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SN 56.11 
Mahā Vagga Saṁyutta (Collection of the Great Sections) 
Sacca Saṁyutta (Connected Discourses on the Truths) 
Dhammacakkapavattana Vagga  
(The Group on Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion) 
 
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta 
“Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion” 
 
Translated by Candana Bhikkhu 
Copyright © Candana Bhikkhu 2021 
 
This is what I personally heard. 
Once, the Blessed One was living at Varanasi’s Deer Park, in Isipatana.  
It was then, that the Blessed One, by addressing the group of Five Bhikkhus in this manner, said 
the following:  
“Bhikkhus, for the one who has gone forth from home life into homelessness, these two extremes 
should be avoided and not followed. What are these two?  
“The first is gratifying oneself through the pursuit of maximizing sensual pleasures, which is 
inferior, vulgar, the way of common, ordinary people, ineffective, useless, and cheap; and the 
second is mortifying oneself through extreme asceticism, which is unnecessarily painful, 
ineffective, worthless, ignoble, crude, and useless.  
“By steering clear from either of these two extremes, the Tathāgata has Awakened by 
understanding the Middle Path, which gives rise to knowledge and vision, leading one to 
peaceful contentment, to penetrative insight, to Perfect Awakening, to Nibbāna. 
“And what, Bhikkhus, is that Middle Path that was Awakened to by the Tathāgata, which gives 
rise to knowledge and vision, leading one to peaceful contentment, to penetrative insight, to 
Perfect Awakening, to Nibbāna?  
“It is this Noble Eightfold Path. That is: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, 
right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right Collectedness of Mind. This, Bhikkhus, 
is that Middle Path that was Awakened to by the Tathāgata, which gives rise to knowledge and 
vision, leading one to peaceful contentment, to penetrative insight, to Perfect Awakening, to 
Nibbāna. 
“Furthermore, Bhikkhus, understand this now to be the Noble Truth of suffering.  
“That is: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; to be 
brought together with what is painful and displeasing is suffering; whereas separation from what

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is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants and yearns for is suffering. In short, the five 
grabbing aggregates are all suffering. 
“Furthermore, Bhikkhus, understand this now to be the Noble Truth of the origin and cause of 
suffering.  
“That is: this thirst and craving for rebirth, to renewed experiences of what is enjoyed as 
delightful, longing for more experiences of pleasure here and there; that is, thirst for sensual 
pleasures, thirst for rebecoming, thirst for ending one’s own existence. 
“Furthermore, Bhikkhus, understand this now to be the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering.  
“That is: the complete and remainder-less state of dispassion, which is the ending of that same 
thirst; the giving up, the release from bondage, the non-reliance upon, and total freedom from 
that very same thirst. 
“Furthermore, Bhikkhus, understand this now to be the Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the 
cessation of suffering; namely, the Noble Eightfold Path.  
“That is: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right 
mindfulness, and right collectedness of mind.  
“By understanding for the first time, ‘This to be the Noble Truth of suffering,’ Bhikkhus, 
suddenly, there arose in me the Eye of Dhamma, in its completeness of vision, with wisdom and 
understanding of things never previously experienced, as the Higher Knowledge and light arose 
within me. 
“Now, Bhikkhus, ‘This Noble Truth of suffering must be fully understood.’ As a result, 
Bhikkhus, there arose in me the Eye of Dhamma, in its completeness of vision, with wisdom and 
understanding of things never previously experienced, as the Higher Knowledge and light arose 
within me. 
“Now, Bhikkhus, ‘This Noble Truth of suffering has been fully understood by me.’ As a result, 
Bhikkhus, there arose in me the Eye of Dhamma, in its completeness of vision, with wisdom and 
understanding of things never previously experienced, as the Higher Knowledge and light arose 
within me. 
“By understanding for the first time, ‘This, to be the Noble Truth of the origin and cause of 
suffering,’ Bhikkhus, suddenly, there arose in me the Eye of Dhamma, in its completeness of 
vision, with wisdom and understanding of things never previously experienced, as the Higher 
Knowledge and light arose within me.  
“Now, Bhikkhus, ‘This Noble Truth of the origin and cause of suffering must be abandoned.’ As 
a result, Bhikkhus, there arose in me the Eye of Dhamma, in its completeness of vision, with 
wisdom and understanding of things never previously experienced, as the Higher Knowledge and 
light arose within me. 
“Now, Bhikkhus, ‘This Noble Truth of the origin and cause of suffering has been abandoned by 
me.’ As a result, Bhikkhus, there arose in me the Eye of Dhamma, in its completeness of vision, 
with wisdom and understanding of things never previously experienced, as the Higher 
Knowledge and light arose within me.

