Dharmacakra-pravardan day!!!

The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta Pali; Dharmacakra Pravartana Sūtra, Sanskrit; The  Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dharma, English; 转法轮经, Chinese

In this coming week, Monday, July 23, 2012 is the Dharmacakra-pravardan day. The event of Dharma Chakra-pravardana is known as one of the most important event within Buddhist all over the world. It was the event that Buddha taught his first teaching at Saranath in Varanasi after his enlightenment in Bodhgaya, Vihar known as Bihar in present days. 

This day holds as one of the most important day and it should be. But, it should hold to understand the teaching of Buddha not in sense of just gathering or pray or party etc..

In this Dharmacakra-pravardan discourse, the Buddha addresses five monks who attended to him just prior to his Enlightenment. The Buddha cautions the monks against pursuing either of two extremes: worldly sensual pleasures or painful self-mortification. The Buddha refers to the path that avoids these extremes as the "Middle Way" (majjhimā patipadā).

The Buddha then states that the middle way he awakened to involves pursuing a "Noble Eightfold Path" (ariyo atthangiko maggo) that includes "right" (sammā) understanding, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration. This path leads to vision, knowledge, peace, enlightenment and Nibbana.

The Buddha then identifies the following "Four Noble Truths":

1.     Suffering (dukkha) involves birth, aging, illness, death, being with what is displeasing, being separated from what is pleasing, not getting what one wants, and "in brief" the five aggregates-of-clinging (pancupādānakkhandhā).

2.     Suffering's origin (dukkhasamudayo) is craving (tanhā) for sensual pleasures, existence and extermination.

3.     Suffering's end (dukkhanirodho) comes from the relinquishment of and freedom from this craving.

4.     The path leading to suffering's end is the aforementioned Noble Eightfold Path.

These Four Noble Truths should be individually achieved in a threefold manner: the noble truth is recognized, its pursuit envisioned, its attainment fully achieved. The Buddha relays that, once he achieved each of the four truths in this threefold manner, he awakened to unsurpassed perfect"Enlightenment" (anuttaram sammāsambodhim ). While each of the monks listening to the Buddha delighted in his words, one in particular, Ven. Kondanna, understood. Thus the Dhamma-Wheel had been set unstoppably in motion.

Well, on the behalf of the Sera Jey Monastery I, Geshe Thubten Sherab wishes to you all-event holder-that there be an Ahimsa Cakra that turns around unstoppably in this world through our day to day practice of eight noble paths. Thank you!!!

by Geshey Thubten Sherab