First sermon and first Monk Disciples

FIRST SERMMON AND FIRST MONK DISCIPLES.

    Now the Buddha was ready to begin his mission of teaching his doctrine to the people. He ask himself to whom should he first teach the Doctrine. His mind turned to his former teachers,

Namely. Alara Kalama and Uddhaka Rama. However, the two teachers had already died. He then recalled the five companions with whom he had lived before setting out to seek Enlightenment alone. They were still at Deer Park of  Isipatana ( near Benares City), about one hundred miles away. The Buddha went there. At Deer Paek, he gave his first Sermon, during the Asalha month (full moon day of July). It was known as Dhammacakkappacattana Sutta, the Truming of the Wheel of Dhamma or Truth.

            After the sermon, the five ascetics Kondanna, Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahanama, and Assaji realized the Eye of Dhamma, or Truth. Kondana realized liberation first and asked for monkhood. The five ascetics became the first Noble Disciple of the Buddha.

  

MISSIONARY  ACTIVITY

    Early one morning, while the Buddha was sitting in Deer Park of Isipatana, a young man named Yasa, who was born into a wealthy family came nearby the Buddha and saw him. Upon hearing the Buddha’s teaching, he realized that life was full of dissatisfaction, problems, and troubles, and asked to become a monk to find real happiness.

    Soon after that, the Buddha converted Yasa’s parents and wife to Buddhism. The Venerable Yasa had fifty-four lay friends. Having learned of Yasa’s ordination, they agreed to follow him and were ordained into the Order.  Within a few day, Yasa and his friends became Arahants ( Enlightenment monk). The total number of Arahants was then sixty-one.

Preaching movement

    Seeing that there were now enough disciples to begin sharing the Truth, the Buddha told his disciples to separate and wander from place to place to teach the Truth to the people. He himself set-out on a long journey for the same purpose.

    The throughout the forty-five years of his mission and his limited kindness to all human beings, the Buddha selflessly devoted his life to teaching the Dharma,  the path leading to real happiness. He travelled widely in northern and eastern India, stopping only during the rainy season, when he and his disciples, both monks and nuns, would go into the Rains Retreat. Through the efforts of the Buddha and his followers, Buddhism was firmly established in India about 588 years before the Christian Era. The Buddha (Siddhattha) was born about 623 year before Christ.