The Tibetan ‘Pravartana’ Version of the Dharma Wheel Discourse (chos kyi ‘khor lo rab tu bskor ba’i mdo):
A New Translation into English by Erick Tsiknopoulos (2013/2018)
The Mighty Turning of the Dharma Wheel Sūtra
In the Indian Language: Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra (dharmacakra-pravartana-sūtra)
In the Tibetan Language: Ch’ö kyi Khorlo Raptu Korwa’y Do (chos kyi ‘khor lo rab tu bskor ba’i mdo)
In the English Language: The Mighty Turning of the Dharma Wheel Sūtra (The Sūtra on the Mighty Turning of the Dharma Wheel)
RESPECTFUL HOMAGE TO THE NOBLE TRIPLE GEM.
Thus have I heard: At one time, the Bhagavān [the Buddha] was staying in the Park of Frolicking Deer, at the Site of Sagely Descent, in the region of Vārāṇasī. It was from there that the Bhagavān called out to, and then bestowed teaching upon, the five-fold group of spiritual mendicants, saying thus: “O seekers of virtue, one who is [spiritually] transcendent should not abide in these [following] two extremes. In the case of those who are full of wants and obsessed with pleasure [of hedonism], they will become unseemly and low; while those who wrongly praise the suffering connected with fatigue of the body [of asceticism], because ordinary individuals are steeped in meaninglessness, are by that thereby steeped in meaninglessness [themselves]. O seekers of virtue, these are the extremes of the two extremes; and one should not become involved with them. The Middle Way is taught by the Tathāgata, the Manifestly Complete Buddha. It genuinely leads to the activation of insight, the activation of wisdom, the activation of serenity, lucid understanding, authentic comprehension, and Absolute Peace (Nirvāṇa).”
“O seekers of virtue, what is the Middle Way taught by the Tathāgata, the Manifestly Complete Buddha? It is that which genuinely leads to the activation of insight, the activation of wisdom, the activation of serenity, lucid understanding, authentic comprehension, and Absolute Peace (Nirvāṇa).”
“The Middle Way is the Noble Eight-fold Path, and as for those eight, they are as follows:
1) Right View
2) Right Thought
3) Right Speech
4) Right Action
5) Right Livelihood
6) Right Application
7) Right Mindfulness
8) Right Meditation
“This Middle Way [of the Noble Eight-fold Path] too is taught by the Tathāgata, the Manifestly Complete Buddha. It genuinely leads to the activation of vision, the activation of wisdom, the activation of serenity, lucid understanding, authentic comprehension, and Absolute Peace (Nirvāṇa).”
“And this, O seekers of virtue, is the Noble Truth of Suffering; that is, birth is suffering, aging is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering, the suffering of meeting with the unappealing, the suffering of parting from the appealing, and pursuing but not obtaining what is desired is also suffering. In brief, the five [psycho-physical constituent] aggregates of grasping are suffering.”
“And this, O seekers of virtue, is the Noble Truth of Suffering’s Origination; that is, all that which constitutes the arising of craving, fixation on pleasure, and enthrallment with this and that. Namely, the craving of attachment, the craving for cyclic existence (saṃsāra), and the craving for separation from cyclic existence.”
“And this, O seekers of virtue, is the Noble Truth of Suffering’s Cessation; that is, in regard to all that comprises such craving without exception, being free from desire for it, Cessation it, relinquishing it, becoming detached from it, liberated from it, and unrestrained in freedom from it.”
“And this, O seekers of virtue, is the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to Suffering’s Cessation; and this too is the Noble Eight-fold Path, namely: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Application, Right Mindfulness, and Right Meditation.”
“O seekers of virtue, in regard to the Noble Truth of Suffering, concerning things not heard before, vision arose, insight arose, wisdom arose, awareness arose, and illumination arose [within me]. Moreover, the Noble Truth of Suffering, O seekers of virtue, must be comprehensively understood. O seekers of virtue, in regard to this itself, concerning things not heard before, vision arose, insight arose, wisdom arose, awareness arose, and illumination arose [within me].”
