Samyutta Nikaya - Sacca Samyutta

Samyutta Nikaya - Sacca Samyutta

SN 56.11
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Alternate translation:HarveyÑanamoliPiyadassiThanissaro
PTS: S v 420
CDB ii 1843



Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.



Copyright © 1993 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 1993
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish,
however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available
to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and
other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
Other formats:



I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Varanasi in the
Game Refuge at Isipatana. There he addressed the group of five monks:
"There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in by one who has gone
forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual pleasure with reference to
sensual objects: base, vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable; and that which is
devoted to self-affliction: painful, ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding both of
these extremes, the middle way realized by the Tathagata — producing vision,
producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to
Unbinding.
"And what is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that — producing vision,
producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to
Unbinding? Precisely this Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right resolve, right
speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right
concentration. This is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that — producing
vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding.
"Now this, monks, is the noble truth of stress:1 Birth is stressful, aging is
stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair
are stressful; association with the unbeloved is stressful, separation from the
loved is stressful, not getting what is wanted is stressful. In short, the five
clinging-aggregates are stressful.
"And this, monks, is the noble truth of the origination of stress: the craving
that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion & delight, relishing
now here & now there — i.e., craving for sensual pleasure, craving for becoming,
craving for non-becoming.
"And this, monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of stress: the
remainderless fading & cessation, renunciation, relinquishment, release, &
letting go of that very craving.
"And this, monks, is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the
cessation of stress: precisely this Noble Eightfold Path — right view, right
resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, right concentration.
"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination
arose within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble
truth of stress'... 'This noble truth of stress is to be comprehended'... 'This
noble truth of stress has been comprehended.'
"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination
arose within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble
truth of the origination of stress'... 'This noble truth of the origination of
stress is to be abandoned' 2 ... 'This noble truth of the origination of stress
has been abandoned.'
"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination
arose within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble
truth of the cessation of stress'... 'This noble truth of the cessation of
stress is to be directly experienced'... 'This noble truth of the cessation of
stress has been directly experienced.'
"Vision arose, insight arose, discernment arose, knowledge arose, illumination
arose within me with regard to things never heard before: 'This is the noble
truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress'... 'This noble
truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress is to be
developed'... 'This noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation
of stress has been developed.' 3
"And, monks, as long as this — my three-round, twelve-permutation knowledge &
vision concerning these four noble truths as they have come to be was — not
pure, I did not claim to have directly awakened to the right self-awakening
unexcelled in the cosmos with its deities, Maras, & Brahmas, with its
contemplatives & priests, its royalty & commonfolk. But as soon as this — my
three-round, twelve-permutation knowledge & vision concerning these four noble
truths as they have come to be — was truly pure, then I did claim to have
directly awakened to the right self-awakening unexcelled in the cosmos with its
deities, Maras & Brahmas, with its contemplatives & priests, its royalty &
commonfolk. Knowledge & vision arose in me: 'Unprovoked is my release. This is
the last birth. There is now no further becoming.'"
That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the group of five monks delighted
at his words. And while this explanation was being given, there arose to Ven.
Kondañña the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye: Whatever is subject to origination
is all subject to cessation.
And when the Blessed One had set the Wheel of Dhamma in motion, the earth devas
cried out: "At Varanasi, in the Game Refuge at Isipatana, the Blessed One has
set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by priest or
contemplative, deva, Mara or God or anyone in the cosmos." On hearing the earth
devas' cry, the devas of the Four Kings' Heaven took up the cry... the devas of
the Thirty-three... the Yama devas... the Tusita devas... the Nimmanarati
devas... the Paranimmita-vasavatti devas... the devas of Brahma's retinue took
up the cry: "At Varanasi, in the Game Refuge at Isipatana, the Blessed One has
set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by priest or
contemplative, deva, Mara, or God or anyone at all in the cosmos."
So in that moment, that instant, the cry shot right up to the Brahma worlds. And
this ten-thousand fold cosmos shivered & quivered & quaked, while a great,
measureless radiance appeared in the cosmos, surpassing the effulgence of the
devas.
Then the Blessed One exclaimed: "So you really know, Kondañña? So you really
know?" And that is how Ven. Kondañña acquired the name Añña-Kondañña — Kondañña
who knows.



