Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta:
Setting in Motion the Wheel of Truth at Varanasi, in the Game Refuge at Isipatana, the Blessed One has set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by
priest or contemplative, deva, Mara or anyone in the cosmos. Thus at that very moment, at that instant, the cry (that the Wheel of Truth is set in motion) spread as far as Brahma realm, the system of ten
thousand worlds trembled and quaked and shook. A boundless sublime radiance surpassing the effulgence (power) of devas appeared in the world.
Thus have I heard,
Once when the Blessed One was staying in the pleasance of Isipatana, the deer
sanctuary near Benares, he spoke to the group of five bhikkhus:
“These two extremes, bhikkhus, should not be followed by one who has gone forth
from worldly life: sensual indulgence, low, coarse, vulgar, ignoble, unprofitable, and
self-torture, painful, ignoble, unprofitable.
Bhikkhus, the middle way, understood by the Tathāgata, after he had avoided the
extremes, produces vision, produces knowledge, and leads to calm, penetration,
enlightenment, nibbāna.
What middle way, bhikkhus, understood by the Tathāgata, produces vision,
produces knowledge and leads to calm. penetration, enlightenment, nibbāna ?
Only this noble eightfold path, namely,
right understanding—Sammā Diṭṭhi
right thought—Sammā Saṅkappa
right speech—Samma Vācā
right action—Sammā Kammanta
right livelihood—Sammā Ājīva
right effort—Samma Vāyāma
right mindfulness—Samma Sati
right concentration—Samma Samādhi
Truly bhikkhus, this middle way understood by the Tathāgata produces vision,
produces knowledge, and leads to calm, penetration, enlightenment, nibbāna.
This, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of ill: birth is ill, decay is ill, disease is ill, death is
ill, association with the unloved is ill, separation from the loved is ill, not to get what
one wants is ill, in short the five aggregates of grasping are ill.
This, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the source of ill: the craving which causes
rebirth is accompanied by passionate pleasure, and takes delight in this and that object,
namely sensuous craving, craving for existence and craving for annihilation.
This, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the cessation of ill (nibbāna): the complete cessation,
giving up, abandonment of that craving, complete release from that craving and
complete detachment from it.
This, bhikkhus is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of ill (noble eightfold path); only this
noble eightfold path namely, right understanding, right thought, right speech, right
action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.
1. With the thought: “This is the noble truth of ill”, there arose in me, bhikkhus,
vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before.
2. With the thought, “This is the noble truth of ill, and this ill has been understood,”
there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, fight, concerning
things unknown before.
3. With the thought, “This is the noble truth of ill, and this ill has been understood”,
there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning
things unknown before.
4. With the thought, “This is the noble truth of the source of ill”, there arose in me,
bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown
before.
5. With the thought, “This is the noble truth of the source of ill, and this source of ill
has to be abandoned”, there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight,
wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before.
6. With the thought, “This is the noble truth of the source of ill, and this source of ill
has been abandoned”, there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom,
light, concerning things unknown before.
7. With the thought, “This is the noble truth of the cessation of ill”, there arose in me
bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown
before.
8. With the thought, “This is the noble truth of the cessation of ill, and this cessation of
ill has to be realised”, there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom,
light, concerning things unknown before.
9. With the thought, “This is the noble truth of ill, and this cessation of ill has been
realised”, there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light,
concerning things unknown before.
10. With the thought, “This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of ill”,
there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning
things unknown before.
11. With the thought, “This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of ill,
and this way has to be developed”, there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge,
insight, wisdom light, concerning things unknown before.
12. With the thought, This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of ill,
and this way has been developed”, there arose in me bhikkhus, vision, knowledge,
insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before.
So long, bhikkhus, as my knowledge, and vision of reality regarding these four
noble truths, in three phases and twelve ways, was not fully clear to me, I did not
declare to the world with its devas and māras, to the mass of beings with its devas and
humans, that I understood incomparable, perfect enlightenment.
But when, bhikkhus, as my knowledge, and vision of reality regarding these four
noble truths, in three phases and twelve ways, was fully clear to me, I declared to the
world with its devas and māras, to the mass of beings with its devas and humans that I
understood incomparable, perfect enlightenment.
Knowledge and vision arose in me. Unshakable is the deliverance of my mind; this
is the last birth, now there will be no birth.
Thus spoke the Blessed One and the group of five bhikkhus glad at heart approved
of the words of the Blessed One.
As this exposition was proceeding the passionfree stainless view of truth appeared
to the Venerable Koṇḍañña, and he knew “Everything that has the nature of arising,
has the nature of ceasing”.
When the Blessed One set in motion the Wheel of Dhamma, the Bhummattha devas
proclaimed with one voice “The incomparable Wheel of Dhamma is turned by the
Blessed One at Isipatana, the deer sanctuary near Benares, and no recluse, brahmin,
deva, mara, brahma, or other being in the world can stop it”.
The Cātummahārājika devas having heard what the Bhummattha devas said,
proclaimed with one voice, “The incomparable Wheel of Dhamma is turned by the
Blessed One at Isipatana, the deer sanctuary near Benares, and no recluse, brahmin,
deva, mara, brahma, or other being in the world can stop it”.
This utterance was echoed and re-echoed in the upper realms and from
Cātummahārājika, it was proclaimed in Tāvatiṃsa, Yāma, thence to Tusita,
Nimmānaratī and to Paranimmitavasavattī. The Brahmakāyika devas, having heard
what the Paranimmitavasavattī devas said, proclaimed in one voice, “The incomparable
Wheel of Dhamma is turned by the Blessed One at Isipatana, the deer sanctuary near
Benares, and no recluse, brahmin, deva, māra, brahmā, or other being in the world can
stop it.”
Thus in a moment, an instant, a flash, word of the Turning of the Wheel of Dhamma
went forth up to the World of Brahmā and the system of ten thousand worlds trembled
and quaked and shook.
A boundless, sublime radiance, surpassing the power of devas, appeared on earth.
Then the Blessed One made the utterance, “Truly Koṇḍañña has understood,
Koṇḍañña has understood.”
Thus it was that the Venerable Koṇḍañña got the name Koṇḍañña the wise.