Introduction

In what follows I take up the discourse that according to tradition forms the starting point of the Buddha's teaching career. In the Pāli tradition this discourse is known as the Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta, found in the Saṃyutta-nikāya and again in the Theravāda Vinaya.[n.1] [2] SN 56.11 at SN V 420,22 to 424,11, which in the Ee edition has the title tathāgatena vuttaṃ 1 (a title then used again for the next discourse, differentiated as 2), whereas Be and Ce give the title as Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta. The corresponding Vinaya section can be found in the Mahāvagga, Vin I 10,10 to 12,18; cf. also Paṭis II 147,1 to 149,37. In addition to these two, a somewhat unexpected third Theravāda version exists in the form of a Tibetan translation undertaken in the early fourteenth century in collaboration with the Sri Lankan monk Ānandaśrī, based on what appears to have been a Pāli original that is no longer extant.[n.2] [3] This is the chos kyi ʼkhor lo rab tu bskor baʼi mdo, D 31 ka 180b1 to 183a7 or Q 747 tsi 183b4 to 187a2, discussed in Skilling 1993: 103–106. A backtranslation of this discourse into Sanskrit can be found in Sastri 1938: 484–487, with comparative notes 1938: 487–489; for a translation into French cf. Feer 1870: 363–380.

The "Discourse on Turning the Wheel of Dharma" has a broad range of parallel versions handed down in other Buddhist traditions and preserved in various languages. The main extant versions are as follows:

• A discourse version of the Buddha's first teaching is found in the Saṃyukta-āgama.[n.3] [5] SĀ 379 at T II 103c13 to 104c29. For a survey of Sanskrit fragment parallels to SĀ 379 cf. Chung 2008: 122f. From the same Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition, discourse versions are also extant as individual translations in Chinese and in Tibetan.[n.4] [7] T 110 at T II 504a4 to 504b21, which has been translated into English by Sastri 1938: 479f; and D 337 sa 275a6 to 277a4 or Q 1003 shu 283b1 to 285a7, entitled chos kyi ʼkhor loʼi mdo; for the text cf. Chung 2006: 86–99, who juxtaposes the Tibetan discourse with SĀ 379, relevant Sanskrit parallels and T 110. A backtranslation into Sanskrit of the Tibetan discourse can be found in Sastri 1938: 476–478; for a translation into French cf. Feer 1870: 363–380. Another discourse version is part of the Catuṣpariṣat-sūtra preserved in Sanskrit fragments.[n.5] [8] The relevant Sanskrit fragments have been edited by Waldschmidt 1957: 140–162 (§§11.14 to 14.12); for a translation into English cf. Kloppenborg 1973: 23–29; cf. also the study by Waldschmidt 1951/1967: 177–180. The Catuṣpariṣat-sūtra relates the history of the coming into existence of the four assemblies of Buddhist disciples (monastic and lay, male and female). Mūlasarvāstivāda versions of the Buddha’s teaching to his first five disciples can also be found as discourse quotations in the Abhidharmakośavyākhyā, preserved in Sanskrit,[n.6] [9] Wogihara 1936: 579,19 to 580,22. and in Śamathadeva's compendium of discourse quotations from the Abhidharmakośabhāṣya, the Abhidharmakośopāyikāṭīkā extant in Tibetan.[n.7] [10] D 4094 nyu 28a7 to 29b6 or Q 5595 thu 64a8 to 66a2.
• Three discourse versions are found in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya. The Buddha's first teaching is recorded in the Saṅghabhedavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya as part of a biographical narration of events after the Buddha had awakened. The relevant section has been preserved in Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan.[n.8] [11] Gnoli 1977: 135,1 to 138,5, the corresponding Chinese version is T 1450 at T XXIV 127b24 to 128b15, translated into German by Waldschmidt 1957: 141–163, and the corresponding part of the Tibetan version is D 1 nga 42a5 to 44b6 or Q 1030 ce 39b8 to 42a7, edited by Waldschmidt 1957: 141–163. In addition, two short versions of the first discourse are extant in the Kṣudrakavastu,[n.9] [12] T 1451 at T XXIV 292a29 to 292c15, its Tibetan parallel being D 6 tha 247b3 to 249a2 or Q 1035 de 233b6 to 235b3. the second of which occurs as part of the account of the first communal recitation (saṅgīti) that according to tradition took place after the Buddha's demise.[n.10] [13] T 1451 at T XXIV 407a6 to 407a17, its Tibetan parallel being D 6 da 311a7 and 312a6 to b7 or Q 1035 ne 294b1 and 295a7 to b7. On the significance of the term saṅgīti cf., e.g., Tilakaratne 2000 and Skilling 2009: 55–60. Both of these two versions have been preserved in Chinese and Tibetan translation.
• A discourse in the Madhyama-āgama, which is a parallel to the Ariyapariyesanā-sutta, has the beginning part of a version of the Discourse on Turning the Wheel of Dharma.[n.11] [15] MĀ 204 at T I 777c26 to 778a2, translated by Bareau 1963: 173 and Minh Chau 1964/1991: 159; cf. also Anālayo 2011a. A quotation of the discourse with which the Buddha set in motion the wheel of Dharma is also extant in the Dharmaskandha, a canonical work of the Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma collection. The relevant section is preserved in Chinese translation.[n.12] [16] T 1537 at T XXVI 479b25 to 480a15.
• The Sarvāstivāda Vinaya's account of the first communal recitation, saṅgīti, has a version of the first discourse.[n.13] [17] T 1435 at T XXIII 448b13 to 449a7, translated by Anuruddha 2008: 47–49.
• The Ekottarika-āgama has two relevant discourses. The first of these two is a discourse on its own among the Twos of the Ekottarika-āgama,[n.14] [18] EĀ 19.2 at T II 593b24 to 593c10. whereas the second is part of a longer discourse that reports the events after the Buddha's awakening, found among the Threes of the same collection.[n.15] [19] EĀ 24.5 at T II 619a8 to 619b19; for a translation of the relevant section of EĀ 24.5 into French cf. Bareau 1988: 81f.
• The Mahāvastu of the Lokottaravāda-Mahāsāṅghika tradition has a version of the first discourse.[n.16] [21] Senart 1897: 330,17 to 335,9, translated in Jones 1956/1978: 322–328.
• The Mahīśāsaka Vinaya has such a version as part of its biography of the Buddha.[n.17] [22] T 1421 at T XXII 104b23 to 105a2, translated into French by Bareau 1963: 174f.
• The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya also has a version of the Buddha's first teaching as part of its biography of the Buddha.[n.18] [23] T 1428 at T XXII 788a6 to 788c7, translated into French by Bareau 1963: 175–177.

In addition to the above-listed parallels in discourse and Vinaya literature, versions of the Buddha's first discourse can also be found in the Lalitavistara,[n.19] [24] Lefman 1902: 416,16 to 418,21, translated into French by Foucaux 1884: 346–348; cf. also T 187 at T III 607b15 to 607c26. the Buddhacarita,[n.20] [25] Buddhacarita 15.27–58, Johnston 1936/1995: 11–14. the *Abhiniṣkramaṇa-sūtra, [n.21] [26] T 190 at T III 811a14 to 812c4, translated into English by Beal 1875: 251– 254; and D 301 sa 59b2 to 61b3 or Q 967 shu 60b4 to 62b8, part of which has been back-translated into Sanskrit by Sastri 1938: 481–483; for a translation into French cf. Feer 1870: 363–380. and in several biographies extant in Chinese translation.[n.22] [27] Relevant biographies preserved in Chinese are, e.g., 過去現在因果經, T 189 at T III 644b7 to 644c27; 眾許摩訶帝經, T 191 at T III 954a2 to 954b3; and 中本起經, T 196 at T IV 148b1 to 148c16.

Out of the numerous parallels to the Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta, in what follows I will focus on the Mūlasarvāstivāda and Sarvāstivāda discourse and Vinaya versions; a translation of the other canonical versions preserved in Chinese can be found in another paper.[n.23] [4] Anālayo 2013a. In what follows I do not take into account the individual Chinese translation T 109, a discourse that begins by indicating that the Buddha was in the company of a thousand Buddhist monks, T II 503b6 (who at the conclusion of the discourse all become arahants, T II 503c14). Needless to say, at the time of delivering his first teaching the Buddha could not have been in the company of a thousand Buddhist monks, as the institution of Buddhist monkhood had yet to be founded. As already pointed out by Dessein 2007: 20f, T 109 shows clear signs of lateness. It also begins by describing an actual wheel appearing spontaneously in the air in front of the Buddha, which he then orders to stop turning before he begins to deliver his talk, T II 503b7. T 109 has been translated into English by Sastri 1938: 489–492. The motif of an actual wheel is also found in the Lalitavistara, Lefman 1902: 415,10, where this wheel appears when the Buddha is about to deliver his first discourse.

