Dhammacakkappavathana Sutta Establishing Four Noble Truths Talk 2 April 19 2018

This is my Wednesday Dhamma talk on the direct teachings of the Buddha as preserved in the sutta Pitaka, the second book of the Pali Canon. These talks are streamed live every Wednesday at noon Eastern US time.

My Dhamma talk this week will be on April 19, 2018 will be on the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.

The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta is the very first teaching ever presented by the Buddha. It occurred a few weeks after Siddhartha Gotama awakened and gained full human maturity Everything the Buddha taught during his forty-five year teaching career was taught in the context of Dependent Origination and Four Noble Truths.

"There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in by one who has gone forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual pleasure with reference to sensual objects. This behavior is base, vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable. It is devoted to self-affliction. That which is devoted to self-affliction is (always) painful and ignoble. Avoiding both of these extremes the middle way is realized by the Tathagata. This middle way produces vision and knowledge. This middle way leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding.

A related article is here: https://becoming-buddha.com/dhammacakkappavattana-sutta-four-noble-truths/

Siddartha Gotama awakened, gained full human maturity, and became Buddha. He spent the last forty-five years of his life teaching anyone interested to do the same.

The purpose of these talks is to clearly present these teachings free of the adaptations, alterations, and embellishments that have developed since Siddartha Gotama’s passing.

Siddartha Gotama awakened to Dependent Origination which clearly and directly shows that it is ignorance of Four Noble Truths results in ongoing disappointment, unsatisfactoriness, and suffering - in a word Dukkha. He taught an Eightfold Path to become empty of ignorance.

Subtle but very effective strategies have developed due to the need for continued self-establishment to ignore this basic ignorance.

I will occasionally discuss the confused and contradictory modern “dharma’s” and the continuation of ignorance and suffering that follows.

An audio only version of this video is available at my podcast archive: https://becoming-buddha.com/becoming-buddha-podcast/

A video of our classes including a beginning Shamatha-Vipassana meditation is available here: https://becoming-buddha.com/dhamma-stream-videos/

Here is the archive for all of my Dhamma articles and talks: https://becoming-buddha.com/dhamma-articles-and-talks-archive/

If you find benefit from this talk please consider a donation: https://becoming-buddha.com/support-john-and-becoming-buddha-com/

Thank You. Peace.