Notes
1. The Pali phrases for the four noble truths are grammatical anomalies. From
these anomalies, some scholars have argued that the expression "noble truth" is
a later addition to the texts. Others have argued even further that the content
of the four truths is also a later addition. Both of these arguments are based
on the unproven assumption that the language the Buddha spoke was grammatically
regular, and that any irregularities were later corruptions of the language.
This assumption forgets that the languages of the Buddha's time were oral
dialects, and that the nature of such dialects is to contain many grammatical
irregularities. Languages tend to become regular only when being used to govern
a large nation state or to produce a large body of literature: events that
happened in India only after the Buddha's time. (A European example: Italian was
a group of irregular oral dialects until Dante fashioned it into a regular
language for the sake of his poetry.) Thus the irregularity of the Pali here is
no proof either for the earliness or lateness of this particular teaching.
2. Another argument for the lateness of the expression "noble truth" is that a
truth — meaning an accurate statement about a body of facts — is not something
that should be abandoned. In this case, only the craving is to be abandoned, not
the truth about craving. However, in Vedic Sanskrit — as in modern English — a
"truth" can mean both a fact and an accurate statement about a fact. Thus in
this case, the "truth" is the fact, not the statement about the fact, and the
argument for the lateness of the expression does not hold.
3. The discussion in the four paragraphs beginning with the phrase, "Vision
arose...," takes two sets of variables — the four noble truths and the three
levels of knowledge appropriate to each — and lists their twelve permutations.
In ancient Indian philosophical and legal traditions, this sort of discussion is
called a wheel. Thus, this passage is the Wheel of Dhamma from which the
discourse takes its name.


SN 56.31
Simsapa Sutta
The Simsapa Leaves

Once the Blessed One was staying at Kosambi in the simsapa1 forest. Then,
picking up a few simsapa leaves with his hand, he asked the monks, "What do you
think, monks: Which are more numerous, the few simsapa leaves in my hand or
those overhead in the simsapa forest?"
"The leaves in the hand of the Blessed One are few in number, lord. Those
overhead in the simsapa forest are more numerous."
"In the same way, monks, those things that I have known with direct knowledge
but have not taught are far more numerous [than what I have taught]. And why
haven't I taught them? Because they are not connected with the goal, do not
relate to the rudiments of the holy life, and do not lead to disenchantment, to
dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to
Unbinding. That is why I have not taught them.
"And what have I taught? 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress...
This is the cessation of stress... This is the path of practice leading to the
cessation of stress': This is what I have taught. And why have I taught these
things? Because they are connected with the goal, relate to the rudiments of the
holy life, and lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to
direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding. This is why I have taught
them.
"Therefore your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is the
origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the
contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of
stress.'"



Note
1. The Pandanus Database of Plants identifies the simsapa tree as Dalbergia
sympathetica. The article "Dalbergias in Hortus malabaricus" (Thothathri and
Nair, Taxon 30(1):43-47, February 1981) mentions the naming authority for this
species as "Nimmo 1839". Thus the full botanical name of the simsapa tree would
be: Dalbergia sympathetica Nimmo 1839. [Thanks to Tom Phelan (2007) for tracking
this down. If anyone has a photo of this tree or its leaves, I'd be delighted to
post it here. — ATI ed.]


SN 56.42
Papata Sutta
The Drop-off

On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Rajagaha at Vulture's Peak.
Then he said to the monks, "Come, monks, let's go to Inspiration1 Peak for the
day's abiding."
"As you say, lord," the monks responded.
Then the Blessed One together with a large number of monks went to Inspiration
Peak. One of the monks saw the huge drop-off from Inspiration Peak and, on
seeing it, said to the Blessed One, "Wow, what a huge drop-off! What a really
huge drop-off!2 Is there any drop-off more huge & frightening than this?"
"There is, monk, a drop-off more huge & frightening than this."
"And which drop-off, lord, is more huge & frightening than this?"
"Any priests or contemplatives who do not know, as it actually is present, that
'This is stress'; who do not know, as it actually is present, that 'This is the
origination of stress'... 'This is the cessation of stress'... 'This is the path
of practice leading to the cessation of stress': They revel in (thought-)
fabrications leading to birth; they revel in fabrications leading to aging; they
revel in fabrications leading to death; they revel in fabrications leading to
sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Reveling in fabrications leading
to birth... aging... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair,
they fabricate fabrications leading to birth... aging... death... sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Fabricating fabrications leading to
birth... aging... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair, they
drop over the drop-off of birth. They drop over the drop-off of aging... the
drop-off of death... the drop-off of sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, &
despair. They are not totally released from birth, aging, death, sorrows,
lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs. They are not totally released, I
tell you, from suffering & stress.
"But as for any priests or contemplatives who do know, as it actually is
present, that 'This is stress'; who know, as it actually is present, that 'This
is the origination of stress'... 'This is the cessation of stress'... 'This is
the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress': They don't revel in
(thought-) fabrications leading to birth; don't revel in fabrications leading to
aging; don't revel in fabrications leading to death; don't revel in fabrications
leading to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Not reveling in
fabrications leading to birth... aging... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain,
distress, & despair, they don't fabricate fabrications leading to birth...
aging... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Not
fabricating fabrications leading to birth... aging... death... sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair, they don't drop over the drop-off of
birth. They don't drop over the drop-off of aging, don't drop over the drop-off
of death, don't drop over the drop-off of sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, &
despair. They are totally released from birth, aging, death, sorrows,
lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs. They are totally released, I tell
you, from suffering & stress.
"Therefore, monks, your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is
the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the
contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of
stress.'"