“In regard to the Noble Truth of Suffering’s Origination, O seekers of virtue, concerning things not heard before, vision arose, insight arose, wisdom arose, awareness arose, and illumination arose [within me]. Moreover, the Noble Truth of Suffering’s Origination, O seekers of virtue, must be fully eradicated. O seekers of virtue, in regard to this itself, concerning things not heard before, vision arose, insight arose, wisdom arose, awareness arose, and illumination arose [within me].”
“In regard to the Noble Truth of Suffering’s Cessation, O seekers of virtue, concerning things not heard before, vision arose, insight arose, wisdom arose, awareness arose, and illumination arose [within me]. Moreover, the Noble Truth of Suffering’s Cessation must be actualized. O seekers of virtue, in regard to this itself, concerning things not heard before, vision arose, insight arose, wisdom arose, awareness arose, and illumination arose [within me].”
“In regard to the Noble Truth of Suffering’s Cessation, O seekers of virtue, concerning things not heard before, vision arose, insight arose, wisdom arose, awareness arose, and illumination arose [within me]. Moreover, the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to Suffering’s Cessation must be cultivated. O seekers of virtue, in regard to this itself, concerning things not heard before, vision arose, insight arose, wisdom arose, awareness arose, and illumination arose [within me].”
“O seekers of virtue, these four aspects which have been thus explained are ennobling truths [and thus Noble Truths]. Thus enumerated into their three phases and consequent twelve modes, they are a vision of wisdom which is extremely pure.”
“O seekers of virtue, aside from me, in the universe with its Devas, with its Māras, with its Brahmās, with its spiritual contemplatives, with its lords of living beings, with its humans and gods, there is no other Unsurpassed, Authentically Complete Buddha (anuttarasamyaksaṃbuddha).”
“O seekers of virtue, in every way, this, the wisdom-vision of the Four Noble Truths, with their enumerated three phases and consequent twelve modes, is extremely pure. In this manner, O seekers of virtue, I, having manifestly, perfectly awakened to Unsurpassed, Authentically Complete Buddhahood (anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi), realized them, one by one. And this wisdom did I come to behold; I attained unprecedented liberation. And I, leaving nothing behind, and without again grasping at conditioned existence, attained Absolute Peace (Nirvāṇa).”
The Bhagavān bestowed teaching with those words; and the five-fold group of spiritual mendicants was deeply overjoyed at what had been spoken by the Bhagavān. As soon as the transmission had been taught thus, the Venerable Kauṇḍinya gave rise to the dust-free and stainless Dharma Eye [, and expressed it thus]:
“ALL THINGS, HOWEVER SLIGHT, WHICH BEGIN ARE THINGS WHICH END.”
The Bhagavān having mightily turned and set into motion the Wheel of Dharma, the gods of the earth proclaimed the following announcements of praise: “That which has not been able to be turned by anyone, whether spiritual contemplatives, priests, gods, demons, almighty gods, or anyone else in the universe, the unsurpassed Wheel of Dharma, which has gone unturned, has been powerfully turned by the Bhagavān, after residing in the Grove of Frolicking Deer, at the Site of Sagely Descent, in the region of Vārāṇasī!”
Thereupon, having heard the uproar of the earth gods, the gods in the heavens of the Four Great Kings also proclaimed announcements of praise: “That which has not been able to be turned by anyone, whether spiritual contemplatives, priests, gods, demons, almighty gods, or anyone else in the universe, the unsurpassed Wheel of Dharma, which has gone unturned, has been powerfully turned by the Bhagavān, after residing in the Grove of Frolicking Deer, at the Site of Sagely Descent, in the region of Vārāṇasī!”
Thereupon, having heard the uproar of the gods in the heavens of the Four Great Kings, the gods of the Thirty-Three also proclaimed announcements of praise: “That which has not been able to be turned by anyone, whether spiritual contemplatives, priests, gods, demons, almighty gods, or anyone else in the universe, the unsurpassed Wheel of Dharma, which has gone unturned, has been powerfully turned by the Bhagavān, after residing in the Grove of Frolicking Deer, at the Site of Sagely Descent, in the region of Vārāṇasī!”
