The Spread of Buddhism

22 bart dessein

that the de nition of the four noble truths is an integrated part of the

section in which the four truths are elaborated as to three cycles and

twelve aspects. As remarked by André Bareau, this section is reminiscent

of abhidharmic developments.^30 The abhidharmic theory of the three

turns and the twelve aspects would thus be a further elaboration of the

four truths as a set. This would explain why only these versions of the

 rst ministry of the Buddha that mention the three turns and twelve

aspects, also mention the proclamation of the conversion of Kau inya

by the gods. And, in turn, why the account in the Madhyamgama and

the Ekottargama see the  rst ministry of the Buddha as only consisting

of the middle mode of progress.^31 It has, in this respect, been claimed

by André Bareau that the introduction of the  ve monks to the accounts

on the  rst sermon was given in by the narrative argument that the same

 ve monks witnessed the Buddha’s life of self-morti cation: introducing

the  ve monks in the accounts on the  rst sermon linked this event in

the Buddha’s biography to the episode of his life in which he practiced

austerities. This would also explain why not all the accounts in the

s tra literature mention the  ve monks.^32 As, in the vinaya accounts, the

 rst ministry is concluded with the statement of the Buddha that He

has attained superior enlightenment because of His understanding of

the wheel of the doctrine with its three cycles and twelve aspects, by

implication, it should not be excluded that at least some elements in

actually proved, must [.. .] be seriously taken into account as a by no means excluded

possibility.” On the origin of the fourfold division, see Wezler 1984, pp. 312–324. See

further also Schmithausen 1981, p. 207; Norman 1990, p. 27. 30

Bareau 1963, p. 180: “Il semble que la première partie, celle qui dé nit les deux

extrêmes à éviter et la voie du milieu, soit la plus ancienne et par le style et par l’esprit

de la doctrine, alors que l’examen des Vérités selon les trois cycles et les douze aspects,

par sa sécheresse et sa logique, sent déjà nettement l’Abhidharma.” Schmithausen 1981,

p. 210 n. 36, claims that, given the fact that it may seem doubtful that the discovery

of the four noble truths is a genuine re ection of what the Buddha’s enlightenment, as

an experience, actually was, the theses that the four truths developed quite late, is not

convincing, for why shouldn’t the pattern of the four noble truths have already existed

for some period before it came to be regarded as the content of enlightenment?

(^31) That s tra no. 379 of the Sa yuktgama «Za ahan jing» (T.99) and the «Fo shuo san
zhuan falun jing» (T.110) mention the three cycles and twelve aspects, without mention-
ing the ministry on the four noble truths and the middle mode of progress could be
explained by the fact that we have two concepts which became linked to each other.
(^32) Bareau 1963, pp. 177–179, suggests that the  rst ministry of the Buddha is likely
to have been addressed to all monks in general, and it is very likely that, as the two
extremes to be avoided link the doctrine preached by the Buddha to the episode of
his life in which the  ve companions witnessed his austerities and left him upon his
giving up this life of self-morti cation, when polishing the accounts, “all monks” came
to be reduced to “the  ve monks”. On the historicity of the  ve monks, see Oldenberg
1903, p. 142 n. 1; Bareau 1963, pp. 188–189.
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