The Decision to Teach

A Turning Point in the Buddha’s Journey

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One of the most pivotal moments in the Buddha’s life unfolds in the Ariyapariyesanā Sutta (MN 26), also known as The Noble Search. This sutta offers profound insight into the Buddha’s initial hesitation to teach the Dhamma after his enlightenment and the eventual resolve that set the wheel of the Dhamma in motion.

The Struggle of Communication

After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha reflected deeply on the nature of the Dhamma he had realized. He recognized it as subtle, profound, and challenging to comprehend:

“This Dhamma that I have attained is profound, hard to see and hard to understand, peaceful and sublime, unattainable by mere reasoning, subtle, to be experienced by the wise.”

What troubled him was the difficulty of conveying such a profound truth to a world steeped in attachment, lust, and aversion. Teaching, he thought, might be a fruitless and burdensome endeavor.

Brahmā Sahampati’s Plea

At this crucial juncture, Brahmā Sahampati, a celestial b…