The Cardinal Suttas

Setting in Motion the Wheel of Dhamma

This is the first teaching of the Tathāgata on attaining to unexcelled, perfect enlightenment. Here is the perfect turning of the incomparable wheel of Truth, inestimable wherever it is expounded in the world. Disclosed here are the two extremes, and the Middle Way, with the Four Noble Truths and the purified knowledge and vision pointed out by the Lord of Dhamma. Let us chant together this Sutta proclaiming the supreme, independent enlightenment that is widely renowned as ‘The Turning of the Wheel of the Dhamma.’ Thus have I heard. Once when the Blessed One was staying in the deer sanctuary at Isipatana, near Benares, he spoke to the group of five bhikkhus: ‘These two extremes, bhikkhus, should not be followed by one who has gone forth: sensual indulgence, which is low, coarse, vulgar, ignoble, and unprofitable; and self-torture, which is painful, ignoble, and unprofitable. ‘Bhikkhus, by avoiding these two extremes, the Tathāgata has realized the Middle Way, which gives vision and understanding, which leads to calm, penetration, enlightenment, to Nibbāna. ‘And what, bhikkhus, is the Middle Way realized by the Tathāgata, which gives vision and understanding, which leads to calm, penetration, enlightenment, to Nibbāna? ‘It is just this Noble Eightfold Path, namely: ‘Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. ‘Truly, bhikkhus, this Middle Way understood by the Tathāgata produces vision, produces knowledge, and leads to calm, penetration, enlightenment, to Nibbāna. ‘This, bhikkhus, is the Noble Truth of dukkha: ‘Birth is dukkha, ageing is dukkha, death is dukkha, grief, lamentation, pain, sorrow and despair are dukkha, association with the disliked is dukkha, separation from the liked is dukkha, not to get what one wants is dukkha. In brief, clinging to the five khandhas is dukkha. ‘This, bhikkhus, is the Noble Truth of the cause of dukkha: ‘The craving which causes rebirth and is bound up with pleasure and lust, ever seeking fresh delight, now here, now there; namely, craving for sense pleasure, craving for existence, and craving for annihilation. ‘This, bhikkhus, is the Noble Truth of the cessation of dukkha: ‘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 dukkha: ‘Only this Noble Eightfold Path; namely, Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. ‘With the thought, “This is the Noble Truth of dukkha,” there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before. ‘With the thought, “This is the Noble Truth of dukkha, and this dukkha has to be understood,” there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before. ‘With the thought, “This is the Noble Truth of dukkha, and this dukkha has been understood,” there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before. ‘With the thought, “This is the Noble Truth of the cause of dukkha,” there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before. ‘With the thought, “This is the Noble Truth of the cause of dukkha, and this cause of dukkha has to be abandoned,” there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before. ‘With the thought, “This is the Noble Truth of the cause of dukkha, and this cause of dukkha has been abandoned,” there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before. ‘With the thought, “This is the Noble Truth of the cessation of dukkha,” there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before. ‘With the thought, “This is the Noble Truth of the cessation of dukkha, and this cessation of dukkha has to be realized,” there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before. ‘With the thought, “This is the Noble Truth of the cessation of dukkha, and this cessation of dukkha has been realized,” there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before. ‘With the thought, “This is the Noble Truth of the way leading to the cessation of dukkha,” there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before. ‘With the thought, “This Noble Truth of the way leading to the cessation of dukkha has to be developed,” there arose in me, bhikkhus, vision, knowledge, insight, wisdom, light, concerning things unknown before. ‘With the thought, “This Noble Truth of the way leading to the cessation of dukkha 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 their three phases and twelve aspects, was not fully clear to me, I did not declare to the world of spirits, demons, and gods, with its seekers and sages, celestial and human beings, the realization of incomparable, perfect enlightenment. ‘But when, bhikkhus, my knowledge and vision of reality regarding these Four Noble Truths, in their three phases and twelve aspects, was fully clear to me, I declared to the world of spirits, demons, and gods, with its seekers and sages, celestial and human beings, that I had realized incomparable, perfect enlightenment. ‘Knowledge and vision arose: “Unshakeable is my deliverance; this is the last birth, there will be no more renewal of being.”’ Thus spoke the Blessed One. Glad at heart, the group of five bhikkhus approved of the words of the Blessed One. As this exposition was proceeding, the spotless, immaculate vision of the Dhamma appeared to the Venerable Koṇḍañña and he knew: ‘Everything that has the nature to arise has the nature to cease.’ When the Blessed One had set in motion the Wheel of Dhamma, the Earthbound devas proclaimed with one voice, ‘The incomparable Wheel of Dhamma has been set in motion by the Blessed One in the deer sanctuary at Isipatana, near Benares, and no seeker, brahmin, celestial being, demon, god, or any other being in the world can stop it.’ Having heard what the Earthbound devas said, the devas of the Four Great Kings proclaimed with one voice… Having heard what the devas of the Four Great Kings said, the devas of the Thirty-three proclaimed with one voice… Having heard what the devas of the Thirty-three said, the Yāma devas proclaimed with one voice… Having heard what the Yāma devas said, the Devas of Delight proclaimed with one voice… Having heard what the Devas of Delight said, the Devas Who Delight in Creating, proclaimed with one voice… Having heard what the Devas Who Delight in Creating said, the Devas Who Delight in the Creations of Others proclaimed with one voice… Having heard what the Devas Who Delight in the Creations of Others said, the Brahma gods proclaimed in one voice, ‘The incomparable Wheel of Dhamma has been set in motion by the Blessed One in the deer sanctuary at Isipatana, near Benares, and no seeker, brahmin, celestial being, demon, god, or any other being in the world can stop it.’ Thus in a moment, an instant, a flash, word of the Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dhamma went forth up to the Brahma world, and the ten-thousandfold universal system trembled and quaked and shook, and 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 Aññā-Koṇḍañña: ‘Koṇḍañña Who Understands.’ Thus ends the discourse on Setting in Motion the Wheel of Dhamma.