---

Translation (1), the Saṃyukta-āgama Discourse[n.24] [28] The translated discourse is SĀ 379 at T II 103c13 to 104a29. Here and elsewhere, due to the number of extant versions I am not able to undertake a thorough comparative study of each version and have to limit my footnotes to noting only a few points. A full examination of the various versions would in fact require a monograph study.

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying at Vārāṇasī in the Deer Park, the Dwelling Place of Seers.

Then the Blessed One addressed the five monks: "'This is the noble truth of dukkha,' which is a teaching not heard before. When I gave proper attention to it, vision, knowledge, understanding, and realization arose [in me].[n.25] [29] SĀ 379 does not explicitly indicate that the Buddha is the subject of this sentence. My supplementation of "I" follows the individual Tibetan discourse, edited in Chung 2006: 86, where the first person singular personal pronoun nga introduces the reference to things not heard before. 'This is the arising of dukkha … this is the cessation of dukkha … this is the noble truth of the path to the cessation of dukkha,' which is a teaching not heard before. When I gave proper attention to it, vision, knowledge, understanding, and realization arose [in me].

"Again, the noble truth of dukkha should be further understood with knowledge, which is a teaching not heard before. When I gave proper attention to it, vision, knowledge, understanding, and realization arose [in me].

"[Again], having understood the noble truth of the arising of dukkha, it should be eradicated, which is a teaching not heard before. When I gave proper attention to it, vision, knowledge, understanding, and realization arose [in me].

"Again, having understood this noble truth of the cessation of dukkha,[n.26] [31] The translation is based on an emendation suggested by Yìnshùn 1983b: 109 note 4, namely deleting a reference to "the cessation of the arisen dukkha", SĀ 379 at T II 103c20: 苦集滅, which in the present context fails to make sense. The translation also adopts a variant without 知, in line with the same formulation below for the completed realization of the cessation of dukkha; cf. also Yìnshùn 1983b: 109 note 5. it should be realized, which is a teaching not heard before. When I gave proper attention to it, vision, knowledge, understanding, and realization arose [in me].

"Again, having understood this noble truth of the path to the cessation of dukkha, it should be cultivated, which is a teaching not heard before. When I gave proper attention to it, vision, knowledge, understanding, and realization arose [in me].

"Again, monks, having understood this noble truth of dukkha, it has to be understood completely,[n.27] [32] Following Yìnshùn 1983b: 107 I emend 知已出 to read 已知出; cf. also Chung 2006: 90 note 130. which is a teaching not heard before. When I gave proper attention to it, vision, knowledge, understanding, and realization arose [in me].

"Again, having understood this noble truth of the arising of dukkha, it has to be eradicated completely, which is a teaching not heard before. When I gave proper attention to it, vision, knowledge, understanding, and realization arose [in me].

"Again, having understood the noble truth of the cessation of dukkha, it has to be realized completely, which is a teaching not heard before. When I gave proper attention to it, vision, knowledge, understanding, and realization arose [in me].

"Again, having understood the noble truth of the path to the cessation of dukkha, it has to be cultivated completely, which is a teaching not heard before. When I gave proper attention to it, vision, knowledge, understanding, and realization arose [in me].

"Monks, [so long as] in regard to these four noble truths in three turnings and twelve modes I had not given rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and realization, I had not yet attained deliverance, release, and liberation among the assemblies of those who listen to teachings:[n.28] [33] SĀ 379 at T II 104a4: 聞法眾中, an expression that seems to be peculiar to this version. devas, Māra, Brahmā, recluses, and brahmins; I had myself not realized the attainment of supreme and right awakening.

"[When] in regard to the four noble truths in three turnings and twelve modes I had given rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and realization, then I had thereby attained release and deliverance among the assemblies of those who listen to teachings: Māra, Brahmā, recluses, and brahmins; I had myself realized the attainment and accomplishment of supreme and right awakening."

While the Blessed One was delivering this teaching, the venerable Koṇḍañña and eighty thousand devas attained the pure eye of Dharma that is remote from [mental] stains and free from [mental] dust.

Then the Blessed One said to the venerable Koṇḍañña: "Have you come to know the Dharma?"

Koṇḍañña replied to the Buddha: "I have come to know it, Blessed One."

Again he asked the venerable Koṇḍañña: "Have you come to know the Dharma?"

Koṇḍañña replied to the Buddha:[n.29] [34] Besides minor variations in formulating what in the Indic original would have been similar passages, a noteworthy change occurs at the present juncture in SĀ 379 at T II 104a12, which shifts from the earlier transcription of Koṇḍañña's name as 憍陳如 to the alternative 拘隣. The transcription 拘隣 is also employed in EĀ 24.5 at T II 619b6, whereas the transcription 憍陳如 is used in the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, T 1428 at T XXII 788b24, the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya, T 1421 at T XXII 104c18, the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, T 1450 at T XXIV 128a9 and T 1451 at T XXIV 292b29 (= T 110 at T II 504b7) or XXIV 406c5, and the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya, T 1435 at T XXIII 448c14. "I have come to know it, Well Gone One."

Because the venerable Koṇḍañña had come to know the Dharma, he was called Aññā Koṇḍañña.

[When] the venerable Aññā Koṇḍañña had come to know the Dharma, the spirits of the earth raised the proclamation:

"Dear sirs, at Vārāṇasī, at the Dwelling of Seers, in the Deer Park, the Blessed One [has turned] the wheel of Dharma in three turnings and twelve modes, which has never been turned by recluses, brahmins, devas, Māra or Brahmā, for the benefit of many, for the happiness of many, out of compassion for the world, for the sake of benefitting and profiting devas and men. The assembly of devas will increase, the assembly of asuras will decrease."

When the spirits of the earth had proclaimed it, on hearing it the devas dwelling in the sky … the devas of the Four Heavenly Kings … the devas of the Thirty-three … the Yāma devas … the Tusita devas … the Nimmānaratī devas … the Paranimmitavasavattī devas in turn passed on the proclamation and within an instant it was heard up to the realm of the Brahmā devas.[n.30] [35] Chung 2006: 97 note 181 points out that an emendation of the present passage suggested by Yìnshùn 1983b: 109 note 7 is not supported by the Sanskrit and Tibetan versions. The Brahmā devas raised the proclamation:

"Dear sirs, at Vārāṇasī, at the Dwelling of Seers, in the Deer Park, the Blessed One [has turned] the wheel of Dharma in three turnings and twelve modes, which has never been turned by those who listen to teachings in the world: recluses, brahmins, devas, Māra or Brahmā, for the benefit of many, for the happiness of many, for the sake of benefitting and profiting devas and men. The assembly of devas will increase, the assembly of asuras will decrease."

Because at Vārāṇasī, at the Dwelling of Seers, in the Deer Park, the Blessed One turned the wheel of Dharma, this discourse is called the 'Discourse on Turning the Wheel of Dharma'.

When the Buddha had spoken this discourse, having heard what the Buddha had said the [five] monks were delighted and received it respectfully.

---

Study (1)

On comparing the discourse translated above with its Pāli counterpart, a striking difference is the absence of any mention in the Saṃyukta-āgama version of the two extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification that should be avoided. Another and perhaps no less striking difference is the lack of any explanation regarding the nature of the four noble truths in the Saṃyukta-āgama discourse, which instead directly proceeds to the different aspects of how the Buddha realized these four noble truths, the "three turnings" that are to be applied to each truth.

The Buddha's teaching of the two extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification is recorded elsewhere in the Saṃyukta-āgama,[n.31] [36] Cf., e.g., SĀ 912 at T II 228c18, parallel to SN 42.12 at SN IV 330,26. which also has expositions of the nature of the four noble truths similar to the explanations that appear in the Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta.[n.32] [37] Cf., e.g., SĀ 344 at T II 95a1, parallel to MN 9 at MN I 48,29; for a translation of SĀ 344 cf. above p. 12ff. Unlike SĀ 912, where the Buddha is the speaker, SĀ 344 is an exposition by Sāriputta. The reciters of the Saṃyukta-āgama were evidently aware of these two aspects, even though these do not feature in their account of the first teaching given by the Buddha.

