaked, and trembled, and an immeasurable radiant light (glory) appeared in the world system surpassing the divine majesty of the devas [lit., "shining ones"].

Then the Blessed One uttered these inspired words:

“Koṇḍañña has understood! Koṇḍañña has understood!” In this way Venerable Koṇḍañña acquired the name Añña Koṇḍañña — “Koṇḍañña Who Has Understood.”

Ten things to purify

(Numbered Discourses, 10:123, Purified) First. “Meditators, these ten things are not purified and not cleansed apart from the Enlightened One’s training. What are those ten?