Buddha's First Sermon Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta | Dhammagiri Asalha Full Moon Recitation | Buddhist Pali Chanting
Description
This is one of the most famous discourses of the Buddha, his very first formal teaching, which is recited frequently for it's profound power and deep wisdom teachings.
The Buddha taught the 'Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta' ('Setting in Motion the Unsurpassable Wheel of Dhamma') on the full moon of Āsāḷhā (July) to his first five disciples, known as the 'Pañca-vaggiya' ('Group of Five').
He expounds the Middle Way ('Majjhima Paṭipadā') and the Four Noble Truths. While the discourse is being spoken, the most senior of the Group of Five, Ven Aññākondañño, realizes Stream Entry ('Sotāpatti'), the first stage of enlightenment. The devas utter an exclamation of joy that reverberates throughout the universe, up to the highest heavens.
During our Āsāḷhā Full Moon program at Dhammagiri, we recited the sutta in the original ancient Pali language, the language spoken by the Buddha himself. Ven Niddaro is leading the chanting, with a large group of laity joining in. Additionally, we play the Amaravati version in the background via loudspeaker, to achieve a particular voluminous, rich and smooth sound.
The text of the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta can be found on page 2 ff in the Amaravati Chanting Book, both in Pali and in English translation, here:
https://cdn.amaravati.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/30/Chanting-Book-Vol-2-Web.pdf
Ajahn Dhammasiha offers reflections on the deep meaning of this discourse in a live podcast here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1pkA2OCADRFcYfHH3OMoMe
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJINt0JJBfFm_x0FZcU9QJw
https://tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive
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