The Saṃyukta-āgama discourse does not stand alone in this respect, as similar presentations can be found in the discourses individually translated into Chinese and Tibetan,[n.33] [38] Chung 2006: 86–99 and T 110 at T II 504a4 to 504b21. as well as in the discourse quotations in the Abhidharmakośavyākhyā and in Śamathadeva's Abhidharmakośopāyikāṭīkā.[n.34] [39] Wogihara 1936: 579,19 to 580,22 and D 4094 nyu 28a7 to 29b6 or Q 5595 thu 64a8 to 66a2.

Turning to the Saṅghabhedavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, however, a different picture emerges: here we do find the two extremes as well as an explanation of the nature of the four noble truths.

---

Translation (2), the Saṅghabhedavastu Version[n.35] [40] The translated section is found in T 1450 at T XXIV 127b24 to 128b15.

At that time the Blessed One said to the five men: "Men who have gone forth should not be involved with two types of wrong ⟨teachings⟩.[n.36] [41] I have emended the present reference in T 1450 at T XXIV 127b25, which at this point actually speaks of "wrong teachers", 邪師, but three lines below, as already pointed out by Waldschmidt 1957: 141 note 12, T 1450 switches to the more appropriate "wrong teachings", 邪法. The Sanskrit and Tibetan versions instead speak of the two extremes; cf. Gnoli 1977: 134,10 and Waldschmidt 1957: 141,8 (§14). What are the two? The first is delighting in attachment, a custom of the worldling that is low, inferior, and vulgar, going [so far as] to indulge with delight in licentious sensual pleasures. The second is tormenting oneself, which is mistaken and is not a custom practised by noble ones. One who has gone forth should keep away from these two wrong teachings. Those who always practise the teaching by the middle, which I have established, will attain purification of vision and great wisdom, accomplishing right awakening and the tranquillity of Nirvāṇa.

"What is that teaching by the middle?[n.37] [42] Adopting a variant without 處. It is the noble eight- [fold] path. What are its eight [parts]? They are right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration."

At that time the Blessed One gave teachings like this with a determined mind to the five men. Then two of the five learnt the Dharma from the Buddha while three went in the morning to beg for alms, returning with enough for the six to eat. In the afternoon, three learnt the Dharma from the Buddha and two went into the village to beg for alms, returning with sufficient for the five to eat together. Only the Buddha, the Blessed One, did not take food at the wrong time.

Then the Blessed One told the five: "Because of giving reasoned attention with the power of effort to this noble truth of dukkha, which I had not heard before, I attained the arising of pure wisdom, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Because of giving reasoned attention with the power of effort to this noble truth of the arising of dukkha, which I had not heard before, I attained the arising of pure wisdom, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Because of giving reasoned attention with the power of effort to this noble truth of the cessation of dukkha, which I had not heard before, I attained the arising of pure wisdom, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Because of giving reasoned attention with the power of effort to this noble truth of the path to the cessation of dukkha, which I had not heard before, I attained the arising of pure wisdom, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening."

Again he told the five men: "Because of giving reasoned attention with the power of effort to this noble truth of dukkha, which I had not understood before and which now was to be understood, I attained the arising of pure wisdom, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Because of giving reasoned attention with the power of effort to this noble truth of the arising of dukkha, which I had not eradicated before and which now was to be eradicated, I attained the arising of pure wisdom, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Because of giving reasoned attention with the power of effort to this noble truth of the cessation of dukkha, which I had not realized before and which now was to be realized, I attained the arising of pure wisdom, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Because of giving reasoned attention with the power of effort to this noble truth of the path to the cessation of dukkha, which I had not cultivated before and which now was to be cultivated, I attained the arising of pure wisdom, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Because of giving reasoned attention with the power of effort to this noble truth of dukkha, which I had not heard before, which I have already fully understood and need not understand again, I attained the arising of pure wisdom, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Because of giving reasoned attention with the power of effort to this noble truth of the arising of dukkha, which I had not heard before, which I have already forever eradicated and need not eradicate again, I attained the arising of pure wisdom, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Because of giving reasoned attention with the power of effort to this noble truth of the cessation of dukkha, which I had not ⟨heard⟩ before,[n.38] [43] As already noted by Waldschmidt 1957: 149 note 13, T 1450 at T XXIV 127c26 here changes from the earlier standard reference 先未曾聞 to 先未所 證 in the present case and to 先未所習 in the next paragraph. The exposition of the realization of the cessation of duḥkha and of the development of the path in the Sanskrit and Tibetan versions still has pūrvam ananuśruteṣu dharmeṣu and the equivalent sngon ma thos pa’i chos rnams; cf. Gnoli 1977: 135,25+28 (in which case the first instance is without dharmeṣu, an error corrected in Chung 2006: 81,16) and Waldschmidt 1957: 149,13+19. This makes it fairly probable that in the present context 先未所證 and 先未所習 are the result of transmission errors. My translation is therefore based on emending these two instances to 先未曾聞. which I have already realized and need not realize again, I attained the arising of pure wisdom, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Because of giving reasoned attention with the power of effort to this noble truth of the path to the cessation of dukkha, which I had not ⟨heard⟩ before, which I have already cultivated and need not cultivate again, I attained the arising of pure wisdom, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"You five should know that at first, when I had not yet attained these four truths with three turnings and twelve types, had not aroused pure vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening, I had been unable to go beyond the realm of men and devas, up to Brahmā, and the whole world with its recluses and brahmins, devas, men, and asuras, I had not realized liberation and release, had not become free from [mental] distortions, I had not realized the supreme right knowledge.

"You should know that, since I cultivated these four truths with three turnings and twelve types, I realized the arising of pure vision, knowledge, understanding, I awakened to right awakening. I went beyond the realm of men and devas, Māra and Brahmā, and the world with its recluses and brahmins, devas, men, and asuras. I am liberated and released, free from [mental] distortions. I realized right knowledge and supreme right awakening."

When the Blessed One delivered this teaching, the venerable Koṇḍañña realized amidst the teachings the attainment of the pure eye of the Dharma that is free from [mental] dust and free from [mental] stains, and a company of eighty thousand devas also realized amidst the teachings the eye of the Dharma.

Then the Blessed One asked Koṇḍañña: "Have you realized the Dharma?"

He replied: "Blessed One, I have realized it."
The Buddha asked again: "Koṇḍañña, have you realized the Dharma?"

He replied: "Well Gone One, I have realized it."
The Buddha said: "The venerable Koṇḍañña has fully realized the Dharma, for this reason his name shall be Aññā Koṇḍañña."

Then the community of yakkhas that dwell on the earth heard what the Buddha had said and together they made this proclamation:

"Dear sirs, you should know that at the town of Vārāṇasī, at the Place where Seers Descend,[n.39] [44] T 1450 at T XXIV 128a16: 仙人墮處, which would reflect an original ṛṣipatana; cf. also Chung 2006: 86 note 85 and the discussion in Caillat 1968 and Norman 1989: 375. The corresponding part in Gnoli 1977: 136,23 refers to the ṛṣivadana, with its corresponding counterpart in dran srong smra ba in Waldschmidt 1957: 155,11. in the Deer Park, the Buddha, the Blessed One, has [turned] the wheel of Dharma in three turnings and twelve modes, which recluses, brahmins, men, devas, Māra, and Brahmā are not able to turn, for the welfare of many people, for the benefit of many people, out of feeling compassion. For this reason, the community of devas will increase and the asuras will decrease."

Then the yakkhas dwelling in the sky, having heard the proclamation made by those who dwell on the earth, together also made this proclamation … up to … the devas of the Four Heavenly Kings … the devas of the Thirty-three … the Yāma devas … the Tusita devas … the Nimmānaratī devas … the Paranimmitavasavattī devas … reaching the Brahmā devas, all at the same time, in the same instant, at the same moment made this proclamation. When the Akaniṭṭha devas heard this proclamation,[n.40] [45] T 1450 at T XXIV 128a23: 阿迦尼吒天; the Sanskrit and Tibetan versions do not bring in the devas of the Akaniṭṭha realm, but speak just of the Brahmā devas; cf. Gnoli 1977: 137,7 and Waldschmidt 1957: 157,11. they also proclaimed:

"Dear sirs, you should know that at the town of Vārāṇasī, at the Place where Seers Descend, in the Deer Park, the Buddha, the Blessed One has [turned] the wheel of Dharma in three turnings and twelve modes, which recluses, brahmins, men, devas, Māra, and Brahmā are not able to turn, for the welfare of many people, for the benefit of many people, out of feeling compassion. The community of devas will increase and the asuras will decrease."

