Commentary
on The Dharmacakrapravartana Sutra:
The Sutra on Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dharma
by
John Malcomson
The Dharmacakrapravartana
Sutra is known as the first sermon given by the Buddha. Buddha
was born Siddartha Gautama in the land of the Shakyas in northern
India. He was a prince and lived a life of luxury. He was
uninterested in being a king and was often found meditating
on the mysteries of life. His father was very protective of
Siddartha because it had been predicted that his son would
be either a great king or a great spiritual teacher. His father
knew that if his son saw the suffering in life he would be
more likely to become a teacher. Nonetheless Siddartha was
destined to witness old age, sickness, and death. This caused
great compassion to arise in the prince and he vowed he would
somehow attain enlightenment, and teach others how to escape
the cycle of birth and death ( experience cessation, nirvana).
Eventually
he escaped from the palace and became a wandering ascetic
going from one spiritual teacher to another but never finding
one who was completely enlightened. After six years he gave
up the ascetic torture of his body, ate, bathed, and went
into deep meditation under the Bodhi tree on the banks of
the Neranjara river. On the eighth day he was completely enlightened
at the moment when he saw the morning star rise. He stayed
in the area for about seven weeks. Then he journeyed out to
find his old teachers, Alarma Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputra.
He was confident that they would attain enlightenment right
away. Unfortunately they had both passed away.1
Instead he went to Benares (also known as Varanasi), to teach
the five ascetics that he had once practiced with. After finding
his old friends he spoke this sutra:
Thus
have I heard: Once, when the Blessed One was dwelling in Benares,
at the Deer Park in Rsivadana, he spoke to the "Fortunate
Five," the group of elders who were his first disciples.2
Every
sutra begins with the phrase "Thus have I heard." At the time
of the Buddha none of the sutras were written down. The monks
memorized the sutras and chanted them together to help with
the memorization. The authority on the sutras after Buddha's
death was his attendant Ananda. In addition to the sutras,
Ananda memorized any stories people told about the Buddha
and some of the other monks.
The "Fortunate
Five" had done ascetic practices during the previous six years
with Siddartha, and had seen right after they met him the
first time, that he had great potential and watched him quickly
master the ascetic and mediation practices of the period.
However when he realized that the ascetic path was too extreme
they were very disappointed. They were proud of their asceticism
and were convinced that transcending the body's needs was
the only path to enlightenment. Before the Buddha arrived
at Deer Park, they were told that he was coming. They decided
to ignore him, and not offer him a seat or any water. To them
he had forsaken the only true path, and paid too much attention
to the needs of his body. However when they saw him walking
towards them they could see that he had had some powerful
experience and was glowing with realization. They prepared
a seat for him, gave him some water, and asked him to tell
them what had happened. He told them that he had become enlightened,
and that he could teach them how to do it. Since they wanted
to learn about the realization he had experienced, they said
to him, "We will listen.".3 In the sutras it became
a tradition for someone to ask the Buddha, or a disciple to
speak by asking a question or making a request to hear the
dharma. This tradition made has affected how Buddhism has
spread from India. For the most part Buddhism has not been
evangelical. Like the Buddha, teachers usually don’t offer
to teach unless requested. Buddha continued:
"Monks,"
he said, "for one who has wandered forth, there are two extremes.
What two? On the one hand, there is attachment to sensual
pleasures; this is vulgar, common, ignoble, purposeless, not
conducive to a chaste and studious life, to disgust with the
world, to aversion from passion, to cessation, monkhood, enlightenment
or nirvana.
This
is the extreme that Buddha experienced growing up in his father's
palace in Kapilavastu. He was saying here that this lifestyle
was self-perpetuating. It was an easy trap to be stuck in.
In it the idealized future was simply more pleasure and possessions.
Such a person was never satisfied and always wanted more.
"On
the other hand, there is addiction to exhausting the self
through asceticism; this is suffering, ignoble, and purposeless.
This
was the path the ascetics were on. This also was self-perpetuating.
