Understanding the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta : หน้า 22/263

For as long as the components were separated, they could not be called a wheel. Just as, a skilled wheelwright can assemble the components to make a strong wheel ready to be put to work, the Buddha, through his preaching of the three groupings of Dhamma to the ‘Group of Five’, and relating them, gave rise to a ‘Dhammacakka’ which would bear the practitioner towards benefit and ultimately liberation. There is no other spiritual teacher apart from the Buddha who could expound the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta to fulfil the same function. We find that after the Buddha had expounded the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta to the ‘Group of Five’ on this occasion, he never taught it again throughout the forty-five years of his dispensation — however, all the teaching which the Buddha gave during this time were simply expansions upon the details of the Sutta. Furthermore, it is well known to scholars, that the expounding of the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta is the traditional first sermon which is given not only by Gotama Buddha, but every Buddha down the ages. The Recording of the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta The Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta which is recorded for us in the Buddhist Scriptures, is preserved for us by Ānanda who when he accepted the post of personal attendant to the Buddha, did so on the condition that if the Buddha should give any teachings in his absence, then those teachings should be repeated to him at a later date. The Main Issues of the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta After the Buddha had developed the wish to transport the beings of the world out of the cycle of existence to the shores of Nirvana, each of his teachings, whether short or long, is given with the intention of leading the listener to