The Spread of Buddhism

36 bart dessein

development, introduced by the narrative argument that the same

 ve monks witnessed the Buddha’s life of self-morti cation,^87 but the

development of the theory of the four truths and the abhidharmic

elaboration of the three cycles and twelve aspects, later encroached

on Kau inya as the  rst of these  ve monks to awaken for the truth.

The interpretation of the “wheel of the doctrine” as the path of vision

appears to have become connected to Kau inya, as he was the  rst

to “see” the path.

Related to this first turning of the wheel of the doctrine, the

*Abhidharmamah vibhstra differentiates two kinds of turning of the

wheel of the doctrine: the wheel that turns for oneself, i.e., the vehicle

of the rvakas and the pratyekabuddhas, and the wheel that turns for oth-

ers, i.e., the wheel of the Buddha. Here it is said that the wheel that

was set in motion under the bodhi tree is the vehicle of the rvakas and

the pratyekabuddhas because it was only pro table for oneself, that is, no

one else was converted. However, the wheel of the doctrine that was

set turning in Vras is not the same as the vehicle of the rvakas

and pratyekabuddhas, because it was pro table for others.^88 It is clear that

the idea here is that it is only when Kau inya obtained enlightenment

as a result of the sermon in the Deer Park in Vras, that one can

rightly claim that the wheel of the doctrine was set in motion. Also the

*Sa yuktbhidharmahdaya makes a distinction between, on the one hand,

the vehicle of the rvakas and the pratyekabuddhas, and, on the other

hand, the vehicle of the World-honoured One. Kau inya is hereby

said to have made the wheel of the doctrine turn for himself and to

have developed the path himself, but to have been unable to make the

wheel of the doctrine turn for someone else. It is therefore only the

World-honoured One who can make the wheel of the doctrine turn.^89

This is also stated in the two verses of the Drghgama quoted above.^90

This alludes to a difference in “quality” of arhat-ship of the Buddha

and of a disciple.

As, according to the Sarvstivdins, it is only when someone else

awakens to the Buddhist faith that one can claim that the wheel of

the doctrine is turning, one cannot say that the wheel of the doctrine

has been set in motion under de bodhi tree, when the Buddha delivered

(^87) See note 32.
(^88) T.1545.27.912b18–25.
(^89) T.1552.28.950b23–27. See also Dessein 1999, vol. 1, p. 659.
(^90) See note 51.
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