In it the ideal future was to completely transcend the body
by not giving into desires to sustain it. Essentially the
body was seen as an evil pleasure to be given up in order
to live only on a spiritual level.
"Monks,
for one who has wandered forth, these are the two extremes.
Here
Buddha is stating that these two options were the ones that
presented themselves for those wishing to live a spiritual
life and attain enlightenment. There was either religion as
a scholarly pursuit or as a priest in the rich temples, or
the tortuous life of an ascetic.
A story
is often told that when Buddha was still an ascetic he was
sitting under a tree near the river meditating. Along the
river came a small boat with a musician and his student on
board. As the student was tuning his guitar, his teacher told
him that if he tunes a string too tight it will break, and
if he tunes it too loose the guitar will not play. When he
heard this, he realized that the ascetic life was too tight,
and that he needed to take care of his body in order for it
not to distract his mind from his meditation.
"Staying
with the Tathagata’s Noble Doctrine and Disciple, away from
both extremes, is the middle course,
Here
is the middle way, much like the story immediately above.
"Tathagata" means the "thus gone one" ( or one who experienced
cessation) which was the title the Buddha used to refer to
himself.
"fully
realized (by the Buddha), bringing about insight, and conducive
to tranquility, disgust with the world, aversion from passion,
cessation, monkhood, enlightenment, and nirvana….
Here
he is emphasizing a kind of balance. The "tranquility" is
living in equanimity. By "disgust with the world" he means
the realization that beings are just treading the wheel of
life over and over, that is being born, dying, and being born
again (reincarnating), only to suffer during each life. "Aversion
from passion" means to no longer be controlled by your passions.
It means to consider the consequences and effects of your
actions, rather than act on a whim. "Cessation" is the ending
of the cycle of birth and death. "Monkhood" refers to going
from home to homelessness in the pursuit of a spiritual life.
"Furthermore,
monks, there are Four Noble Truths. What four? The Noble Truth
of suffering, the Noble Truth of origination of suffering,
the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering, and the Noble
Truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering.
The Four
Noble Truths, which as you will see include the Eightfold
Path, are considered the backbone of practice and the basics
that all schools of Buddhism follow.
"Now,
monks, what is the Noble Truth of suffering? Just this: Birth
is suffering, old age is suffering, sickness is suffering,
death is suffering.
Old age,
sickness, and death are the first three sights that I mentioned
earlier. These three plus the prince seeing a wandering mendicant
are considered the Four Sights. When the prince saw the mendicant,
and found out that the man had renounced his life in order
to attain enlightenment and help all beings escape the lifecycle
of suffering (samsara), he decided he must renounce the world
too. "Birth" is here above because anyone who is born experiences
suffering beginning with leaving the womb for the cold world.
"Suffering"
is the usual English translation of "dukha." "Dukha" means
"bad wheel-hole." This life is often like an uncomfortable
ride in a wagon with a badly made wheel.
"Involvement
with what is unpleasant is suffering. Separation from what
is pleasant is suffering. Also, not getting what one wants
and strives for is suffering. And Form is suffering, feeling
is suffering, perception is suffering, karmic constituents
are suffering, consciousness is suffering; in sum, these five
agglomerations, which are the basis of clinging to existence,
are suffering. This, monks, is the Noble Truth of suffering.
In speaking
about the "five agglomerations," which are often called the
five "skandhas," Buddha is explaining that suffering is caused
by our attachment to the world we perceive. In Buddhism the
world is said to be actually empty. It is "created" by our
own mind. "The mind is creator and created."4 That
is, our own perceptions create it and then we cling to the
world we created. This attachment is especially dangerous
because we see the world as separate from ourselves. In fact
the world and ourselves are one because there is no thing
that is I, or me. This is the concept of egolessness that
is central to Buddhism. Therefore "clinging to existence"
is being attached to our ego, or being egoistic.