Because at the town of Vārāṇasī, at the Place where Seers Descend, in the Deer Park, the Blessed One [turned] the wheel of Dharma in three turnings and twelve modes, therefore this discourse and this place have received the name Place or Discourse Where the Wheel of the Dharma was Turned.

Then the Blessed One said to the [other] four: "There are four noble truths. What are the four? They are the noble truth of dukkha, the noble truth of the arising of dukkha, the noble truth of the cessation of dukkha, the noble truth of the path to the cessation of dukkha.

"What is the noble truth of dukkha? It is this: birth is dukkha, old age is dukkha, disease is dukkha, death is dukkha, separation from what is loved is dukkha, association with what is disliked is dukkha, not getting what one wishes is dukkha … up to … the five aggregates of clinging are dukkha. It should be understood like this, [for which] the eight[fold] path should be cultivated, that is, right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

"What is called the noble truth of the arising [of dukkha]? It is this: craving and desire that lead to experiencing further becoming, craving conjoined with lust and delight, craving that delights and rejoices in this and that, the stain of craving. In order to give it up and be free from it, the eight[fold] right path should be cultivated.

"What is the noble truth of the cessation [of dukkha]? It is this: the cessation, the destruction, the appeasement, the disappearance and permanent fading away of the craving and desire that lead to experiencing further becoming, the craving and delight that are the cause of being defiled by attachment. To realize this, the eight[fold] right path should be cultivated.

"What is the noble truth of the path to the cessation of dukkha? It is this: the noble eight[fold] path, which should be cultivated."

When the Blessed One had spoken this teaching on the four truths, Aññā Koṇḍañña realized the liberation of the mind [by] eradicating all influxes and the [other] four realized amidst these teachings the pure eye [of the Dharma] that is free from any [mental] stain or dust. At that time in the world there were two arahants, one being the Blessed One and the second being Koṇḍañña.

---

Study (2)

There are several interesting features in the above version of the Buddha's first teaching to his five disciples, such as the suggestion that a time interval occurred between the delivery of the teaching on the two extremes and the disclosure of the four noble truths. A discussion of these will have to wait, however, until I have also surveyed the Sarvāstivāda versions.

The above Saṅghabhedavastu account shows that the rejection of the two extremes, as well as an exposition of the nature of the four noble truths, was known in the Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition as part of the teaching given by the Buddha to his first five disciples. In line with the above Saṃyukta-āgama version, however, the Saṅghabhedavastu gives central emphasis to the "three turnings" applied to each truth as that part of the teaching which triggered the stream-entry of Koṇḍañña. Thus the explanation of the four noble truths occurs only subsequent to this event and the acclamation by the devas.

Comparing the Saṃyukta-āgama discourse and the Saṅghabhedavastu version, the chief difference in coverage between them could in principle be explained in two ways: either the Saṃyukta-āgama discourse is an earlier version of the Buddha's first discourse, which was later amplified in the Saṅghabhedavastu, or the Saṃyukta-āgama discourse is an extract from a longer version of the first discourse, such as the one found in the Saṅghabheda-vastu.

Regarding the first of these two alternatives, given that the Saṃyukta-āgama version refers to the Deer Park and reports the Buddha as addressing the five monks, the way the discourse has been preserved gives no indication that the setting of the discourse should be considered as being different from what other versions report in more detail, namely that the Buddha gave this instruction at the Deer Park to his five former companions who had been with him when he practised asceticism. According to the Ariyapariyesanā-sutta and its Madhyama-āgama parallel, when the recently awakened Buddha approached his former companions at the Deer Park, they decided not to show him any respect, as they thought that he had given up his striving for liberation.[n.41] [46] MN 26 at MN I 171,22 and MĀ 204 at T I I 777c2. A similar description precedes the extract from the Saṅghabhedavastu that I have translated above.[n.42] [47] Gnoli 1977: 133,5, T 1450 at T XXIV 127a28, and the Tibetan version in Waldschmidt 1957: 135.

In such a setting a teaching that explains to the five why the Buddha had given up ascetic practices and what alternative route to liberation he had discovered would fit the context well. Some such explanation would seem to be required in order to overcome the diffidence of the five and enable them to become receptive to the disclosure of the four noble truths.

In other words, since the Saṃyukta-āgama discourse does not show any sign of having a different setting from the Saṅghabhedavastu other than that it begins at a later juncture of events, an instruction on the two extremes to be avoided would fit the context well and does not give the impression of being a later addition. This makes the second of the two above-mentioned alternatives somewhat more probable, in that the Saṃyukta-āgama could just be an extract from a full account similar to that now found in the Saṅghabhedavastu.[n.43] [48] A somewhat comparable case is the Tibetan translation of the *Abhiniṣkramaṇa-sūtra. The Chinese translation, T 190 at T III 811a14, reports the teaching on the two extremes, at T III 811b5 explains the nature of the four noble truths, and at T III 811b20 describes the Buddha's realization of the four noble truths. The Tibetan translation, D 301 sa 59b2 or Q 967 shu 60b4, also begins with the teaching on the two extremes, but then directly follows this at D 301 sa 60a2 or Q 967 shu 61a4 by describing how the Buddha realized the four noble truths and thus does not explain the nature of the four noble truths.

The impression that the Saṃyukta-āgama could just be an extract finds further support when examining the Kṣudrakavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, which has two versions of the present discourse. In order to avoid tiring the reader with excessive repetition, I have consigned my translation of these two versions to the end of the present chapter as translations (5) and (6).

The first of these two versions in the Kṣudrakavastu has the same coverage as the above Saṃyukta-āgama discourse, that is, the first Kṣudrakavastu version has just the exposition of the three turnings to be applied to each of the four noble truths. The second Kṣudrakavastu version begins with a brief reference to this teaching on the three turnings, with an explicit indication that this should be given in full as in the discourse on the three turnings, and then continues with Ānanda reporting how the Buddha taught the five monks the nature of the four noble truths, as a result of which Koṇḍañña became an arahant. There cannot be any doubt that these two Kṣudrakavastu versions are two separate extracts from a full version that had both the three turnings and the exposition of the nature of the four noble truths.[n.44] [49] That the two Kṣudrakavastu versions belong to what would have been a continuous account of the teachings delivered by the Buddha to his first five disciples can also be seen from a mistake shared by both, where the reference to the Buddha' realization of what was not heard before has lost the negation; cf. T 1451 at T XXIV 292b2: 於所聞法 and T XXIV 406c4: 於所聞法.

Notably, the first Kṣudrakavastu version is word for word identical with an individual discourse attributed to Yìjìng (義淨).[n.45] [50] T 1451 at T XXIV 292a29 to 292c15 = T 110 at T II 504a7 to 504b21, a correspondence already noted by Chung 2006: 78. On the relationship between discourse and Vinaya literature in general cf. also Anālayo 2014g. Since Yìjìng is also the translator of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, there can be little doubt that this discourse was simply taken over from the Vinaya. This extract from the Kṣudrakavastu has become a discourse on its own, now found among individually translated Saṃyukta-āgama discourses in the Taishō edition. Only through a comparison with the first Kṣudrakavastu version does it become clear that this individual discourse has simply been extracted from the Vinaya. This makes it fairly probable that the Saṃyukta-āgama discourse translated above is similarly an extract from a full version of the first discourse, similar to what is now found in the Saṅghabhedavastu.

The tendency for Vinaya extracts to become discourses in their own right does not appear to be restricted to the short versions of the Buddha's teaching to his five disciples. The Catuṣpariṣat-sūtra's description of the coming into existence of the four assemblies of Buddhist disciples (monastic and lay, male and female) has its counterparts in other Buddhist schools in their respective Vinayas, making it quite probable that the Catuṣpariṣat-sūtra had its origin in a Vinaya environment.[n.46] [51] Cf. Hartmann 1994: 333f and on the general pattern of biographies emerging from a Vinaya environment cf., e.g., Frauwallner 1956: 46 and Hirakawa 1993/1998: 264. Since the Catuṣpariṣat-sūtra has the teaching on the two extremes, the three turnings, and the exposition of the nature of the four noble truths,[n.47] [52] Waldschmidt 1957: 140–162 (§§11.14 to 14.12) in this case what appears to be another Vinaya extract is not confined to the short version found in the individual discourse taken from the Kṣudrakavastu.

