On the full moon day of July ... - Dhamma by Ajahn Jayasāro
On the full moon day of July well over 2500 years ago the Buddha walked into the Deer Park in Sarnath in north-eastern India. His intention was to ‘set in motion the wheel of Dhamma’ by giving his first ever teaching. His proposed audience consisted of five former followers. These five men had abandoned him after he renounced the practice of severe asceticism. They believed that by giving up asceticism he had given up the path to enlightenment, and would soon return to a life of luxury in his father's palace.
The Buddha immediately put their minds to rest by telling them that a life of sensual indulgence was ignoble and meaningless. But their relief turned to surprise when he continued to say that a life of severe ascetism was also ignoble and meaningless. The the Buddha taught a middle way between these two extremes. It involved a comprehensive education of action, speech and mind that led to true freedom by eliminating the ignorance and craving that is the cause of human suffering. At the end of the talk, Kondañña, the leader of the group of five, realised ‘Stream Entry’ the first level of enlightenment.
Today, throughout the Buddhist world we commemorate this special day.
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