The Spread of Buddhism

34 bart dessein

integrated in the accounts in the vinaya and s tra literature. Later on,

the theory of the four truths was interpreted in terms of the path of

vision as part of the Sarvstivda path to salvation. Since the path of

vision enables the seeker (aika) to subdue eighty-eight contaminants,

after which he attains the four fruits of ramaa-ship culminating in

arhat-ship, this path of vision became interpreted as “the wheel of the

doctrine”. It is the concept of the path of vision that comes closest to

the ‘middle path of progress”. Judging from the Sarvstivda abhidharma

literature, this further abhidharmic development was most advanced

with the Kamra Vaibh

ikas and the works that were in uenced by

them. Their position was criticised by the Sautrntikas, who preserved

the identi cation of the wheel of the doctrine with the path of vision,

but returned to the version of the three cycles and twelve aspects as

we  nd it in the vinaya and s tra literature.

3.3. The First Turning of the Wheel of the Doctrine

In the above discussion on the nature of the wheel of the doctrine, it

was mentioned that “turning” implies that someone else is reached,

in the sense that someone else becomes convinced of the word of the

Buddha, and so starts to proceed on the path of liberation. This brings

us to the issue of the event that should be seen as the  rst turning of

the wheel of the doctrine.

The *Abhidharmamahvibhstra (T.1545) contains the following

statement on this matter:

Question: “When the Buddha proclaimed the doctrine, all  ve bhikus saw

the doctrine. Why then is only Kau inya mentioned?” Answer: “Because

Kau inya was the  rst to see the doctrine. It is so that Kau inya had

already entered the path of vision, and that the four other [monks] were

still in the stage of the aids to penetration (nirvedhabhgya)”.^82

Thus it is clear that, according to the *Abhidharmamahvibh, the wheel

of the doctrine can be considered to turn when someone else awakens

to the path of vision, and that the conversion of Kau inya should

be regarded as the  rst such event. As was the case for the interpreta-

tion of the de nition of the wheel of the doctrine, the *Mahvibh

argumentation as to why Kau inya was the  rst to see the path and

(^82) T.1545.27.911b9–12. The “aids to penetration” is one of the preparatory exercises
to the path of salvation.
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