In sum, the short versions that only describe how the Buddha realized the four noble truths in three turnings, but do not expound the nature of the four noble truths and do not introduce these with a rejection of the two extremes, do seem to be intentional extracts from a longer account. Apparently the Mūlasarvāstivāda reciters considered this extract to be the most significant part, the part that should be considered to have set in motion the wheel of Dharma, namely the Buddha's indication of how each of the four noble truths needs to be put into practice in three turnings.

A somewhat similar perspective emerges when one examines the canonical versions of the Sarvāstivāda tradition, found in the Madhyama-āgama parallel to the Ariyapariyesanā-sutta and in the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya.

---

Translation (3), the Madhyama-āgama Discourse[n.48] [53] The translated section is found in MĀ 204 at T I 777c25 to 778a2.

At that time I told them: "Five monks, you should know that there are two extreme undertakings that those who are on the path should not practise: the first is attachment to sensual pleasures which is a lowly act, undertaken by the commoner;

the second is to torture oneself and cause suffering to oneself, which is an ignoble thing and which is not connected to what is beneficial.[n.49] [54] Adopting a variant without 求.

"Five monks, abandon these two extremes and take up the middle path, which accomplishes understanding and wisdom, which accomplishes [inner] certainty and the attainment of mastery, and which leads to wisdom, leads to awakening, and leads to Nirvāṇa, namely the eight[fold] right path, from right view to right concentration, these are its eight [parts]."

---

Study (3)

The above short passage shows that the Sarvāstivāda tradition considered the rejection of the two extremes as a teaching that had been delivered by the Buddha to his first five disciples.

Now the above brief reference in the Madhyama-āgama discourse and the absence of any extract from the first discourse in its Majjhima-nikāya parallel, the Ariyapariyesanā-sutta, have been considered by some scholars as evidence that the four noble truths are only a later addition to the Buddha's first discourse and consequently are merely a later element in early Buddhist thought.

In order to examine the suggestions made in this respect, I need to depart briefly from my main subject – the Mūlasarvāstivāda and Sarvāstivāda parallels to the Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta – and discuss a suggestion made relatively early in the history of Buddhist scholarship regarding the supposedly late nature of the four noble truths. This suggestion comes as one of several "curious omissions in Pali canonical texts", noted by Mrs. Rhys Davids in 1935, where she points out that the four noble truths are absent from the Fours of the Aṅguttara-nikāya. Regarding this absence, Rhys Davids (1935: 723) comments that the four noble truths, being "of the first importance, their occurrence where they should one and all have come, aye, and been given first rank, is … the reverse of what we … find." Although looking for the four noble truths among the Fours of the Aṅguttara-nikāya may at first sight appear straightforward, closer inspection suggests otherwise.

In the way the orally transmitted discourses are now found in the four main Nikāyas of the Pāli canon, the texts have been divided into predominantly long discourses, allocated to the Dīgha-nikāya, mainly medium-length discourses, allocated to the Majjhima-nikāya, and what for the most part are short discourses, allocated to the Saṃyutta-nikāya and the Aṅguttara-nikāya. The Saṃyutta-nikāya then assembles short discourses according to topic, resulting in different saṃyuttas. The Aṅguttara-nikāya assembles short discourses according to a numerical principle, where the existence of a particular number between one and eleven in some part of a discourse provides the rationale for inclusion in the respective section of the Aṅguttara-nikāya.

Teachings on the four noble truths not only involve the number four, but at the same time also address a topic that tradition considers a key doctrine of early Buddhism. Hence the Saṃyutta-nikāya has a whole saṃyutta dedicated to this theme. This is the Sacca-saṃyutta, which collects over 130 discourses on the four noble truths.[n.50] [55] SN 56.1 to 56.131 at SN V 414,1 to 477,19; according to the survey in Gethin 2007: 386, the count of discourses in the different editions of the Sacca-saṃyutta varies between 131 and 135. Since these are collected in the Saṃyutta-nikāya, it is not surprising to find that such discourses are not collected among the Fours of the Aṅguttara-nikāya.[n.51] [56] Zafiropulo 1993: 112f notes that reference to the four noble truths occurs also in verse, such as Dhp 190f and its parallels or Th 1258f; he concludes that "le témoignage de ces Gāthās nous semble suffisant pour attester l'ancienneté de la notion d'une quaternité d'Āryasatyāni."

In other words, the expectation to find discourses on the four noble truths among the Fours of the Aṅguttara-nikāya appears to be a case of looking in the wrong place. Such an expectation fails to appreciate that, in spite of occasional overlapping, the nature of the four Nikāyas is to complement one another. The four Nikāyas are not four independent records of what tradition believed to be the Buddha's teaching, each of which has to be in itself complete.

The suggestion by Rhys Davids in turn appears to have inspired Anderson to find further support for the supposed lateness of the four noble truths.[n.52] [57] Anderson 1999/2001: ix starts her preface by quoting Rhys Davids 1935 (under her maiden name) and then in the beginning part of the actual study, 1999/2001: 3f, gives a full quote of the relevant part from Rhys Davids 1935. Since the Ariyapariyesanā-sutta does not record the contents of the Buddha's first teaching at all, Anderson (1999/2001: 63) concludes that "the Ariyapariyesana-sutta shows that certain redactors of the canon conceived of the Buddha's act of teaching without the four noble truths." Anderson (1999/2001: 55f) surmises that probably "the four noble truths emerged into the canonical tradition at a particular point and slowly became recognized as the first teaching of the Buddha … [being] a doctrine that came to be identified as the central teaching of the Buddha by the time of the commentaries."

This seems to me to be another case of looking in the wrong place, a failure to appreciate that, just like the four Nikāyas, the early discourses complement one another and are not independent records of what tradition believed to be the Buddha's teaching, each of which has to be complete in itself.

The purpose of the Ariyapariyesanā-sutta is to depict in autobiographical fashion the Buddha's noble quest for awakening. There is no reason for this discourse to give a full account of the first teaching delivered by the Buddha, which is rather the purpose of the Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta. The expectation that the Ariyapariyesanā-sutta should give a complete account of everything that is in some way related to the Buddha's awakening mistakes a discourse with autobiographical features for a fullfledged autobiography. Such a full-fledged autobiography, however, is not provided in any discourse in the four Pāli Nikāyas.

Staying within the scope of the Majjhima-nikāya, a more detailed account of meditative aspects of the Buddha's approach to awakening can be found in the Bhayabherava-sutta, which reports how, based on his attainment of the four absorptions, he was able to realize the three higher knowledges (the last of which is formulated in terms of the four noble truths).[n.53] [58] MN 4 at MN I 23,14; cf. Anālayo 2011c: 218 note 47. The Bhayabherava-sutta begins with an account of the difficulties of living in seclusion, followed by the Buddha indicating how he dealt with fear when living alone in the wilds. The context makes it natural for the discourse to focus on the meditative development that led to the Buddha's awakening and thereby his going forever beyond fear.

Another Majjhima-nikāya discourse with autobiographical features is the Mahāsaccaka-sutta.[n.54] MN 36 at MN I 237,5. The setting of the discourse is a challenge by the non-Buddhist debater Saccaka, a proponent of asceticism, in reply to which the Buddha is on record as describing his own practice of austerities. Here the context naturally leads to a different perspective on the Buddha's progress to awakening, namely on his attempts to reach liberation through breath control and fasting. The fact that such ascetic practices are not mentioned in the Bhayabherava-sutta does not mean that these are conflicting accounts of what preceded the Buddha's breakthrough to full awakening, but is simply a result of the setting of each discourse. Nor does the circumstance that neither the Bhayabherava-sutta nor the Mahāsaccaka-sutta mentions what the Buddha taught his first disciples mean that this teaching was unknown to the reciters of the Majjhima-nikāya. It is only natural that, given the purpose of these two discourses, the topic of the Buddha's first discourse does not come within their purview.

