dharma-cakra-pravartana-sūtra
The Sutra of the Complete Turning of the Wheel of the Teaching
I prostrate before the Three Jewels!
Thus have I heard once.
Thus have I heard once.
The Blessed One was staying in the country of Varanasi, in the Deer Park in Isipatana. Then the Blessed One called the five monks and said the following:
Monks! One who has renounced the world (a shramana) should not adhere to two extremes. Whosoever craves all this here and is attached to happiness acts unworthily and basely. Since ordinary people possess an absence of meaning, those who do not proclaim suffering, being free from the fatigue of the body in regard to everything, also possess an absence of meaning.
Monks! This is the boundary of the two extremes into which one should not fall. The Tathagata, after becoming the manifestly perfect Buddha, proclaimed this middle path. It grants the eye, grants primordial wisdom, leads to pacification, creates clairvoyance, leads to true realization, and directly introduces into nirvana.
Monks! What is this middle path uttered by the Tathagata after attaining [the state of] the manifestly perfect Buddha? It grants the eye, grants primordial wisdom, leads to complete pacification, to clairvoyance, to true realization, and directly introduces into nirvana. The middle path is the noble eightfold path. The eight branches are as follows: right view; right intention; right speech; right conduct; right lifestyle; right diligence; right mindfulness; right concentration. This middle path was uttered by the Tathagata after becoming the truly perfect Buddha. It grants the eye, grants knowledge, leads to pacification, to clairvoyance, to true realization, and directly introduces into nirvana.
O monks, this is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, old age is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; meeting with the unloved is suffering, separation from the loved is suffering; when one strives for the desired and does not find it—this too is suffering; in brief, the five skandhas with attachments are suffering.
O monks, this is the noble truth of the source of all suffering: it is the thirst for everything, which generates the possession of elements, with exultant passion, finding satisfaction in this and in that. Namely: the thirst for sensual pleasures, the thirst for existence in samsara, and the thirst for deliverance from samsara.
O monks, this is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: it is the liberation from attachment to this very thirst without remainder, the cessation [of it], the discarding, the renunciation, the liberation, and the absence of despondency (indecision) in [this] liberation.
O monks, this is the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. This is the noble eightfold path, namely: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right lifestyle, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
Monks! [Upon contemplating the thought]: “This is the noble truth of suffering,” that was a teaching never heard before. And then the eye was born, higher knowledge was born, wisdom was born, clairvoyance was born, and radiance was born. And further: “This—the noble truth of suffering, is that which must be known.” And in relation to the Teaching never heard before, the eye was born, higher knowledge was born, wisdom was born, knowing was born, and pure light was born.
[Upon contemplating the thought]: “This is the noble truth of the cause of suffering,” O monks, in relation to teachings never heard before, the eye was born, higher knowledge was born, wisdom was born, clairvoyance was born, and pure light was born. And further: “This noble truth of the cause of suffering is that which must be discarded.”
Monks! Since this teaching was never heard before, the eye was born, knowledge was born, wisdom was born, knowing was born, radiance was born.
[Upon contemplating the thought]: “This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering,” O monks, in relation to teachings never heard before, the eye was born, higher knowledge was born, wisdom was born, clairvoyance was born, and pure light was born. And further: “This noble truth of the cessation of suffering must be realized directly.”
Monks! In relation to teachings never heard before, the eye was born, higher knowledge was born, wisdom was born, knowing was born, and pure light was born.
[Upon contemplating the thought]: “This is the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering,” O monks, is a Teaching never heard before. And in relation to it, the eye was born, higher knowledge was born, wisdom was born, knowing was born, and pure light was born. And further: “This noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering must be realized in meditation.”
[Upon contemplating the thought]: “This is the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering,” O monks, is a Teaching never heard before. And in relation to it, the eye was born, higher knowledge was born, wisdom was born, knowing was born, and pure light was born. And further: “This noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering must be realized in meditation.”
Monks! In relation to teachings never heard before, the eye was born, higher knowledge was born, wisdom was born, knowing was born, and pure light was born.
Monks! These four aspects explained in this manner are the noble truths! Since I repeated the contemplation of each of them three times, the vision of wisdom in these aspects, which presented themselves as twelve aspects, became perfectly pure.
Monks! If I am set aside, in the entire world, including the worlds of gods, the worlds of Mara, the worlds of Brahma, among shramanas and brahmins, rulers, gods, and humans, there is no other who would become the unsurpassed, truly perfect Buddha.
Monks! Since I repeated three times everything that corresponds to these four noble truths, the vision of wisdom in these aspects, which presented themselves as twelve aspects, became perfectly pure. And therefore, O monks, I directly realized that I have attained unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, becoming the manifestly perfect Buddha in the midst of this entire world with its gods, Maras, Brahmas, shramanas, brahmins, rulers, deities, and humans. This higher knowledge became visible to me; I attained a complete liberation never known before. I have reached nirvana without receiving existence, as if there is no remainder.
When the Blessed One said this, the five monks were filled with great joy at what was said by the Blessed One. As soon as this prophetic instruction was uttered, the litter [of delusions] completely fell away from the venerable Kaundinya, and the flawless, pure eye of the Teaching was born. [And he realized]:
All phenomena that arise even as small, present themselves with the quality of cessation.
