The Inaugural Teaching of the Buddha : หน้า 21/263

He agreed to teach the Dhamma, but remained undecided as to exactly who he should teach first. Eventually, the Bud- dha decided to make the journey to teach the ‘Group of Five’ [pañcavaggiya] who were residing at the Isipatana Deer Park close to Benares. The inaugural teaching which the Lord Buddha preached to the ‘Group of Five’ was the Dhammacakka pavattana Sutta. The reason why the sutta was thus named, was because it was compared to a ‘royal chariot of Dhamma’ which the Lord Buddha would use to transport the beings of the world out of the Cycle of Existence [vaḍḍha saṁsaṛa] to the eternal safety of Nirvana — with the Buddha himself at the reins. One indispensable component of such a chariot, necessary for it to reach its destination, would be its wheels [cakka]. Thus as the chariot was a ‘Dhamma chariot’ then the wheels would-be Dhamma wheels [dhammacakka]. Any wheel has three important components: hub, spokes and rim. The Dhammacakka was also composed of these three components: the Lord Buddha compared the hub to the Thirty-seven Factors of Enlightenment1; the spokes were compared to the Links of Dependent Origination2; and the rim was compared to the Four Noble Truths. ____________________ 1 The Thirty-Seven Factors of Enlightenment [bodhipakkhiyadhamma] consist of: The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, The Four Strivings, The Four Foundations of Success, The Five Faculties, The Five Powers, The Seven Factors of Enlightenment and the Noble Eightfold Path (see footnote p.38). 2. The Links of Dependent Origination [paṭiccasamuppāda] consist of: Because of 1. Ignorance [avijjā] there is the condition for the arising of; 2. Mental Formations [saṅkhāra]...because of mental formations there is the condition for the arising of; 3. Consciousness [viññāṇa]...because of consciousness there is the condition for the arising of; 4. Mind and Form [nāma-rūpa]...because of mind and form there is the condition for the arising of; 5. the Six Senses [āyatanā]...because of the six senses there is the condition for the arising of; 6. Sensual contact [phassa]...because of sensual contact there is the condition for the arising of; 7. Feeling [vedanā]...because of feeling there is the condition for the arising of; 8. Craving [tanhā]...because of craving there is the condition for the arising of; 9. Clinging to rebirth [upādāna]...because of clinging to rebirth there is the condition for the arising of; 10. Becoming [bhava]...because of becoming there is the condition for the arising of; 11. Birth [jāti] ...because of birth there is the condition for the arising of; 12. Old age and death [jarā-maraṇa].