That the reciters of the Majjhima-nikāya were aware of the four noble truths as the theme of the Buddha's first teaching at Vārāṇasī is in fact explicitly recorded in the Saccavibhaṅga-sutta of the same Majjhima-nikāya. The topic of this discourse is an analysis of the four noble truths. In view of this context it is natural to find an indication in the discourse that in the Deer Park at Vārāṇasī the Buddha set in motion the wheel of Dharma by teaching the four noble truths.[n.55] [59] MN 141 at MN III 248,5.

A reference to this event can also be found in the Ariyapariyesanā-sutta, which reports the recently awakened Buddha proclaiming that he is about to go to Vārāṇasī to set in motion the wheel of Dharma.[n.56] [60] MN 26 at MN I 171,11. The fact that his teaching of the four noble truths to his first disciples is not recorded in the Ariyapariyesanā-sutta is just because the main point of this discourse is to contrast the ignoble quest of the average worldling to the noble quest for awakening. Viewed in this perspective, the only part of the Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta that the reciters could perhaps have included is the section on the two extremes, as one of these two extremes corresponds to the ignoble quest. The section on the two extremes is precisely what we find in the Madhyama-āgama parallel.

The fact that the above-translated Madhyama-āgama parallel to the Ariyapariyesanā-sutta has only this much of the first discourse, however, has been taken by Bareau as a sign that some reciters were not aware of the four noble truths as the theme of the Buddha's first discourse or else even refused to consider it as such.[n.57] [61] Bareau 1963: 181 considers MĀ 204 (as well as EĀ 19.2) to "nous montrer qu'à une lointaine époque, une partie au moins de docteurs du Bouddhisme ignoraient quel avait été le thème du premier sermon ou refusaient de considérer comme tel les quatre saintes Vérités." He then concludes that the doctrine of the four noble truths is only a later development in Buddhist thought.[n.58] [62] Bareau 1963: 180: "s'il en est bien ainsi, il s'ensuit des conséquences importantes pour l'histoire de la doctrine bouddhique. En effet, la thèse des quatre saintes Vérités se serait développée assez tard et elle ne serait pas, comme on le croit généralement, la base même de la pensée bouddhique."

As already pointed out by Schmithausen (1981: 210 note 36), Bareau's reasoning is not convincing. Even if the four noble truths were not part of the first sermon, this does not necessarily entail that the doctrine as such is late, as it may well have existed elsewhere in the canon.

Moreover, Bareau's conclusion that the four noble truths were not part of the first sermon is flawed by a methodological problem, as the comparative study on which he bases this conclusion does not take into account important parallels. Bareau considers the above-translated Madhyama-āgama discourse as representative of the Sarvāstivāda tradition, which he compares with the Dharmaguptaka, Mahīśāsaka, and Theravāda Vinaya versions. He evidently was not aware of the fact that the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya has a version of the Buddha's first discourse that does mention the four noble truths (see translation 4 below); and he also left out of account the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya.[n.59] [63] In his survey of the sources utilized for his research, Bareau 1963: 9 indicates that it was his conscious decision to leave aside the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya and the Catuṣpariṣat-sūtra, whereas his comment that the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya "ne contient de récit parallèle à ceux que nous étudierons" indicates that he was not aware of the relevant passage in T 1435. Whereas overlooking the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya parallel can easily happen, it seems to me that the conscious decision to leave aside the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya and the Catuṣpariṣat-sūtra is a methodological weakness that undermines his study and conclusions. A proper assessment of the traditions on the life of the Buddha has to be based on a comparative study of all extant canonical versions at our disposal, as is the case for an assessment of any Vinaya narrative; cf. in more detail Anālayo 2012a and 2014g. Another version not consulted is the second of the two Ekottarika-āgama discourse parallels, of which Bareau takes into account only the first one in support of his conclusions. Thus Bareau's conclusions, which have in turn influenced other scholars,[n.60] [64] Bronkhorst 1993/2000: 107 quotes Bareau 1963 and then concludes that "initially those Four Noble Truths were not part of the sermon in Benares, and consequently probably not as central to Buddhism as they came to be." Dessein 2007: 22 also follows Bareau in stating that MĀ 204 and EĀ 19.2 "see the first ministry of the Buddha as only consisting of the middle mode of progress". need to be revised based on a more comprehensive examination of the extant versions.

As becomes clear from the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya translated below, alongside the passage on the two extremes in the Madhyama-āgama discourse, a canonical Sarvāstivāda version has an exposition of the four noble truths from the viewpoint of the three turnings. In addition, a quotation of the first discourse in the Dharmaskandha also has such an exposition of the four noble truths.[n.61] [65] T 1537 at T XXVI 479b25 to 480a15.

In this way, a more comprehensive examination suggests that shorter versions are best understood as intentional extracts rather than as competing versions of the Buddha's setting in motion of the wheel of Dharma. In fact it is hard to imagine that such glaring contradictions on what tradition regarded as the first discourse of the Buddha would have been transmitted within texts of the same reciter traditions of the Mūlasarvāstivāda as well as the Sarvāstivāda without being made to harmonize with each other during the long period of transmission.

In sum, the teaching of the four noble truths in three turnings constitutes the Buddha's first discourse in a Saṃyukta-āgama discourse, in an individual Chinese translation equalling the Kṣudrakavastu version, in an individual Tibetan translation, in several instances in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, in the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya, as well as in discourse quotations in the Dharmaskandha, in the Abhidharmakośavyākhyā, and in Śamathadeva's Abhidharmakośopāyikaṭīkā. Clearly the reciters of the Mūlasarvāstivāda and Sarvāstivāda traditions did consider the four noble truths in three turnings to have been an integral part of the first teaching, which from their perspective was not merely concerned with an exposition of the two extremes.

---

Translation (4), the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya Version[n.62] [66] The translated section is found in T 1435 at T XXIII 448b13 to 449a7.

At one time the Buddha was staying at Vārāṇasī in the Dwelling Place of Seers, the Deer Park … at that time the Buddha said to the five monks:

"This is the noble truth of dukkha, which is a teaching I earlier had not heard from others. When among teachings I gave right attention herein, vision arose, knowledge arose, understanding arose, and awakening arose. This is the noble truth of the arising of dukkha … this is the noble truth of the cessation of dukkha … this is the noble truth of the path [to the cessation of dukkha], which is a teaching I earlier had not heard from others. When among teachings I gave right attention herein, vision arose, knowledge arose, understanding arose, and awakening arose.

"Monks, this noble truth of dukkha should therefore be understood with knowledge, which is a teaching I earlier had not heard from others. When among teachings I gave right attention herein, vision arose, knowledge arose, understanding arose, and awakening arose. Having understood this noble truth of the arising of dukkha, it should be eradicated … having understood this noble truth of the cessation of dukkha, it should be realized … having understood this noble truth of the path to the cessation of dukkha, it should be cultivated, which is a teaching I earlier had not heard from others. When among teachings I gave right attention herein, vision arose, knowledge arose, understanding arose, and awakening arose.

"Monks, this noble truth of dukkha has therefore been understood with knowledge, which is a teaching I earlier had not heard from others. When among teachings I gave right attention herein, vision arose, knowledge arose, understanding arose, and awakening arose. Understanding this noble truth of the arising of dukkha, it has therefore been eradicated … understanding this noble truth of the cessation of dukkha, it has therefore been realized … understanding this noble truth of the path to the cessation of dukkha, it has therefore been cultivated, which is a teaching I earlier had not heard from others. When among teachings I gave right attention herein, vision arose, knowledge arose, understanding arose, and awakening arose.

"Monks, during the very time that I had not given rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening with regard to the four noble truths in three turnings and twelve parts, with regard to turning the wheel of Dharma, in this world with its Māra, Brahmā, recluses, brahmins and among the assemblies of devas and men, I had not attained deliverance, not attained liberation, not attained release, and not attained an undistorted condition of the mind. At that time I did not consider myself to have attained supreme and perfect awakening.

"At the very time when I had given rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening with regard to the four noble truths in three turnings and twelve parts, with regard to turning the wheel of Dharma, in this world with its Māra, Brahmā, recluses, brahmins and among the assemblies of devas and men I had attained deliverance, had attained liberation, had attained release, and had attained an undistorted condition of the mind. At that time I considered myself to have attained supreme and perfect awakening."

When this teaching was spoken, the elder Koṇḍañña and eighty thousand devas among all teachings gave rise to the eye of Dharma that is remote from [mental] stains and free from [mental] dust.

At that time the Buddha said to Koṇḍañña: "Have you attained the Dharma?"

