The First Discourse of the Buddha

Two months after the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, he traveled to Sarnath, India. There he delivered his first discourse to a group of five ascetics in Deer Park. This teaching, known as the "First Turning of the Wheel of Dhamma" or the Dhammacakka Sutta, contains the foundational teachings of all Buddhism. In it the Buddha explains the way to freedom from suffering through the teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. With this new translation and its verse-by-verse commentary, Dr. Dhamma brings fresh insight to the Dhammacakka Sutta. Drawing on the rich Burmese monastic scholarly tradition and his own experiences as a vipassana practitioner, Dr. Dhamma makes clear the precise steps necessary for the realization of the teachings contained in the Buddha's first discourse.