Thereupon, having heard the uproar of the gods of the Thirty-Three, the gods of Conflict-Free also proclaimed announcements of praise: “That which has not been able to be turned by anyone, whether spiritual contemplatives, priests, gods, demons, almighty gods, or anyone else in the universe, the unsurpassed Wheel of Dharma, which has gone unturned, has been powerfully turned by the Bhagavān, after residing in the Grove of Frolicking Deer, at the Site of Sagely Descent, in the region of Vārāṇasī!”
Thereupon, having heard the uproar of the gods of Conflict-Free, the gods of Joyous also proclaimed announcements of praise: “That which has not been able to be turned by anyone, whether spiritual contemplatives, priests, gods, demons, almighty gods, or anyone else in the universe, the unsurpassed Wheel of Dharma, which has gone unturned, has been powerfully turned by the Bhagavān, after residing in the Grove of Frolicking Deer, at the Site of Sagely Descent, in the region of Vārāṇasī!”
Thereupon, having heard the uproar of the gods of Joyous, the gods of Emanation Delight also proclaimed announcements of praise: “That which has not been able to be turned by anyone, whether spiritual contemplatives, priests, gods, demons, almighty gods, or anyone else in the universe, the unsurpassed Wheel of Dharma, which has gone unturned, has been powerfully turned by the Bhagavān, after residing in the Grove of Frolicking Deer, at the Site of Sagely Descent, in the region of Vārāṇasī!”
Thereupon, having heard the uproar of the gods of Emanation Delight, the gods of Mastery Over Others’ Creations also proclaimed announcements of praise: “That which has not been able to be turned by anyone, whether spiritual contemplatives, priests, gods, demons, almighty gods, or anyone else in the universe, the unsurpassed Wheel of Dharma, which has gone unturned, has been powerfully turned by the Bhagavān, after residing in the Grove of Frolicking Deer, at the Site of Sagely Descent, in the region of Vārāṇasī!”
Then and there, ten thousand world-systems thoroughly shook as well; they shook thoroughly and intensely. They quaked thoroughly and intensely. They became heedful, became wondrous, and became illuminated. Thus did it occur throughout the worlds; thus did the worlds become. Brahmā had heard the teaching of the Dharma; and the gods each went to their own abode.
And then as well the Bhagavān decisively expressed confirmation thus:
“Kauṇḍinya has thus understood everything.
Kauṇḍinya is one who understands it all.
Thus, the Venerable Kauṇḍinya
Has achieved the name, ‘All-Understanding Kauṇḍinya’.”
THE SŪTRA ON THE MIGHTY TURNING OF THE DHARMA WHEEL IS COMPLETE.
(Translated by Erick Tsiknopoulos, November 2013, in the Sanctuary of Yearning for Release (Thardö Ling), McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh, India. Lightly revised on July 17th, 2018 in Sidhpur, Himachal Pradesh, India.)
Special thanks to Géshey Lobsang Chögyel Rinpoché (dge bshes blo bzang chos rgyal rin po che) for his profound and powerful teachings and commentary on this discourse on the holy day of Chökhor Düchen, the ‘Great Celebration of the Dharma Wheel’, using the other ‘Missing Translator’s Colophon’ version (‘gyur byang med pa), for which I had the good fortune to interpret for a group of about ten people in Rinpoché’s room. Also special thanks to my long time teacher and translation adviser Gen Lobsang Gyatso (rgan blo bzang rgya mtsho) for his insightful and erudite commentary on the Tibetan text, and to Gésheyma Zangmo (dge bzhes ma bzang mo) for her kind and lucid explanation of Illuminating Emancipation’s Path: An Exposition on the Four Noble Truths & Dependent Arising (bden bzhi dang rten ‘brel gyi rnam par bzhag pa thar lam gsal byed ces bya ba bzhugs so) by Choné Jetsün Drakpa Shaydrup (co ne rje brtsun grags pa bshad sgrub).
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