Turning the wheel of truth[1]

Transcription

1 Reading materials Turning the wheel of truth[1] Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta 1.Thus have I heard; at one time the Buddha was staying at the deer park, in Isipatana (The Sage s Resort)[2] near Varanasi. Two Extremes 2.Then the Buddha said to the five ascetics:- O Bhiikkhus, one who has gone forth from the worldly life should not indulge in these extremes. What are the two? There is indulgence in desirable sense-objects, which is low, vulgar, worldly, ignoble, unworthy and unprofitable; there is devotion to self-mortification [3], which is painful, unworthy and unprofitable. The Middle Path 3.O Bhikkhus! Avoiding both these extremes, the Tathagata[4] has realized the Middle Path; it produces vision, it produces knowledge, and it leads to calm, to higher knowledge, to enlightenment, and to Nibbana. 121

2 4.What is that Middle Path, O Bhikkhus, that the Tathagata has realized? It gives vision, it gives knowledge, and it leads to calm, to higher knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. It is simply the Noble Eightfold Path, namely: Right Understanding [5], Right Thought [6], Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Awareness[7] and Right Concentration. This is the Noble Path realized by the Tathagata, which gives vision, which gives knowledge, and which leads to calm, to higher knowledge, to enlightenment and to Nibbana. Four Noble Truths 5. This is, O Bhikkhus, the Noble Truth of Suffering; birth is suffering, ageing is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering, (sorrow and lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering,) association with the unloved one or unpleasant condition is suffering, separation from the loved one or pleasant condition is suffering, not to get what one wants is suffering - in brief, the five aggregates of attachment are suffering. 6. This is, O Bhiikkhus, the Noble Truth of the Origin of suffering: it is this craving which produced re-birth, bound up with pleasure and greed. It finds fresh delight now here and now there, namely: craving for sense pleasures, craving for existence or becoming and craving for non-existence or self annihilation. 122

3 7. This is, O Bhikkhus, the Noble Truth of the Cessation of suffering. It is complete Cessation of suffering, giving it up, renouncing it, release from it, detachment from it. 8. This is, O Bhikkhus, the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering. It is simply the Noble Eightfold Path, namely: Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Awareness and Right Concentration. Twelve Aspect of Wisdom[8] 9. This is the Noble Truth of Suffering. Thus, O Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the light [9]. 10. This is the Noble Truth of Suffering which should be fully understood. Thus, O Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the light. 11. This is the Noble Truth of Suffering which has been understood. Thus, O Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the light. 123

4 12. This is the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering. Thus, O Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the light. 13. This is the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering which should be abandoned. Thus, O Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the light. 14. This is the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering which has been abandoned. Thus, O Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the light. 15. This is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering. Thus, O Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the light. 16. This is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering which should be realized. Thus, O Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the light. 17. This is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering which has been realized. Thus, O Bhikkhus, concerning 124

5 things unheard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the light. 18. This is the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering. Thus, O Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the light. 19. This is the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering which has to be developed. Thus, O Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the light. 20. This is the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering which has been developed. Thus, O Bhikkhus, concerning things unheard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the light. The Enlightenment Not Yet Claimed[10] 21. As long as, O Bhikkhus, my vision of true knowledge was not fully clear in these three aspects, in these twelve ways, regarding Four Noble Truths, I did not claim to have realized the perfect Enlightenment that is supreme in the world with its gods, with its Maras and Brahmas, in the world with its recluses and brahmanas, with its princes and men. 125

6 22. But when, O Bhikkhus, my vision of true knowledge was fully clear in these three aspects, in these twelve ways, regarding the Four Noble Truths, then I claimed to have realized the perfect Enlightenment that is supreme in the world with its gods, with its Maras and Brahmas, in the world with its recluses and brahmanas, with its princes and men. 23. Indeed, a vision of true knowledge arose in me thus: Deliverance of my mind is unshakeable. This is the last birth. Now there is no more (rebirth) becoming [11]. 24. Thus the Buddha spoke. The group of five Bhikkhus were glad and they applauded at his word. When this doctrine was expounded there arose in the Venerable Kondanna the dustless, stainless eye of the truth and he realized that whatever is subject to causation all that is subject to cessation. 25. When the Buddha expounded the discourse of The turning of the wheel of the Truth, the earth-bound deities exclaimed:- This excellent Wheel of the Truth which could not be expounded by any ascetic, brahmana, god, Mara or Brahma in this world, it has been expounded by the Blessed One at the Deer Park, in Isipatana, near Varanasi. Hearing this, the devas Catu-maharajika, Tavatimsa, Yama, Tussita, Nimmanarati, Paranimmitavasavati, and the Brahmas of Brahma-parisajja, Brahma- 126