All phenomena that arise even as small, present themselves with the quality of cessation.
When the Blessed One excellently turned the great wheel of the Teaching, the gods of the earth loudly proclaimed praise:
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in this world was capable of turning this Wheel! But the Blessed One, staying in Varanasi, in the Deer Park in Isipatana, excellently turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching, which no one turned before!
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in this world was capable of turning this Wheel! But the Blessed One, staying in Varanasi, in the Deer Park in Isipatana, excellently turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching, which no one turned before!
Hearing the cry of the earth spirits, the deities of the world of the four great guardian kings also loudly proclaimed praise:
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in the world was capable of this! But the Blessed One, being in Varanasi, in the Deer Park, turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching!
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in the world was capable of this! But the Blessed One, being in Varanasi, in the Deer Park, turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching!
Hearing the cry of the deities of the world of the four great kings, the gods of the world of the Thirty-Three loudly proclaimed praise:
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in this world was capable of turning this Wheel! But the Blessed One, staying in Varanasi, in the Deer Park in Isipatana, excellently turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching, which no one turned before!
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in this world was capable of turning this Wheel! But the Blessed One, staying in Varanasi, in the Deer Park in Isipatana, excellently turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching, which no one turned before!
Hearing the cry of the gods of the world of the Thirty-Three, the deities of the world of Yama loudly proclaimed praise:
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in the world was capable of this! But the Blessed One, being in Varanasi, in the Deer Park, turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching!
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in the world was capable of this! But the Blessed One, being in Varanasi, in the Deer Park, turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching!
Hearing the cry of the deities of the world of Yama, the gods of the Tushita heavens loudly proclaimed praise:
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in the world was capable of this! But the Blessed One, being in Varanasi, in the Deer Park, turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching!
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in the world was capable of this! But the Blessed One, being in Varanasi, in the Deer Park, turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching!
Hearing the cry of the gods of the Tushita heavens, the deities of the world of Nirmanarati loudly proclaimed praise:
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in the world was capable of this! But the Blessed One, being in Varanasi, in the Deer Park, turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching!
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in the world was capable of this! But the Blessed One, being in Varanasi, in the Deer Park, turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching!
Hearing the cry of the deities of the world of Nirmanarati, the gods of the Paranirmita-vashavartin world loudly proclaimed praise:
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in the world was capable of this! But the Blessed One, being in Varanasi, in the Deer Park, turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching!
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in the world was capable of this! But the Blessed One, being in Varanasi, in the Deer Park, turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Teaching!
Hearing the cry of the gods of the Paranirmita-vashavartin world, the deities of the world of Brahma loudly proclaimed praise:
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in the world was capable of turning this Wheel! But the Blessed One, staying in Varanasi, in the Deer Park in Isipatana, excellently turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Dharma!
Neither shramanas, nor brahmins, nor gods, nor Maras, nor Brahmas, and no one else in the world was capable of turning this Wheel! But the Blessed One, staying in Varanasi, in the Deer Park in Isipatana, excellently turned this unsurpassed Wheel of the Dharma!
Then, at that very instant, at that second, this great cry filled the entire space up to the heavenly worlds of Brahma. And from this sound, all ten thousand worlds completely shook, came into powerful motion, and trembled. Everything around was filled with alertness, astonishment, and dazzling, purest light—this is precisely what visibly occurred in all worlds. This came to pass in all inhabited worlds, and the deities, having heard this sermon of the Teaching from the mouth of Brahma, dispersed to their own abodes.
Then the Blessed One majestically uttered the following:
Kaundinya has completely realized everything! The All-Knowing Kaundinya has comprehended everything!
And it is precisely for this reason that the venerable Kaundinya obtained his name—Kaundinya the All-Knowing.
This concludes the sutra of the complete turning of the Wheel of the Teaching.
Kaundinya has completely realized everything! The All-Knowing Kaundinya has comprehended everything!
And it is precisely for this reason that the venerable Kaundinya obtained his name—Kaundinya the All-Knowing.
This concludes the sutra of the complete turning of the Wheel of the Teaching.
[This work], executed in the great monastery of Pal Tharpa Ling—the abode of those who speak in two languages (translators), was translated, verified, and finally approved before the face of the great pandita Anandashri—a native of the island of Singhala (Sri Lanka), descending from the brahmin caste, who flawlessly accepted the monastic vow of renunciation and full ordination, whose heart has perfectly mastered the Tripitaka.
[The translation was carried out] by the much-hearing translator, the Shakyasimha bhikshu Nyima Gyaltsen Palzangpo by the decree of Kuzhang Drakpa Gyaltsen of Shalu [Monastery]—he who possesses unshakeable faith in the teaching of the Enlightened One, whose mind has thoroughly comprehended both systems of knowledge, whose holy wealth and power increase like the moon in its white [waxing] phase.
[The text was delivered] from Bodh Gaya, the very essence of Enlightenment, a place located at a distance of about six hundred yojanas to the south.
May [this teaching] remain on earth like the Sun and the Moon!
Translated by Lama Dondrub Dorje Tulku.
May [this teaching] remain on earth like the Sun and the Moon!
Translated by Lama Dondrub Dorje Tulku.