Rotating the Wheel of Dhamma

The Buddha went to Migadāya, the present Sarnath in order to preach Dhamma to his five companions. In the beginning his friends thought—the Ascetic Prince had fallen away from his spiritual pursuit; what can we learn from him? However, as the Buddha came closer to them, seeing the extraordinary glow on his face, they believed that he had indeed attained full enlightenment. Then, the Buddha preached the Dhamma to them. It was the pleasant evening of the full moon night of the month of Ashadha. This turning of the wheel of Dhamma for the first time came to be known as “Dhammacakkhappavattana”. The Buddha explained how he practised the Middle Path by protecting himself from both extremities. By this alone, the path of liberation became clear. The Noble Eightfold Path, comprising of sīla (morality), samādhi (concentration) and pañña (wisdom) emerged. Anyone can get liberated from the cycle of life and death by walking the Noble Eightfold Path. Practising this very path, the five companions of the Buddha became Arahants, got liberated.