7 purohita, Mahabrahma, Parittabha, Appamanabha, Abhassara, Parittasubha, Appamanasubha, Subhakinna, Vehapphala, Aviha, Atappa, Sudassa, Sudassi, and Akanittha, also raised the same joyous cry. Thus, at that very moment, at that very instant, this joyous cry extended as far as the Brahma realm. These ten thousand world systems quaked, tottered and trembled violently[12]. A radiant light surpassing the effulgence of the gods, appeared in the world. 26. Then the Buddha said, friends, Kondanna has indeed understood. Friends, Kondanna has indeed understood. Therefore, the Venerable Kondanna was named Annasi Kondanna[13]. SN.56.11, Translation by Venerable Dr.U Rewata Dhamma, The first Sermon of the Buddha. Notes: [1] In ancient Indian philosophical systems, this is known as wheel (cakka), and hence the title Dhamma-cakka-pavattana,ie: The wheel of truth. For an Arahant who gradually attains the paths and the fruits, he or she must cultivate the wisdom in order to fully understand this knowledge with regard to the four noble truths. 127

8 [2] The Blessed One came to the Deer park near Isipatana at the request made on behalf of the beings in the human and deva world by the Brahma Sahampati, where there are beings who would understand the Buddha s teachings, and urged the Blessed One to turn the Wheel of Dhamma for the benefits of the world. This is recorded in SN VI.1, the Brahma Sahampati said to the Blessed One thus: "Lord, let the Blessed One teach the Dhamma! Let the One-Well-Gone teach the Dhamma! There are beings with little dust in their eyes who are falling away because they do not hear the Dhamma. There will be those who will understand the Dhamma."(Ayacana Sutta, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu) [3] This is the aspirant who engaged in unprofitable form of training, such as the one the Prince Gotama went through for six years. There are many such self-mortification forms of training still exist today in India. Such as not sleeping, standing all the time, squatting all the time, crawling on the ground, eating only grass, eating feces, eating a grain a day, nakedness, not washing the body, not cutting the hairs and keeping them braised or matted, lying on thorn-bed, vegetarianism etc., these various forms of self torturing and mortification the aspirant is in the vain hope of purifying oneself which is of little spiritual value or enhancement. This is caused by the ignorance and self conceit. [4] The perfect one, one who attained to truth. This is one of the titles Buddha used for the enlightenment one. [5] Right understanding is also translated as Right view. [6] Right thought is also translated as Right understanding or Right contemplation. [7] Right awareness is also translated as Right mindfulness. 128

9 [8] Each of these four noble truths has three levels of knowledge, ie: (1)The knowledge that it is the truth(sacca-ñana).(2)the knowledge that the truth should be understood(kicca-ñana).(3)the knowledge that the truth has been understood(kata-ñana); and so there are twelve aspects of wisdom. Mahayana Buddhism emphazies the Bodhisatta ideal, therefore practitioners who attain the paths(magga) and fruits(phala) are very rare, further more due to the Bodhisatta path taking a much longer time (aeons) to attain, many practitioners just resign themselves to the thought that they will never attain it. This is why the Pure-land tradition is so popular in Mahayana countries. The Chinese Chan lineage is of one exception, many practitioners attained the paths and fruits in their lifetime. [9] The vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, the light, these terms are referring to the twelve aspects of wisdom as explained in note [7]. [10] During Buddha s time, there were some disciples who came to his presence and claimed to have attained the Arhantship, and the Blessed One would advise that they had not. Here the Blessed One mentioned his own experience in the training that only when he had fully understood the twelve aspects of the four noble truths, could he claimed to be fully enlightened. [11] Para.23 is referring to higher knowledge. [12] This is the first discourse the Blessed One proclaimed to the world, it shocked the ten thousand world systems as in para.25, this is due to the joyous cries sent out by the devas right up to the five worlds of the Anagamin on the edge of the Form realm (Rupaloka). Beyond that is the Formless Realm (Arupaloka) where the 129

10 devas don t have any physical form, they have only consciousness, therefore they are not affected, beings there stay in extended long period (aeons) of meditation. [13] Kondanna who realizes the four noble truths. It is because he realized that all that is appearing through cause is subject to decay and will cease to be, therefore they are selfless as indicated in para