Once he had achieved enlightenment himself, the Buddha wanted to lead other men on the same path. During his first sermon, he addressed the five ascetics with whom he had once practiced mortifications of the flesh. He informed these monks—and an assembly of demigods—that the way to wisdom lay between the two extremes of austerity and self-indulgence.
This path consisted of eight steps. The first two. Right Understanding and Right Purpose, required an individual to have a correct knowledge of Buddhist principles and the will to strive after perfection. Right Speech, Right Behavior and Right Means of Livelihood produced a well-disciplined and moral life. Such virtuous conduct led him toward Right Effort, Right Awareness and Right Meditation.
The sermon so impressed the monks that they were converted on the spot —and the Buddha had begun his long career of bringing solace to multitudes.
ACHIEVING FULL WISDOM (left), the Buddha —symbolized by a disk on the seat beneath the tree—receives the praise of divinities. While four gods, lords of the four cardinal directions, offer homage on earth, winged deities bestow on him garlands of flowers.
THE FIRST SERMON, cfll/ed "Setting the Wheel of the Doctrine in Motion," was attended by the gods of the four directions and their female companions. The wheel in this carving stands for the Buddha's teachings and also for the presence of the Buddha himself.
OFFERING HONEY, a monkey extends a bowl toward the Buddha's throne. After the gift is accepted, the monkey dances (right).
A MESSAGE GIVEN TO ALL As the Buddha converted more and more people to
LIVING CREATURES
His beliefs, he created a community of monks that
Ignored virtually all distinctions among men. Although he did not challenge the rigid caste structure of ordinary Indian society, within his own band of monks he insisted on complete equality. "No one is an outcaste by birth, nor is anyone a
WALKING ON WATER
The Buddha-indicated by a calm path among the waves-converts a brahman, seated in the boat (center, above).
Brahman by birth," the Buddha said; "it is by deeds that a person becomes a brahman."
In this democratic spirit, the Buddha imparted his wisdom to all he met. When he came upon a proud brahman who was skeptical about his teachings, the Buddha willingly performed the miracle of walking on water (above), dispelling the brahman's doubts and later converting him to the faith. Kings and common laborers alike were accepted into the new order, and women were permitted to become nuns. In one fanciful tale, the Buddha even received the devotion of a monkey (opposite); the animal became so excited after this meeting that it died from a surfeit of happiness.
World History