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“By understanding for the first time, ‘This to be the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering,’ 
Bhikkhus, suddenly, there arose in me the Eye of Dhamma, in its completeness of vision, with 
wisdom and understanding of things never previously experienced, as the Higher Knowledge and 
light arose within me.  
“Now, Bhikkhus, ‘This Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering must be experienced.’ As a 
result, Bhikkhus, there arose in me the Eye of Dhamma, in its completeness of vision, with 
wisdom and understanding of things never previously experienced, as the Higher Knowledge and 
light arose within me. 
“Now, Bhikkhus, ‘This Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering has been experienced by me.’ 
As a result, Bhikkhus, there arose in me the Eye of Dhamma, in its completeness of vision, with 
wisdom and understanding of things never previously experienced, as the Higher Knowledge and 
light arose within me. 
“By understanding for the first time, ‘This to be the Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the 
cessation of suffering,’ Bhikkhus, suddenly, there arose in me the Eye of Dhamma, in its 
completeness of vision, with wisdom and understanding of things never previously experienced, 
as the Higher Knowledge and light arose within me.  
“Now, Bhikkhus, ‘This Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the cessation of suffering must be 
developed and experienced.’ As a result, Bhikkhus, there arose in me the Eye of Dhamma, in its 
completeness of vision, with wisdom and understanding of things never previously experienced, 
as the Higher Knowledge and light arose within me. 
“Now, Bhikkhus, ‘This Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the cessation of suffering has been 
developed and experienced by me.’ As a result, Bhikkhus, there arose in me the Eye of Dhamma, 
in its completeness of vision, with wisdom and understanding of things never previously 
experienced, as the Higher Knowledge and light arose within me. 
“Bhikkhus, for as long as I did not possess the purity of knowledge and vision, to fully discern 
these Four Noble Truths, and to see them as they truly are in their three individual and twelve 
collective aspects, I did not announce my Supremely Perfect Awakening to this world with its 
Devas, Māras, Brahmās, with its recluses and brahmins, along with this generation of Devas and 
humans.  
“But it was only after I possessed the purity of knowledge and vision, to fully discern these Four 
Noble Truths, and see them as they truly are in their three individual and twelve collective 
aspects, that I announced my Supremely Perfect Awakening to this world with its Devas, Māras, 
Brahmās, with its recluses and brahmins, along with this generation of Devas and humans.  
“Thus, the Experiential Knowing and Vision arose in me, as I realized: ‘Unshakable is my 
Freedom. This is my very last birth. Now, there is no more rebecoming.’” 
This is what the Blessed One said. Elated, the hearts of the group of five Bhikkhus were 
gladdened, as they all delighted in hearing the Blessed One’s words.  
Meanwhile, as this discourse was being given, there arose within the Venerable Koṇḍañña’s 
heart the spotless and immaculate Dhamma Eye, as he now personally understood as well, how: 
“All that is the result of causes, comes to an end.”

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And, as the Blessed One turned and set the Wheel of the Dhamma in motion thus, the Devas 
living on the Earth raised a jubilant cry, for all to hear:  
“At Varaṇasi, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Blessed Lord has finally turned and set the 
Sublime Wheel of the Dhamma in motion, which cannot be stopped by any recluse or brahmin or 
Deva or Māra or Brahmā or by anyone in the world.”  
In hearing the Earth Devas proclaiming aloud, the Devas of the realm of the Four Great Kings 
also raised a jubilant cry, for all to hear:  
“At Varaṇasi, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Blessed Lord has finally turned and set the 
Sublime Wheel of the Dhamma in motion, which cannot be stopped by any recluse or brahmin or 
Deva or Māra or Brahmā or by anyone in the world.”  
In hearing the Devas of the realm of the Four Great Kings proclaiming aloud, the Tavatiṁsa 
Devas of the realm of the Thirty-Three also raised a jubilant cry, for all to hear:  
“At Varaṇasi, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Blessed Lord has finally turned and set the 
Sublime Wheel of the Dhamma in motion, which cannot be stopped by any recluse or brahmin or 
Deva or Māra or Brahmā or by anyone in the world.” 
In hearing the Tavatiṁsa Devas of the realm of the Thirty-Three proclaiming aloud, the Yāma 
Devas also raised a jubilant cry, for all to hear:  
“At Varaṇasi, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Blessed Lord has finally turned and set the 
Sublime Wheel of the Dhamma in motion, which cannot be stopped by any recluse or brahmin or 
Deva or Māra or Brahmā or by anyone in the world.” 
In hearing the Yāma Devas proclaiming aloud, the Joyful Devas of the Tushita realm also raised 
a jubilant cry, for all to hear:  
“At Varaṇasi, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Blessed Lord has finally turned and set the 
Sublime Wheel of the Dhamma in motion, which cannot be stopped by any recluse or brahmin or 
Deva or Māra or Brahmā or by anyone in the world.” 
In hearing the Joyful Devas of the Tushita realm proclaiming aloud, the Nimmānarati Devas (the 
Gods who love to create) also raised a jubilant cry, for all to hear:  
“At Varaṇasi, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Blessed Lord has finally turned and set the 
Sublime Wheel of the Dhamma in motion, which cannot be stopped by any recluse or brahmin or 
Deva or Māra or Brahmā or by anyone in the world.” 
In hearing the Nimmānarati Devas (the Gods who love to create) proclaiming aloud, the 
Paranimmita Vasavatti Devas (those who love to control the creations of other Gods) also raised 
a jubilant cry, for all to hear:  
“At Varaṇasi, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Blessed Lord has finally turned and set the 
Sublime Wheel of the Dhamma in motion, which cannot be stopped by any recluse or brahmin or 
Deva or Māra or Brahmā or by anyone in the world.”

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In hearing the Paranimmita Vasavatti Devas (those who love to control the creations of other 
Gods) proclaiming aloud, the Divine Beings living in the company of the Great Brahmā God also 
raised a jubilant cry, for all to hear:  
“At Varaṇasi, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Blessed Lord has finally turned and set the 
Sublime Wheel of the Dhamma in motion, which cannot be stopped by any recluse or brahmin or 
Deva or Māra or Brahmā or by anyone in the world.” 
And so, at that moment, and in that very instant, the resounding jubilant cry spread as far as the 
Brahmā worlds, and these ten thousand galactic world systems all shook, quaked, and trembled, 
and a boundlessly magnificent light appeared instantaneously in each of these world systems, 
one that surpassed the majestic radiance of all the Devas in all the realms, combined. 
 
Then the Blessed One declared this joyous utterance:  
“Koṇḍañña has now Seen It! 
“Koṇḍañña has now Seen It!” 
 
And at that very moment, the Venerable Koṇḍañña acquired the name:  
“Añña Koṇḍañña — Koṇḍañña, Who Has Seen It.” 
 
 
Sadhu 
Sadhu 
Sadhu