Notes
1. Pa.tibhaana.
2. The Thai edition has "really huge drop-off" here. The Burmese and PTS
editions have "really frightening drop-off." Both readings are found in parallel
passages in other suttas in this section in all three editions, so it's hard to
decide which reading is more likely to be the original one.
See also: SN 56.46


SN 56.44
Kuta Sutta
Gabled

"Monks, if anyone were to say, 'Without having broken through to the noble truth
of stress as it actually is present, without having broken through to the noble
truth of the origination of stress... the cessation of stress... the path of
practice leading to the cessation of stress, as it actually is present, I will
bring about the right ending of stress,' that would be an impossibility. Just as
if someone were to say, 'Without having built the lower story of a gabled
building, I will put up the upper story,' that would be an impossibility; in the
same way, if anyone were to say, 'Without having broken through to the noble
truth of stress as it actually is present, without having broken through to the
noble truth of the origination of stress... the cessation of stress... the path
of practice leading to the cessation of stress, as it actually is present, I
will bring about the right ending of stress,' that would be an impossibility.
"If anyone were to say, 'Having broken through to the noble truth of stress as
it actually is present, having broken through to the noble truth of the
origination of stress... the cessation of stress... the path of practice leading
to the cessation of stress, as it actually is present, I will bring about the
right ending of stress,' that would be a possibility. Just as if someone were to
say, 'Having built the lower story of a gabled building, I will put up the upper
story,' that would be a possibility; in the same way, if anyone were to say,
'Having broken through to the noble truth of stress as it actually is present,
having broken through to the noble truth of the origination of stress... the
cessation of stress... the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress,
as it actually is present, I will bring about the right ending of stress,' that
would be a possibility.
"Therefore, monks, your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is
the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the
contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of
stress.'"



See also: SN 56.45


SN 56.45
Vala Sutta
The Horsehair

On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Vesali at the Gabled Hall in
the Great Forest. Then in the early morning, Ven. Ananda, having put on his robe
and carrying his bowl and outer robe, went into Vesali for alms. He saw a large
number of Licchavi boys practicing archery in the stadium building. From a
distance they were shooting arrows through a tiny keyhole without missing, one
right after the other. On seeing this, the thought occurred to him, "How trained
these Licchavi boys are, how well-trained these Licchavi boys are, in that from
a distance they can shoot arrows through a tiny keyhole without missing, one
right after the other!"
Then, having gone for alms in Vesali, after his meal, returning from his alms
round, Ven. Ananda went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to
him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, he said to the Blessed One: "Just
now, lord, in the early morning, having put on my robe and carrying my bowl and
outer robe, I went into Vesali for alms. I saw a large number of Licchavi boys
practicing archery in the stadium building. From a distance they were shooting
arrows through a tiny keyhole without missing, one right after the other. On
seeing this, the thought occurred to me 'How trained these Licchavi boys are,
how well-trained these Licchavi boys are, in that from a distance they can shoot
arrows through a tiny keyhole without missing, one right after the other!'"
"What do you think, Ananda: Which is harder to do, harder to master — to shoot
arrows through a tiny keyhole without missing, one right after the other, or to
take a horsehair split into seven strands and pierce tip with a tip?"1
"This, lord, is harder to do, harder to master — to take a horsehair split into
seven strands and pierce tip with a tip."
"And they, Ananda, pierce what is even harder to pierce, those who pierce, as it
actually is present, that 'This is stress'; who pierce, as it actually is
present, that 'This is the origination of stress'... 'This is the cessation of
stress'... 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.'
"Therefore, Ananda, your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is
the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the
contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of
stress.'"



