The First Sermon of the Buddha and Ashoka's Fourth Major Rock Edict fter gaining enlightenment under the Tree of Wisdom at Bodh Gaya, the Buddha preached IThis first semon at the Deer Park at Benares. The Fourth Major Rock Edict provides a summary of Ashoka's beliefs. Some overlap with the Buddha's teachings in the First Sermon, while others differ. Although Ashoka himself embraced Buddhism, he The Buddha's sermon presented the main teachings of Buddhism in a capsule form that could be trans- lated into other languages when Buddhism spread beyond India to East and Southeast Asia. Because the language is easy to understand, this would have worked well as a spoken sermon, with repetition of important concepts to ensure that the five followers, or bhikkhus (BEAK-kooz), whom he addressed would understand it. This text was transmitted orally by Buddhists in north India. Hundreds of monks met, first following the Buddha's death and then one hundred years later, to make sure that they were reciting the reached out to both Buddhist and non-Buddhist sub- jects by erecting pillar and rock insaiptions through- out India. The location of his edicts provides a rough indication of how far Buddhist teachings reached during his reign. Sources From "The First Sermon of Buddha," from Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught, Grove Atlantic, 1974, pp. 92-94. Copyright O 1959, 1974 by Wapola Rahula. Used by permission of Grove/Atlantic, Inc.; As'oka and the Decline cof the Mauryas, ed. Romila Thapar, 1973, Pp. 251-252. Reprinted with permission of Oxford University Press India, New Delhi. (Some changes in spelling and capitalization made for the sake of consistency.) standard version of the sermon. The text was commit- ted to writing only in the first century B.C.E. by monks in modern-day Sri Lanka, evidence that Buddhism had spread to south India and beyond by that time. The Flrst Sermon of the Buddha Thus I have heard. The Blessed One was once living in the Deer Park at Istpatana (the Resort of Seers) near Varanasi (Benares). There he addressed the group of flve bhikkhus: Bhikkhus, these two extremes ought not to be practiced by one who has gone forth sickness is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow and lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering; association with the unpleasant is suffering; dissociation from the pleas- ant is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering-in brief, the five aggregates of attachment are suffering. The Noble Truth of the origin of suffering Is this: It is this thirst (craving) which produces reexistence and re-becoming, bound up with passionate greed. It finds fresh delight now here and now there, namely, thirst for sense- pleasures; thirst for existence and becoming and thirst for non-existence (self-annihilation). from the household life. What are the two? There is devotion to the indulgence of sense- pleasures, which is low, common, the way of ordinary people, unworthy and unprofitable; and there is devotion to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy and unprofitable. Avoiding both these extremes, the Tatha- gatha [the Buddha] has realized the Middle Path: it gives vision, it gives knowledge, and it leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment, to nirvana. And what is that Middle Path...? It is simply the Noble Elghtfold Path, namely, right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.... The Noble Truth of suffering (dukkha) The Noble Truth of the cessation of suf- fering is this: It is the complete cessation of that very thirst, giving it up, renouncing it, emancipating oneself from it, detaching oneself from it. The Noble Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering is this: It is simply the Noble Elghtfold Path, namely right view; right thought; right speech; right action; right is this: Birth is suffering; aging is suffering; livelihood; right effort; right mindfulness; right concentration. "This is the Noble Truth of Suffering (dukkha)"; such was the vision, the knowl- edge, the wisdom, the science, the light, that arose in me with regard to things not heard before. "This suffering, as a noble truth, should be fully understood"; such was the vislon, the knowledge, the wisdom, the scl- ence, the light, that arose in me with regard to things not heard before. "This suffering, as a noble truth, has been fully understood"; such was the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the sclence, the light, that arose in me with regard to things not heard before.... As long as my vision of true knowledge was not fully clear... regarding the Four Noble Truths, I did not claim to have realized the perfect Enlighten ment that is supreme in the world. ... But when my vision of true knowledge was fully clear ... regarding the Four Noble Truths, then I claimed to have the perfect Enlightenment that is supreme in the world.... And a vision of true knowl- edge arose in me thus: My heart's deliver- ance is unassallable. This is the last birth. Now there is no more re-becoming (rebirth). This the Blessed One sald. The group of five bhikkhus was glad, and they rejoiced at his words. The Fourth Major Rock Edict In the past, the killing and injuring of living be- Ings, lack of respect towards relatives, Brahmins and shramanas had increased. But today, thanks to the practice of dharma on the part of the Beloved of the Gods, the king Ashoka, The Beloved of the Gods, the king Ashoka, his sons, his grandsons and his great grand- sons will advance the practice of dharma, until the end of the world and will instruct in the law, standing firm in dharma. For this, the instruction in the law, is the most valuable activity. But there is no practice of dharma without goodness, and in these mat- ters it is good to progress and not to fall back. For this purpose, the inscription has been engraved-that men should make progress in this matter, and not be satisfied with their shortcomings. This was engraved here when the Beloved of the Gods, the king Ashoka, had been consecrated twelve years. the sound of the drum has become the sound of dharma, showing the people displays of heavenly chariots, elephants, balls of fire, and other divine forms. Through his instruction in dharma abstention from killing and non- injury to living beings, deference to relatives, Brahmins and shramanas, obedience to mother and father, and obedience to elders have all Increased as never before for many centuries. These and many other forms of the practice of dharma have increased and will increase.