The Buddha’s first sermon was called the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta which means the establishment of wisdom, or the Turning of the wheel of Truth. It was preached on the full moon day of July, called Asalha.This sermon was preached to the five ascetics at the Deer Park in Isipatana (now called Sarnath), near Benares. Many Devas and Brahmas were present to listen to the sermon.
This Buddha started the sermon by advising them to give up two extremes. These were the enjoyment of sensual pleasures and the tormenting of the body (self indulgence and self mortification).
He advised against too many sensual pleasures because they were base, worldly, not noble and not helpful for spiritual development. On the other hand, tormenting the body was painful, not noble and also not helpful for spiritual development. He advised them to follow the Middle path called majhima patipada which is helpful to see things clearly as they are, to gaining knowledge, higher wisdom, peace, enlightenment and Nibbana.
The Buddha then taught the four noble truths in his first sermon. They are the Noble Truths of Sorrow, its cause, its End and the way to its end. Everything in this world is full of sorrow and the cause of sorrow is craving. The end of sorrow is Nibbana, and the way to the end of sorrow is the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha said that He was Enlightened only after he understood these Four Noble Truths. The Noble Eightfold Path has eight parts or factors: Right Understanding, Right thoughts, Right speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, right Effort, Right mindfulness and Right concentration.
1. Right Understanding means to know and understand the Four Noble Truths.
2. Right thoughts means to think three kinds of thoughts:
a) Thoughts of renunciation or thoughts which do not have lustful desires.
b) Thoughts of goodwill to others which are opposed to ill will.
c) Thoughts of harmlessness as opposed to cruelty.
3. Right speech deals with refraining from falsehood such as telling lies or not telling the truth; slandering or saying bad about other people; harsh words and frivolous talks such as gossiping.
4. Right Action deals with refraining from killing, stealing and sexual misconduct.
5. Right Livelihood deals with the five kinds of trades which should be avoided in order to lead a noble life. They are trading in arms (weapons), living beings, flesh (breeding animals for slaughter), intoxicating drinks, and poison.
6. Right Effort has four parts:
a) To try to stop evil thoughts that have arisen
b) To prevent evil thoughts from arising
c) To try to develop unrisen good thoughts
d) To try to continue good thoughts that has arisen.
7. Right Mindfulness is also fourfold. It is mindfulness of sensations, mindfulness of thoughts passing through the mind and mindfulness of Dhamma.
8. Right concentration is the one-pointedness of the mind which stays on one object as opposed to the distracted mind which jumps from one thing to another.
The eight factors can be grouped into three smaller groups as follows:
Sila (morality): Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood
Samadhi (concentration) : Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration
Panna (wisdom): Right Understanding, Right Thoughts
Sila, samadi and Panna are the three stages on the path to mental purity whose object is Nibbana. These stages are described in a beautiful verse:
To cease from evil,
To do what is good To cleanse one’s mind: This is the advice of all the Buddha’s
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