Notes
1. The Commentary tries to convert this feat into an archery trick, in which one
fastens a strand of horsehair on an eggplant and another strand on the tip of an
arrow, and then backs off to shoot the hair on the eggplant with the hair
fastened on the arrow. This, however, sounds more like one of the impossible
feats of marksmanship that Mark Twain once chided James Fenimore Cooper for
including in his Deerslayer books. Even assuming that the hair on the arrow
could withstand the force of the air pushing it back and actually stick straight
ahead to pierce the other hair, the speed and force of the arrow would demolish
any evidence that it had actually done so. Thus it seems more likely that the
Buddha is describing a more delicate feat bearing more resemblance to the
delicacy required in penetrating the four noble truths.
See also: SN 56.44


SN 56.46
Andhakara Sutta
Darkness

"There is, monks, an inter-cosmic1 void, an unrestrained darkness, a pitch-black
darkness, where even the light of the sun & moon — so mighty, so powerful —
doesn't reach."
When this was said, one of the monks said to the Blessed One, "Wow, what a great
darkness! What a really great darkness! Is there any darkness greater & more
frightening than that?"
"There is, monk, a darkness greater & more frightening than that."
"And which darkness, lord, is greater & more frightening than that?"
"Any priests or contemplatives who do not know, as it actually is present, that
'This is stress'; who do not know, as it actually is present, that 'This is the
origination of stress'... 'This is the cessation of stress'... 'This is the path
of practice leading to the cessation of stress': They revel in (thought-)
fabrications leading to birth; they revel in fabrications leading to aging; they
revel in fabrications leading to death; they revel in fabrications leading to
sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Reveling in fabrications leading
to birth... aging... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair,
they fabricate fabrications leading to birth... aging... death... sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Fabricating fabrications leading to
birth... aging... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair, they
drop into the darkness of birth. They drop into the darkness of aging... the
darkness of death... darkness of sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair.
They are not totally released from birth, aging, death, sorrows, lamentations,
pains, distresses, & despairs. They are not totally released, I tell you, from
suffering & stress.
"But as for any priests or contemplatives who do know, as it actually is
present, that 'This is stress'; who know, as it actually is present, that 'This
is the origination of stress'... 'This is the cessation of stress'... 'This is
the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress': They don't revel in
(thought-) fabrications leading to birth; don't revel in fabrications leading to
aging; don't revel in fabrications leading to death; don't revel in fabrications
leading to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Not reveling in
fabrications leading to birth... aging... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain,
distress, & despair, they don't fabricate fabrications leading to birth...
aging... death... sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Not
fabricating fabrications leading to birth... aging... death... sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, & despair, they don't drop into the darkness of
birth. They don't drop into the darkness of aging, don't drop into the darkness
of death, don't drop into the darkness of sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, &
despair. They are totally released from birth, aging, death, sorrows,
lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs. They are totally released, I tell
you, from suffering & stress.
"Therefore, monks, your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is
the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the
contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of
stress.'"



Notes
1. Or: intergalactic?
See also: SN 56.42


SN 56.48
Chiggala Sutta
The Hole

"Monks, suppose that this great earth were totally covered with water, and a man
were to toss a yoke with a single hole there. A wind from the east would push it
west, a wind from the west would push it east. A wind from the north would push
it south, a wind from the south would push it north. And suppose a blind
sea-turtle were there. It would come to the surface once every one hundred
years. Now what do you think: would that blind sea-turtle, coming to the surface
once every one hundred years, stick his neck into the yoke with a single hole?"
"It would be a sheer coincidence, lord, that the blind sea-turtle, coming to the
surface once every one hundred years, would stick his neck into the yoke with a
single hole."
"It's likewise a sheer coincidence that one obtains the human state. It's
likewise a sheer coincidence that a Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened,
arises in the world. It's likewise a sheer coincidence that a doctrine &
discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the world. Now, this human state
has been obtained. A Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened, has arisen in
the world. A doctrine & discipline expounded by a Tathagata appears in the
world.
"Therefore your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is the
origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the
contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of
stress.'"