Before Turning the Wheel of Dharma and delivering the teaching on the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha had to convince the five ascetics who attended him prior to his enlightenment that he was worth listening to. While approaching the Deer Park at Isipatana, the five ascetics saw the Buddha. Still wary of the Buddha’s supposed [...]
Archive for the ‘Decision to Teach’ Category
Struggling to Turn the Wheel
Posted in Bhikkhu Nānamoli, Decision to Teach, Life of Buddha, Pāli Canon on June 18, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Before Turning the Wheel came Upaka
Posted in Decision to Teach, Life of Buddha, Pāli Canon, Schumann on March 15, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
After his enlightenment, the Buddha sat under the bodhi tree for seven days. He may also have spent longer amounts of time in nearby locations, although Schumann doubts this was so. What is clear, according to scripture, is that the Buddha did not immediately set out to teach. He doubted whether he could convey the [...]
Life of the Buddha
Posted in Decision to Teach, Life of Buddha, Order of Nuns on February 18, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
In the temples of the Buddhist Society for Compassionate Wisdom, the following gatha is recited after lunch: Buddha was born in the Lumbini Garden, He attained Enlightenment at Bodh Ghaya, He set in motion the wheel of Dharma at Sarnath, He entered Parinirvana at Kusinara. I am reminded of this gatha as I begin my [...]
