Brahmasahampati and the teaching of the Buddha

The Buddha wondered how he should or could communicate what he discovered to other people. Then Brahma Sahampati - the great king of the Brahma Heavens, the highest heavens, appeared to the Buddha and entreated him to teach for the sake of all beings, and to start with those who had but a little dust obscuring their eyes.

This incident represented the forces of compassion within the Buddha, and that part of the wisdom or enlightenment experience is a compassion for all living beings.

The Deer Park Sermon

After the appearance of Brahma Sahampati the Buddha resolved to visit his former teachers and pupils. He discovered that two of them, Alara and Uddaka had died in the meantime, so he decided to try to find the five ascetics. He learned that they were now staying in the Deer Park near the city of Varanasi or Benares. So the Buddha walked towards Benares, and just outside the city, near a small town called Sarnath, in place called the Deer Park, he met up with his old followers. What he said to them is purported to be contained in the Deer Park Sermon, which is also called The First Sermon, or more properly the Dharmacakrapravatana Sutta (The Discourse Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Law).

In this Sutta, the Buddha outlined the Middle Way between extremes (a principle of balance to be observed in our lives), the Four Noble Truths (four truths about the nature of our lives that he said that he had realised), and the Noble Eightfold Path, which he presented as a cure or therapy for the sufferings of life.

The Teaching Career

For the next forty or so years the Buddha traveled around the eastern part of the Indian sub-continent, teaching people, impressing them with his example. He taught all types of people, kings and princes, beggars, householders, merchants, farmers, scholars, rich and poor, educated and un-educated, old and young, male and female. Gradually there grew around the Buddha a large following of disciples. This group was. Some followed the Buddha and lived or months, others were lay followers.

He developed a great following, called the Sangha. Some of them gave up their possessions and followed him as monks or wandering Sadhus; these groups were called Bikkhus, which literally means "beggars". Others maintained their business and households but also practiced his teaching; these were called Upasakas and Upasikas or "householders".

There were many stories of the various events of the Buddha's life, and many remembered teachings and instructions, and these were memorised by his followers and became known as the Suttas.