Koṇḍañña replied: "I have attained it."
The Blessed One similarly [asked] Koṇḍañña: "Have you attained the Dharma?"

Koṇḍañña similarly replied: "I have attained it."
The Blessed One similarly [asked] Koṇḍañña: "Have you attained the Dharma?"

Koṇḍañña similarly replied: "I have attained it."
Since Koṇḍañña was the first to attain it, the Blessed One called him Aññā Koṇḍañña. As Aññā Koṇḍañña had attained the Dharma, at that time the spirits of the earth made a loud proclamation:

"Living beings, at Vārāṇasī, at the Dwelling Place of Seers, in the Deer Park, the Buddha [has turned] the wheel of Dharma in three turnings and twelve parts that other recluses, brahmins, devas, Māra, Brahmā, and similar [beings] like this in the whole world are unable to turn in accordance with the Dharma, for the benefit of beings, for the welfare of beings, out of compassion for the world, for the profit and welfare of devas and men. The lineage of devas will increase, the assembly of asuras will decrease."

The spirits dwelling in the sky, having heard the proclamation by the spirits of the earth, also made a loud proclamation that the Buddha had turned the wheel of the Dharma. The Four Heavenly Kings heard the proclamation made by the spirits dwelling in the sky and also made a loud proclamation … the devas of the Thirty-three … the Yāma devas … the Tusita devas … the Nimmānaratī devas … the Paranimmitavasavattī devas at that time made the proclamation … up to … the realm of Brahmā devas, all made this loud proclamation:

"Living beings, at Vārāṇasī, at the Dwelling Place of Seers, in the Deer Park, the Buddha [has turned] the wheel of Dharma in three turnings and twelve parts that other recluses and brahmins, devas, Māra, Brahmā, and similar [beings] like this in the whole world are unable to turn in accordance with the Dharma, for the benefit of beings, for the welfare of beings, out of compassion for the world, for the profit and welfare of devas and men. The lineage of devas will increase, the assembly of asuras will decrease."

Since at Vārāṇasī, at the Dwelling Place of Seers, in the Deer Park, the Buddha had turned the wheel of Dharma in three turnings and twelve parts, therefore this discourse was called the Discourse on the Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.

---

Study (4)

Similar to the Saṃyukta-āgama discourse translated at the beginning of the present chapter, the above version of the Buddha's first discourse in the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya focuses on the "three turnings" that need to be applied to each truth. The Mūlasarvāstivāda and Sarvāstivāda versions surveyed thus far indicate that, as already pointed out by Schmithausen (1981: 202), the first teaching by the Buddha consists "of at least three independent portions which are in fact presented as three different discourses in the version of at least one school".

When evaluated from the perspective of narrative logic, the suggestion that the Buddha's initial proposal of a middle path that leaves behind the two extremes was not immediately followed by his delivery of the four noble truths appears quite meaningful. It would fit the narrative denouement if, after the Buddha had introduced the eightfold path as an alternative to the dichotomy between sensuality and asceticism, his five former companions were given a little time to digest this new perspective. Since according to the narrative that precedes the above discourse they were at first unwilling even to listen to the Buddha at all, as they thought that his giving up asceticism had disabled him from reaching awakening, it would be natural for them to need a little pondering and reflection in order to be able to accept the new perspective proposed by the Buddha.[n.63] [67] Based on his study and translation of the Tibetan parallels, Feer 1870: 403 comments that "pour faire entrer cette incomparable théorie dans l'esprit des cinq disciples, habitués à voir dans l'exténuation volontaire d'eux-mêmes l'exercice de la plus haute moralité … l'enseignement dut donc se prolonger."

This suggestion finds support in some of the biographies preserved in Chinese, which explicitly indicate that the Buddha continued his teaching once he realized that the five had accepted the idea of a middle path.[n.64] [68] T 189 at T III 644b15 continues after the Buddha's exposition of the two extremes to be avoided and the noble eightfold path to be cultivated by indicating that at that time the five were very pleased on hearing what the Buddha had said. T 189 at T III 644b18 then reports that at that time the Blessed One examined whether the faculties of the five men were capable of attaining awakening, whereupon he addressed them again, 爾時世尊觀五人根, 堪任受 道, 而語之言, which is followed by his teaching of the four noble truths. T 191 at T III 954a10 provides a similar transition after the teaching on the two extremes, indicating that at that time, after the Blessed One had spoken like this, he examined whether the five men were able to receive the Dharma, after which he continued to speak, 爾時世尊如是說已, 又復觀知五人, 堪能受法, 即復告曰. The same seems implicit in the Madhyama-āgama discourse translated above, which right after the exposition of the two extremes continues with the Buddha indicating: "I wished to continue instructing the five monks."[n.65] [69] MĀ 204 at T I 778a3.

Once the five monks had accepted the idea of a middle path, this would then naturally lead on to an exposition of the forerunner of a practical implementation of the eightfold path,[n.66] [70] Early Buddhist thought considers right view as the forerunner of the noble eightfold path; cf., e.g., MN 117 at MN III 72,29 and its parallels MĀ 189 at T I 735c13 and D 4094 nyu 44b6 or Q 5595 thu 84a8. namely right view in terms of an appreciation of the four noble truths.

Such a suggestion need not be seen as standing in contrast to the Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta and those of its parallels that continue from the teaching of the two extremes directly to the four noble truths. These versions may simply have assembled the different spoken parts together, without marking where a longer pause had occurred.

What appears to be less convincing in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya account, however, is the suggestion that between the delivery of the teaching on the two extremes and the discourse on the four noble truths so much time intervened that some monks repeatedly took turns to go begging for alms.

A similar description occurs in the Madhyama-āgama discourse.[n.67] [71] After the delivery of the teaching on the two extremes, MĀ 204 at T I 788a3 continues by reporting that two or three of the five went begging alternately. Such a description is also found in the Theravāda Vinaya, where it comes after the complete delivery of the Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta, and in the Ariyapariyesanā-sutta, where it is preceded by the indication that the Buddha had been able to convince the five. [n.68] [72] Vin I 13,3; cf. also MN 26 at MN I 173,2. The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya reports with additional detail how some out of the five went begging after the delivery of the Discourse on the Turning of the Wheel had been completed.[n.69] [73] T 1428 at T XXII 788c24.

Now it certainly seems conceivable that the Buddha arrived at the Deer Park at such a time of the day that, after his initial instruction on the two extremes to be avoided had been completed, the time had come for begging for food, after which he could then have delivered his discourse on the four noble truths. But it seems less plausible that his first five disciples needed days to digest the new message.

Notably, the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya reports that, after the delivery of the discourse on the three turnings had led to Koṇḍañña's stream-entry, an explanation of the nature of the four noble truths then resulted in Koṇḍañña becoming an arahant. In other words, whereas his attainment of stream-entry needed a longer interval, his progress to full awakening seems to happen right after his stream-entry.

Vetter (1985: 74) notes that in the Ariyapariyesanā-sutta "the Buddha is so busy instructing the five ascetics that he no longer goes out begging himself but in turn two or three of the five ascetics must bring back food for the others … this account only becomes meaningful to me if I assume that he was initiating these ascetics in the stages of dhyāna-meditation and was guiding them in a very practical way."

Following Vetter's suggestion, the interlude during which some monks went to beg would fit a progression from stream-entry to arahantship, which appears to require the development of absorption.[n.70] [74] As far as the discourses allow us to judge, it seems that the attainment of stream-entry does not require the previous development of absorption attainment, which appears to be necessary, however, for progress to the two higher levels of awakening, non-return and arahantship; cf. in more detail Anālayo 2003: 79–85. Given that Koṇḍañña and his companions are introduced as upholders of asceticism, it seems fairly probable that they should be seen as needing some time to train in concentration, which would fit best after streamentry, but before full awakening. This would be in line with the sequence of events in the way this has been recorded in the Dharmaguptaka and Theravāda Vinayas.

Perhaps the presentation in the Mūlasarvāstivāda and Sarvāstivāda traditions is the result of a shifting of the description of the begging from after the delivery of the first discourse to before the disclosure of the four noble truths.[n.71] [75] In the biography T 191 at T III 953c28 the episode of the alternate going to beg for alms comes even before the instruction on the two extremes.

