Dhammacakkappavattana: The First Discourse
This discourse is short but dense. We treat it like source code: identify definitions, tasks, and implied method.
State each Noble Truth precisely, name its task, and translate it into daily practice without moralizing or metaphysics.
Core Teachings
Key concepts with source texts
In the suttas the Truths are paired with *work to do*: - Dukkha is to be fully understood (pariññeyya) - Origin is to be abandoned (pahātabba) - Cessation is to be realized (sacchikātabba) - Path is to be developed (bhāvetabba)
This matters because it blocks two common errors: 1) turning Buddhism into a worldview you “agree with” 2) turning it into mood / inspiration
The text frames it as training.
From the Source Texts
""Now this, monks, is the noble truth of suffering... in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.""
Commentary
The sutta ends the dukkha definition at the aggregates of clinging—this is a hard pivot from life-events to the structure of experience.
""This noble truth of suffering is to be fully understood... This noble truth of the origin is to be abandoned... This noble truth of cessation is to be realized... This noble truth of the path is to be developed.""
Commentary
You don’t ‘believe’ these; you do them. That is the method.
Pick one recurring suffering loop (social anxiety, overwork, doomscrolling). For 7 days, map it using the Four-Truths *tasks*: What exactly is dukkha here? What craving fuels it? What would letting go look like? What path factor will you develop this week?
Study Materials
Primary sources with guided reading
SN 56.11 — Dhammacakkappavattana
Primary source. Read it multiple times. Extract definitions and tasks.
MN 141 — Saccavibhanga (Analysis of the Truths)
This expands SN 56.11 with sharper definitions. Use it to stabilize your understanding.
Write your thoughts before revealing answers
Consider these points:
- •Which aggregate are you most identified with right now: body, feeling, perception/labels, intentions, or consciousness?
- •How does clinging show up: ‘mine’, ‘I am’, ‘my self’?
- •What changes if you locate dukkha in clinging rather than in the world?
Your Thoughts
Writing your thoughts first will deepen your understanding
Bridge notes help connect the resources and show how they relate to the learning outcome.
AI-generated notes synthesize the lesson outcome and resource summaries. Human-reviewed before publishing.
In SN 56.11, what is the core ‘task’ for the First Noble Truth?