REWATA DHAMMA : THE FIRST DISCOURSE OF THE BUDDHA Turning the Wheel of Dhamma

Two months after the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, he traveled to Sarnath, India. There he delivered his first discourse to a group of five ascetics in Deer Park. This teaching, known as the “First Turning of the Wheel of Dhamma” or the Dhammacakka Sutta, contains the foundational teachings of all Buddhism. In it the Buddha explains the way to freedom from suffering through the teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.

With this translation and its verse-by-verse commentary, Dr. Dhamma brings fresh insight to the Dhammacakka Sutta. Drawing on the rich Burmese monastic scholarly tradition and his own experiences as a vipassanā practitioner, Dr. Dhamma makes clear the precise steps necessary for the realization of the teachings contained in the Buddha’s first discourse.

• Paperback
• 144 pages, 6 x 9 inches
• ISBN 9780861711048

Venerable Dr. Rewata Dhamma (1930–2004) was a widely recognized scholar and teacher. One of his books, a translation of the Abhidhammattha Sangaha with his own commentary was awarded the Kalidasa prize from the Hindi Academy as one of the outstanding books of the year in 1967 and is still a standard textbook. He also edited a three-volume edition of The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga) with commentary, published by the Sanskrit University. In 1969 he was appointed Chief Editor of the Encyclopaedia of Buddhist Technical Terms and later edited the Paramita magazine in Hindi and English. He he established a Buddhist Vihara in Birmingham, England; he helped to build the Dhamma Talaka Peace Pagoda, which has been a harbour for many Buddhist followers and is visited by thousands of visitors each year; and he taught Buddhism and Vipassana meditation at various centers in Europe and the United States until his death in 2004.