"And
what is the Noble Truth of the origination of suffering? It
is the thirst for further existence, which comes along with
pleasure and passion and brings passing enjoyment here and
there. This, monks, is the Noble Truth of the origination
of suffering.
In general
we are controlled by what we want. We are often controlled
by what we think we need. Buddha is also saying that the thirst
we have for living forever keeps us coming back life after
life to experience suffering. The very fact of being born
creates suffering. We may have some happiness, but we always
experience suffering and seldom are we satisfied with the
happiness we are lucky enough to experience.
The types
of suffering are usually expressed as three: The suffering
of suffering- On top of the suffering of existing ( all pervasive
suffering), we experience more suffering. This suffering can
be physical or mental5, and can build upon an initial
experience of suffering. For example, making a mistake that
causes unpleasantness, and getting angry with our selves for
doing it.
The suffering
of change(alternation)- This manifests itself in three ways:
-thinking
that getting something we want will make us happy
-getting
things we don't want
-getting
things we want and then still not being satisfied
The suffering
of existence(all-pervasive)-this is the pain experienced in
being born, in everyday life, and dying.
"And
what is the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering? It
is this: the destruction without remainder of this very thirst
for further existence, which comes along with pleasure and
passion, bringing passing enjoyment here and there. It is
without passion. It is cessation, forsaking, abandoning, renunciation.
This, monks, is the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering.
In this
part of the sutra Buddha is explaining that if we end desire,
we will no longer experience suffering. "Cessation" is the
end and absence of our attachment to this world and the desire
that keeps it going. "Forsaking" is giving it up. "Forsaking"
and "abandoning" happen sometime after opening your mind to
realizing that the world is created by our desires.
"Renunciation"
is giving up our clinging or attachment. It is giving up not
only material things but also mental formations (or creations)
that we usually think of as existing solidly. This goes along
with the Buddhist notion of impermanence. In Buddhism nothing
is permanent. Everything we see or think is only temporary,
and its very temporariness makes it non-existent ultimately.
Just as a building eventually crumbles to dust, so does our
body. Also in our mind thoughts arise, then disappear as we
think of something else.
"And
what is the Noble Truth of the way leading to the cessation
of suffering? Just this: the Eightfold Noble Path, consisting
of right views, right intention, right effort, right action,
right livelihood, right speech, right mindfulness, right meditation.
This, monks, is the Noble Truth leading to the cessation of
suffering.
Here
is Buddha's guide to how to be a good honest person and use
your life to its most helpful extent. "Right views" means
to have correct thoughts and opinions. Unfortunately no one
can tell you what these are. Like the other seven parts of
the Eightfold Path you must find each of these out for yourself.
Basically it could be said to mean having consideration for
others and thinking of yourself at the same time as not being
separate from existence. "Right intention" means doing things
with the intention of helping others or of making it easier
for you to help others. "Right effort" is making an effort
to become enlightened in order to teach others. "Right action"
is doing things that do not cause harm to others, but hopefully
help them to be happy. "Right livelihood" is doing work that
is of service to all beings, doesn't hurt people or encourage
attachment, or basically causes no harm. "Right speech" is
speaking only the truth and only when helpful or necessary.
It is also avoiding gossip or harsh words to anyone. "Right
mindfulness" is considering the effects or consequences of
your actions, and doing things carefully so as not to waste
energy. "Right meditation" is meditating skillfully in order
to become enlightened with no expectations of benefit to yourself.
So the Eightfold Path is a guide to how to live your life
and also to becoming enlightened not only in mind but also
in conduct.
"‘This
is suffering…. This is the origination of suffering…. This
is the cessation of suffering…. This is the way that leads
to the cessation of suffering’: monks, from these basic mental
realizations, according to doctrines that were not handed
down from previous teachers, there were produced in me knowledge,
insight, understanding, enlightenment, intelligence, and wisdom;
illumination became manifest.