That some shifting of textual passages took place in the Mūlasarvāstivāda texts can be seen from the circumstance that the Kṣudrakavastu reports how, after the delivery of the first discourse and Koṇḍañña's stream-entry, when the five had gone forth, the Buddha had to tell them that they should no longer address him by his personal name.[n.72] [76] T 1451 at T XXIV 292c18 and D 6 tha 249a3 or Q 1035 de 235b4. In other canonical versions,[n.73] [77] MĀ 204 at T I 777c12, EĀ 24.5 at T II 618c29, the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, T 1428 at T XXII 787c23, the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya, T 1421 at T XXII 104b15, and the Theravāda Vinaya, Vin I 9,12 (cf. also MN 26 at MN I 171,33). including the Saṅghabhedavastu,[n.74] [78] Gnoli 1977: 133,22, the Chinese version in T 1450 at T XXIV 127b12, and the Tibetan version in Waldschmidt 1957: 137,12. this episode comes before the delivery of the first discourse. This is a more natural placing, as at that time they had not yet been convinced of his claim to have awakened.

Besides, what appears also less straightforward in the Mūlasarvāstivāda and Sarvāstivāda versions is that the Buddha expounds the significance of the four noble truths only after Koṇḍañña has reached stream-entry,[n.75] [79] The account of the first saṅgīti in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya reckons the teaching of the four noble truths, expounded in detail in the discourse on the three turnings of the wheel of Dharma, as the first discourse spoken by the Buddha, whereas the explanation of what these four noble truths are about is reckoned his second discourse, T 1451 at T XXIV 407a3 and D 6 da 312a5 or Q 1035 ne 295a6. a presentation not found in other parallel versions.

In fact, without some indication of what the four noble truths are about, it is hard to imagine how Koṇḍañña could have understood what the Buddha was speaking about and to what the three turnings needed to be applied. In this respect the Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta and those of its parallels found outside of the Mūlasarvāstivāda and Sarvāstivāda traditions have a more convincing presentation, in that, after the five monks had accepted the notion of a middle path as an alternative to asceticism, they then received a teaching on the nature of the four noble truths.

This then could have been followed by an explanation of the "three turnings", according to which each of the four noble truths needs not only to be understood, but also requires being put into practice, a practice that on being brought to its successful conclusion will issue in full awakening.

This completes my survey of the Mūlasarvāstivāda and Sarvāstivāda parallels to the Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta. In what follows, by way of an appendix to my discussion, I simply present a translation of the two versions found in the Kṣudrakavastu of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya.

---

Translation (5), First Version in the Kṣudrakavastu[n.76] [80] The translated section is found in T 1451 at T XXIV 292a29 to 292c15, which corresponds word for word to T 110 at T II 504a4 to 504b21.

Thus have I heard. At one time the Blessed One was staying at Vārāṇasī, at the Place where Seers Descend, in the Deer Park. At that time the Blessed One said to the five monks:

"Monks, giving reasoned attention to this noble truth of dukkha, which I had [not] heard before, I was able to give rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening. Monks, giving reasoned attention to the teaching of this noble truth of the arising of dukkha … of the cessation of dukkha … of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha, I was able to give rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Monks, giving reasoned attention to this noble truth of dukkha that should be understood like this – a teaching to be understood, which I had [not] heard before – I was able to give rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening. Monks, giving reasoned attention to this noble truth of the arising of dukkha that should be eradicated like this – a teaching to be understood, which I had [not] heard before – I was able to give rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening. Monks, giving reasoned attention to this noble truth of the cessation of dukkha that should be realized like this – a teaching to be understood, which I had [not] heard before – I was able to give rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening. Monks, giving reasoned attention to this noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha that should be cultivated like this – a teaching to be understood, which I had [not] heard before – I was able to give rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Monks, giving reasoned attention to this noble truth of dukkha that has been understood like this – a teaching to be understood, which I had [not] heard before – I was able to give rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening. Monks, giving reasoned attention to this noble truth of the arising of dukkha that has been eradicated like this – a teaching to be understood, which I had [not] heard before – I was able to give rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening. Monks, giving reasoned attention to this noble truth of the cessation of dukkha that has been realized like this – a teaching to be understood, which I had [not] heard before – I was able to give rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening. Monks, giving reasoned attention to this noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha that has been cultivated like this – a teaching to be understood, which I had [not] heard before – I was able to give rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening.

"Monks, if I had not understood these four noble truths in three turnings and twelve aspects, then vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening could not have arisen. In the whole world, with its devas, Māra, Brahmā, recluses, and brahmins, I would thus not have become free from worry and defilements, attaining liberation of the mind, I could not have realized and attained supreme awakening.

"Monks, because I realized and understood these four noble truths in three turnings and twelve aspects, vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening were able to arise. In the whole world, with its devas, Māra, Brahmā, recluses, and brahmins, I became free from mental worry and defilements, attaining liberation of the mind, and I was able to realize and attain supreme awakening."

At the time when the Blessed One was delivering this teaching, the venerable Koṇḍañña and eighty thousand devas attained the pure eye of Dharma that is remote from [mental] stains and free from [mental] dust.

The Buddha said to Koṇḍañña: "Have you understood this Dharma?"

He replied: "I have understood it, Blessed One."
[The Buddha said again]: "Have you understood this Dharma?"

He replied: "I have understood it, Well Gone One."
Because of this he was called Aññā Koṇḍañña (aññā means: having understood the meaning).

Then the earth-dwelling yakkhas, having heard what the Buddha had said, gave out a loud shout, telling men and devas:

"Dear sirs, you should know that at Vārāṇasī, at the Place where Seers Descend, in the Deer Park, the Buddha has fully proclaimed the wheel of Dharma in three turnings and twelve modes, therefore being able to provide great benefit to devas, men, Māra, Brahmā, recluses, brahmins, and the whole world, so that fellow practitioners of the holy life will quickly attain the peace of Nirvāṇa. Men and devas will increase, the asuras will decrease."

Because the yakkhas had made this proclamation, the devas in the sky and the assembly of the Four Great Kings all heard it and came to know it. Like this in turn, in an instant, in a moment, the six [classes of] devas of the sensual realm up to the Brahmā devas all heard that shout. Having heard it, all in the assembly of Brahmās also proclaimed it … to be spoken in full as earlier. Because of this, the discourse was called the Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma.

At that time the five monks and men and devas together, having heard what the Buddha had said, were delighted and received it respectfully.

---

Translation (6), Second Version in the Kṣudrakavastu[n.77] [82] T 1451 at T XXIV 406c1–5 and 407a6 to 407a17.

Thus have I heard. At one time the Blessed One was staying at Vārāṇāsī, at the Place where Seers Descend, in the Deer Park. At that time the Blessed One said to the five monks:

"Giving reasoned attention to this noble truth of dukkha, which I had [not] heard before, I was able to give rise to vision, knowledge, understanding, and awakening."

Herein to be spoken in full as above in the Discourse on the Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma …[n.78] [83] After this indication that the full discourse should be supplemented, the Kṣudrakavastu continues by reporting the proceedings of the first communal recitation. Ānanda is asked where and to whom the Buddha spoke the second discourse, to which Ānanda replies that it was spoken to the five monks at Vārāṇāsī, after which he recites what I have translated next.

"Monks, you should know that there are four noble truths. What are the four? They are: the noble truth of dukkha … of its arising … of its cessation … and of the path [to its cessation].

"What is the noble truth of dukkha? It is: birth is dukkha, disease is dukkha, old age is dukkha, death is dukkha, separation from what is loved is dukkha, association with what is disliked is dukkha, not getting what one wishes is dukkha, said in short, the five aggregates of clinging are dukkha. This is called the noble truth of dukkha.

"What is the noble truth of the arising of dukkha? It is: craving conjoined with delight and acting accordingly, which is an occasion for the arising of defilements. This is called [the noble truth of] the arising [of dukkha].

"What is the noble truth of the cessation of dukkha? It is: the complete and entire removal, cessation, discarding, giving up, transformation, and elimination of this craving conjoined with delight and acting accordingly, which is an occasion for the arising of defilements and for experiencing further existence, the cessation of defilements conjoined with craving by realizing the sublime Nirvāṇa. This is called [the noble truth of] the cessation of dukkha.

"What is the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha? It is: the eightfold right path, which is right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. This is called the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of dukkha."

When this teaching was spoken, Aññā Koṇḍañña realized the liberation of the mind from all defilements and the other four monks attained the pure eye of the Dharma that is free from [mental] stains and dust.