(Sutta Exploration Series with Bhikkhu Candana)
Week 16
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, "Discourse on Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion" - Part 1, SN 56.11 (from the Saṁyutta Nikāya).
Recorded October 9th, 2021.
In today's Sutta Exploration Series, Bhante Candana walked us through the beginning of the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, while giving an extensive contextual background to all that transpired with Lord Buddha between the time of His Awakening and the said discourse that he gave to the group of five disciples while setting the wheel of the Dhamma into motion. Thus, Bhante shed light on the many weeks that Lord Buddha spent by the Bodhi Tree immediately following His Awakening, where Lord Buddha spent many days sitting, walking, and contemplating the Links of Dependent Origination, in a forward and backward order. Thereafter, Bhante talked about Lord Buddha's hesitation to teach given the complexity of the Dhamma, and where thanks to Brahmā Sahampati's intervention, where he beseeches Lord Buddha to go ahead and teach pointing to the fact that there are beings with little dust in their eyes, i.e. ignorance, who would in fact understand this Dhamma.
As Bhante commented on this very important Sutta, he emphasized how the Middle Path was NOT a compromise between the extremes of hedonistic indulgence in pleasure and the infliction of pain and torment on the body, as it can sometimes be misunderstood, where all the "limbs" of the Noble Eightfold Path were the "Middle" Path by virtue of the Right type of mental, verbal, and bodily action. Furthermore, Bhante touched upon the “nobility” of the Four Noble Truths, highlighting the individual’s responsibility and role in realizing each as such.
Today's sutta exploration session thus focused on the contextual background of this crucially significant and remarkable sutta, being Part One. Bhante Candana will continue reading and unpacking the rest of Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta next week, thus making it Part Two of this series.
Before ending the Sutta Exploration, Bhante delved deep into the Q&A section by answering meditators’ question on the types of feeling (vedanā), as well as on the intricacies of the ānāpānasati (breath meditation), and the various tetrads that must be understood and applied prior to open oneself up to experiencing anicca, dukkha, Nibbāna.
May this talk bring you peace and harmony into your life.
The link to the Sutta can be found here: [ Ссылка ]
Note: Bhante Candana can be reached at bhantecandana@gmail.com
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