Editing The Buddha (section)

=== First sermon and formation of the saṅgha ===
[[File:Sarnath1.jpg|thumb|[[Dhamek Stupa]] in [[Sarnath]], India, site of the first teaching of the Buddha in which he taught the [[Four Noble Truths]] to his first five disciples]]
According to MN 26, immediately after his awakening, the Buddha hesitated on whether or not he should teach the ''[[Dharma (Buddhism)|Dharma]]'' to others. He was concerned that humans were overpowered by ignorance, greed, and hatred that it would be difficult for them to recognise the path, which is "subtle, deep and hard to grasp". However, the god [[Brahma (Buddhism)#Brahmā Sahampati|Brahmā Sahampati]] convinced him, arguing that at least some "with little dust in their eyes" will understand it. The Buddha relented and agreed to teach. According to Anālayo, the Chinese parallel to MN 26, MĀ 204, does not contain this story, but this event does appear in other parallel texts, such as in an ''[[Ekottara Agama|Ekottarika-āgama]]'' discourse, in the ''Catusparisat-sūtra'', and in the ''Lalitavistara''.{{sfnp|Anālayo|2011|p=178}}

According to MN 26 and MĀ 204, after deciding to teach, the Buddha initially intended to visit his former teachers, [[Alara Kalama]] and [[Udaka Ramaputta]], to teach them his insights, but they had already died, so he decided to visit his five former companions.{{sfnp|Anālayo|2011|p=182}} MN 26 and MĀ 204 both report that on his way to [[Varanasi|Vārānasī]] (Benares), he met another wanderer, an [[Ājīvika]] ascetic named Upaka in MN 26. The Buddha proclaimed that he had achieved full awakening, but Upaka was not convinced and "took a different path".{{sfnp|Anālayo|2011|p=183}}

MN 26 and MĀ 204 continue with the Buddha reaching the [[Sarnath|Deer Park (Sarnath)]] (''Mrigadāva'', also called ''Rishipatana'', "site where the ashes of the ascetics fell")<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last=Boisselier|first=Jean |title=The wisdom of the Buddha|date=1994|publisher=Harry N. Abrams|isbn=0-8109-2807-8|location=New York|oclc=31489012}}</ref> near Vārānasī, where he met the group of five ascetics and was able to convince them that he had indeed reached full awakening.{{sfnp|Anālayo|2011|p=185}} According to MĀ 204 (but not MN 26), as well as the Theravāda Vinaya, an [[Ekottara Agama|''Ekottarika-āgama'']] text, the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, the [[Mahīśāsaka]] Vinaya, and the ''Mahāvastu'', the Buddha then taught them the "first sermon", also known as the "Benares sermon",<ref name=":8" /> i.e., the teaching of "the noble eightfold path as the middle path aloof from the two extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification".{{sfnp|Anālayo|2011|p=185}} The Pali text reports that after the first sermon, the ascetic [[Kaundinya]] became the first [[arhat]] (liberated being) and the first Buddhist [[bhikkhu]] or monastic.{{sfnp|Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu|1992|pp=44–45}} The Buddha then continued to teach the other ascetics and they formed the first [[Sangha (Buddhism)|{{IAST|saṅgha}}]], the company of Buddhist monks.{{efn|name="Upaddha"}}

Various sources such as the ''Mahāvastu,'' the ''Mahākhandhaka'' of the Theravāda Vinaya and the ''Catusparisat-sūtra'' also mention that the Buddha taught them his second discourse, about the characteristic of [[Anatta|"not-self"]] (''[[Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta|Anātmalakṣaṇa Sūtra]]''), at this time{{sfnp|Strong|2001|p=110}} or five days later.<ref name=":8" /> After hearing this second sermon the four remaining ascetics also reached the status of ''arahant.''<ref name=":8" />

The Theravāda Vinaya and the ''Catusparisat-sūtra'' also speak of the conversion of [[Yasa]], a local guild master, and his friends and family, who were some of the first laypersons to be converted and to enter the Buddhist community.{{sfnp|Strong|2001|p=113}}<ref name=":8" /> The conversion of three brothers named Kassapa followed, who brought with them five hundred converts who had previously been "matted hair ascetics", and whose spiritual practice was related to fire sacrifices.{{sfnp|Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu|1992|pp=48, 54–59}}{{sfnp|Strong|2001|pp=116–117}} According to the Theravāda Vinaya, the Buddha then stopped at the Gayasisa hill near [[Gaya, India|Gaya]] and delivered his third discourse, the ''[[Ādittapariyāya Sutta]]'' (The Discourse on Fire),{{sfnp|Ñāṇamoli Bhikkhu|1992|p=64}} in which he taught that everything in the world is inflamed by passions and only those who follow the Eightfold path can be liberated.<ref name=":8" />

At the end of the rainy season, when the Buddha's community had grown to around sixty awakened monks, he instructed them to wander on their own, teach and ordain people into the community, for the "welfare and benefit" of the world.{{sfnp|Strong|2001|p=115}}<ref name=":8" />