The Spread of Buddhism

the first turning of the wheel of the doctrine 33

version of Ktyyanputra’s *A

agskandha as it was accepted in Bactria

and Gandhra.^77 The compilers of the *Vibh[stra] «Piposha lun»

further claimed that this is the opinion in the s tra literature.^78 This

shows that the developments and interpretations contained in the

*Abhidharmamahvibh (T.1545) and the *[Abhidharma]vibh[stra]

(T.1546) are peculiar for the Kamra Vaibh

ikas,^79 but were adopted in

the Sarvstivda works that post-date these two vibhs, and were later

criticised by Vasubandhu. The passage concerned reads as follows:

What are the three cycles and the twelve aspects? This is the noble truth

of suffering; this should be known; this is understood. These are the

three cycles. With each turning, the eye (cakus) arises, knowledge (jñna)

arises, wisdom (vidy) arises, and awakening (buddhi) arises. Thus, there

are twelve aspects (kra). In this way, all noble truths all have three cycles

and twelve aspects. Because the number [of aspects for each of these

truths] is the same, only three cycles and twelve aspects are spoken of

[.. .]^80 This is the explanation of the Vaibh

ikas. However, if it were like

this, the path of vision would not contain three cycles and twelve aspects

[but forty-eight]. How then could it be claimed that only the path of

vision is the wheel of the doctrine? Therefore, the wheel of the doctrine

is the sermon itself (dharmaparyya), the sermon in Vras that “set in

motion” (pravartana) the wheel of the doctrine that consists of three cycles

and twelve aspects. Three cycles, because the four truths are turned three

times; twelve aspects, because each truth is viewed from three aspects:

this is suffering, this is its origin, this is its cessation, this is the path; this

should be known, this should be broken off, this should be realised, this

should be developed; this is already known, this is already broken off,

this is already realised, this is already developed.^81

The general picture that emerges from the above analysis is that it is

very likely that the  rst sermon of the Buddha only concerned the two

extremes to be avoided and the middle mode of progress. Very early,

the concept of the four truths became linked to this middle mode of

progress, and these four noble truths were further developed into the

theory of the three cycles and twelve aspects. These elements became

(^77) T.1547.28.421c2–7, 480b27–c9.
(^78) T.1547.28.421c5–6, 480c9.
(^79) We can mention here that the discussion on Kau inya is not included in the
«Apitan bajiandu lun» (T.1543) by Saghadeva and Zhu Fonian , the Chinese
version of the 80 *A
agrantha.
See also Sphu
rth Abhidharmakoavykhy 580.22–581.6.
(^81) T.1558.29.128c7–21. See also La Vallée Poussin 1980, vol. 4, pp. 246–248;
T.1559.29.280a10–21. Puguang (T.1821.41.370c9–371a20) and Fabao
(T.1822.41.754a25–b2) accept this Sautrntika theory.
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