Buddha's First Teaching

Nicholas Weeks

Bodhicitta
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https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.harv.html

Many translations and commentaries, this one is good as Buddha lays out the fundamentals.

"Translator's note: The setting: seven weeks after the Buddha's enlightenment/awakening, he goes to five former companions that he had previously practiced extreme asceticism with (Vin i 8-10). After trying asceticism, he had given this up for a more moderate approach based on a healthy body and jhāna (mindful, calm and joyful altered states of consciousness based on samādhi (mental unification)). The following is seen as the first teaching he gave to anyone. In other contexts, the Buddha taught the Four True Realities for the Spiritually Ennobled Ones to people after first giving them a preparatory discourse to ensure they were in the right frame of mind be able to fully benefit from the teaching:"
 
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