Toh 31The Sūtra of Turning the Wheel of Dharma
Pāli / Sanskrit:Dharmacakrapravartanasūtra
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Commentary on the Sūtra of Turning the Wheel of Dharma (Dharmacakrapravartanasūtra)
Context
The Sūtra of Turning the Wheel of Dharma is one of the most foundational scriptures in the Northern Mahayana tradition. According to tradition, this is the discourse that Buddha Śākyamuni delivered immediately after attaining buddhahood beneath the Bodhi tree, or during the earliest period of his work of instruction. The setting is Sarnath near Vārāṇasī, where the Buddha met again the five monks who had followed him before he went forth in search of the path.
The act of “turning the wheel of Dharma” (dharmacakrapravartana) is a profoundly symbolic image in Buddhism. The wheel of Dharma is not merely the dissemination of doctrine, but the setting in motion of an unending movement of Dharma practice, a turning that brings salvation to all beings. This moment marks the Buddha’s formal beginning of his mission of instruction after realizing nirvana.
Main Content
The Sūtra of Turning the Wheel of Dharma has at its core the teaching of the Four Noble Truths, the four fundamental truths that the Buddha discovered in his awakening.
First is the Noble Truth of Suffering (duḥkhasatya): beings live in a state of suffering, including the suffering of karmic retribution, the suffering caused by unsatisfactory feeling, and the suffering of impermanence, the unstable nature of all things. Understanding suffering is not pessimism, but a clear recognition of the human condition.
Second is the Noble Truth of Origin (samudayasatya): the cause of suffering arises from craving (taṇhā), ceaseless thirst, including attachment to life, pleasure, and self-abandonment. The habitual tendencies (vāsanā) of craving are transmitted from the past, and deep understanding of the nature of desire is the key to liberation.
Third is the Noble Truth of Cessation (nirodhasatya): nirvana can be attained, the complete peace of greed, hatred, and delusion. This is not nothingness or loss of spirit, but the supreme reality realized by the Buddha.
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