Here
Buddha is indicating that these ideas were not taught to him
by a teacher, but revealed to him as he discovered his own
buddha-nature. Since there is nothing outside of oneself,
then enlightenment is a process of uncovering the realization
inside of you. Buddha is not bragging here but this came to
be understood as meaning that we are already enlightened we
just have to realize it. Ultimately enlightenment is achieved
on our own just as Buddha's was. We are lucky to have access
to teachers, but a teacher doesn’t make our obstacles to enlightenment
disappear. We must do that ourselves. We cannot completely
rely on outside help.6
Many
statues of Buddha show him touching the earth with one hand.
It is said that before he became completely enlightened, while
he was sitting beneath the Bodhi tree, the mythological personification
of evil (Mara) asked him that if he became enlightened who
would confirm it since he had no teacher who was enlightened.
Buddha indicated that the earth will testify to his enlightenment.
"This
Noble Truth of suffering is to be thoroughly known…. This
origination of suffering is to be given up…. This Noble Truth
of the cessation of suffering is to be realized….This Noble
Truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering is
to be cultivated’: monks, from this basic mental realization,
according to doctrines that were not handed down from previous
teachers, there were produced in me knowledge, insight, understanding,
enlightenment, intelligence, and wisdom; illumination became
manifest.
Here
Buddha shows how one can progress through the Four Noble Truths
and onto the Eightfold Path.
"This
Noble Truth of suffering has come to be known thoroughly….
This origination of suffering has been given up…. This Noble
Truth of the cessation of suffering has been realized….This
Noble Truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering
has been actualized’: monks, from this basic mental realization,
according to doctrines that were not handed down from previous
teachers, there were produced in me knowledge, insight, understanding,
enlightenment, intelligence, and wisdom; illumination became
manifest.
The above
points out that since he achieved enlightenment through this
method so can others.
"And
monks, as long as I did not perceive, with right wisdom, these
Four Noble Truths as they are, thrice-turned and in their
twelve aspects, I could not claim to have fully attained unsurpassed
complete enlightenment, nor would there be produced knowledge
in me, nor would I have realized certain emancipation of the
mind. But since, monks, I did perceive, with right wisdom,
these Four Noble Truths as they are, thrice-turned and in
their twelve aspects, I know I have fully attained unsurpassed
complete enlightenment. Knowledge was produced in me, and
I did realize certain emancipation of the mind, liberation
through wisdom."
Here
he emphasizes how the holistic nature of the Four Noble Truths
and the Eightfold Path convinced him that he had experienced
complete enlightenment.
Thus
the Buddha spoke while residing in Benares, at the Deer Park
in Rsivadana. And hearing this explanation, the Venerable
Ajnata Kaundinya’s understanding was awakened, and he attained
the perfectly pure, pristine, unstained Dharma-eye into the
nature of things….
After
Buddha spoke this sermon it is said that one of the five ascetics
became enlightened. The ascetics practices had prepared their
minds for this teaching though only one of them was completely
open to the ideas presented. Only the ascetic Kaundinya was
sufficiently unattached to his ascetic practices, and at the
appropriate level of skill in meditation and especially listening
with no preconceptions. He was the first follower to become
an arhat ( one who has attained liberation from existence).
During the weeks immediately following the other five also
realized the truth of Buddha’s teachings and became his first
real disciples.7 Now the community of followers
or "sangha" came into being.
Buddha
continued to teach until his death at the age of eighty. When
he died it is said that he entered parinirvana, or the state
wherein he became one with all things and escaped the suffering
of the continuous cycle of birth and death.
Notes:
1 Old
Path, White Clouds, Thich Nhat Hanh, pg. 140
2 The
Experience of Buddhism, John Strong, ed., pg.32-34
3 Three
Jewels lecture, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, 9/29/99
4 "Breeze
of Simplicity" lecture, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, 11/6/99
5 Three
Jewels lecture, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, 11/10/99
6 "Breeze
of Simplicity" lecture, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, 11/5/99
7 "Breeze
of Simplicity" lecture, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, 11/5/99
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/6198/
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/6198/1stsermon.html
