The Buddha's First Talk: the original, side by side

At one time the Buddha was staying near Varanasi, in the deer park at Isipatana. There the Buddha addressed the group of five mendicants:

At Varanasi, in the deer park at Isipatana, he addressed the five monks.

“Mendicants, these two extremes should not be cultivated by one gone forth. What two?

If you've left ordinary life behind to find the truth, there are two dead ends you shouldn't waste yourself on.

Indulgence in sensual pleasures, which is low, crude, ordinary, ignoble, and pointless. And indulgence in self-mortification, which is painful, ignoble, and pointless.

Chasing pleasure — it never satisfies, and it leads nowhere. And punishing yourself — it's painful, pointless, and also gets you nowhere.

Avoiding these two extremes, the Realized One understood the middle way of practice, which gives vision and knowledge, and leads to peace, direct knowledge, awakening, and extinguishment.

Steering clear of both of those, I've found a path that runs down the middle. It clears your sight and settles your mind, and it leads to calm, real understanding, and to true freedom.

And what is that middle way of practice?

And what is that middle path that clears your sight and settles your mind? It's this — eight things to get right:

It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.

Seeing clearly, living with intention, speaking honestly, acting decently, earning a living that does no harm, making steady effort, staying mindful, and focusing deeply. (These are often called the Noble Eightfold Path.)

This is that middle way of practice, which gives vision and knowledge, and leads to peace, direct knowledge, awakening, and extinguishment.

That's the middle path I found — the one that clears your sight and settles your mind, and leads to a calm, real understanding, and true freedom.

Now this is the noble truth of suffering. Rebirth is suffering; old age is suffering; illness is suffering; death is suffering; being coupled with the disliked is suffering; separation from the liked is suffering; not getting what you wish for is suffering. In brief, the five grasping aggregates are suffering.

Suffering. Being born is hard. Growing old is hard. Getting sick is hard. Dying is hard. Being stuck with what you can't stand hurts; being torn from what you love hurts; not getting what you want hurts. Grasping at life — that's suffering.

Now this is the noble truth of the origin of suffering. It’s the craving that leads to future lives, mixed up with relishing and greed, taking pleasure there wherever it alights. That is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving to continue existence, and craving for nonexistence.

Where it comes from. It comes from craving — the restless wanting that keeps pulling you back for more: wanting pleasure, wanting to keep existing, wanting to stop existing.

Now this is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering. It’s the fading away and cessation of that very same craving no residue left behind; giving it away, letting it go, releasing it, and not clinging to it.

How it ends. It's the complete fading-out of that very craving — finally letting it go, releasing it, holding on to none of it.

Now this is the noble truth of the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering. It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.

The way there. It's simply this same eightfold path: seeing clearly, living with intention, speaking honestly, acting decently, earning a living that does no harm, making steady effort, staying mindful, and focusing deeply.

‘This is the noble truth of suffering.’ Such was the vision, knowledge, wisdom, realization, and light that arose in me regarding teachings not learned before from another. ‘This noble truth of suffering should be completely understood.’ Such was the vision that arose in me … ‘This noble truth of suffering has been completely understood.’ Such was the vision that arose in me …

For each of these four truths, my understanding deepened in three steps. Take suffering: first I saw clearly, this is suffering; then I understood, this is something to be fully grasped; then I knew, I have fully grasped it.

‘This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering.’ Such was the vision that arose in me … ‘This noble truth of the origin of suffering should be given up.’ Such was the vision that arose in me … ‘This noble truth of the origin of suffering has been given up.’ Such was the vision that arose in me … ‘This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering.’ Such was the vision that arose in me … ‘This noble truth of the cessation of suffering should be realized.’ Such was the vision that arose in me … ‘This noble truth of the cessation of suffering has been realized.’ Such was the vision that arose in me … ‘This is the noble truth of the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering.’ Such was the vision that arose in me … ‘This noble truth of the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering should be developed.’ Such was the vision that arose in me … ‘This noble truth of the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering has been developed.’ Such was the vision, knowledge, wisdom, realization, and light that arose in me regarding teachings not learned before from another.

The same three steps applied to all four. Suffering — recognize it, understand it, know it. Its cause — recognize it, let it go, be free of it. Its ending — recognize it, experience it, see it. The path — recognize it, develop it, live it.

As long as my true knowledge and vision about these four noble truths was not fully purified in these three rounds and twelve aspects, I didn’t announce my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and Divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans. But when my true knowledge and vision about these four noble truths was fully purified in these three rounds and twelve aspects, I announced my supreme perfect awakening in this world with its gods, Māras, and Divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its gods and humans. Knowledge and vision arose in me: ‘My freedom is unshakable; this is my last rebirth; now there’ll be no more future lives.’”

As long as my understanding of these four truths — in all three steps, across all twelve points — wasn't completely clear, I didn't claim to be fully awakened. But once it was completely clear, then I knew I had woken up fully, with nothing left to do. And the certainty settled in me: my freedom can't be shaken; this is the final birth.

That is what the Buddha said. Satisfied, the group of five mendicants approved what the Buddha said.

That's what the Buddha said, and the five of them were glad to hear it.

And while this discourse was being spoken, the stainless, immaculate vision of the Dhamma arose in Venerable Koṇḍañña: “Everything that is liable to arise is liable to cease.”

And while he was speaking, something opened up in one of them, Kondañña — a clear, clean insight cut through: anything that begins is something that ends.

And when the Buddha rolled forth the Wheel of Dhamma, the earth gods raised the cry: “Near Varanasi, in the deer park at Isipatana, the Buddha has rolled forth the supreme Wheel of Dhamma. And that wheel cannot be rolled back by any ascetic or brahmin or god or Māra or divinity or by anyone in the world.”

And the moment the Buddha set this teaching in motion, the call went up. All of Earth's gods cried out: near Varanasi, in the deer park at Isipatana, the Buddha has set in motion the unsurpassed wheel of truth — and no one anywhere, no seeker or sage, no god, no demon, can stop it from turning.

Hearing the cry of the earth gods, the gods of the four great kings … the gods of the thirty-three … the gods of Yama … the joyful gods … the gods who love to create … the gods who control what is created by others … the gods of the Divinity’s host raised the cry: “Near Varanasi, in the deer park at Isipatana, the Buddha has rolled forth the supreme Wheel of Dhamma. And that wheel cannot be rolled back by any ascetic or brahmin or god or Māra or divinity or by anyone in the world.”

The cry was taken up and passed on, realm after realm, rippling outward and upward, further and further, as if the whole universe had felt it move.

And so at that moment, that second, that hour, the cry soared up to the realm of divinity. And this ten-thousandfold galaxy shook and rocked and trembled. And an immeasurable, magnificent light appeared in the world, surpassing the glory of the gods.

So in that moment, in that instant, the cry rose all the way to the highest heavens. The ten-thousandfold universe-system shook and shuddered and trembled, and a vast, boundless light broke out across it — brighter even than the radiance of the gods themselves.

Then the Buddha expressed this heartfelt sentiment: “Koṇḍañña has really understood! Koṇḍañña has really understood!”

Then the Buddha spoke these words: Kondañña has understood! Kondañña has truly understood!

And that’s how Venerable Koṇḍañña came to be known as “Koṇḍañña Who Understood”.

And that's how Kondañña came to be called Aññā Kondañña — Kondañña Who Knows.