New Buddhist Monastery – 3 Gold Crt, Deer Park

Deer Park (Sarnath) – The Origins of Dharma

Sarnath, India (or known as Deer Park) is the place where Buddha first preached his first discourse after obtaining enlightenment at Bodhgaya, and is known as the place where the ‘wheel of the dharma’ was first set in motion.

At this place, the Buddha encountered the five men who had been his companions of earlier austerities. On meeting the enlightened Buddha, all they saw was an ordinary man; they mocked his well-nourished appearance. “Here comes the mendicant Gautama”they said, who has turned away from asceticism. He is certainly not worth our respect.When they reminded him of his former vows, the Buddha replied, Austerities only confuse the mind. In the exhaustion and mental stupor to which they lead, one can no longer understand the ordinary things of life, still less the truth that lies beyond the senses. I have given up extremes of either luxury or asceticism. I have discovered the Middle Way. Hearing this, the five ascetics became the Buddha’s first disciples.

Gautama Buddha started teaching not to debate but for the advantage of and out of compassion for human beings. He explained the middle path which avoids extremes, the Four Noble Truths, and prescribed the Eight-fold path.

The Four Noble Truths are:

1. There is suffering;
2. Suffering has a cause;
3. The cause is removable, and
4. There are ways to remove the causes.

So as to remove the causes the Buddha prescribed an Eight-fold Path:

Right speech, Right action, Right livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness, Right concentration,
Right attitude and Right view.

Although Buddha set the ‘wheels of the Dharma’ in motion at Sarnath (Deer Park) 2500+ years
ago with his Four Noble Truths & Eight-fold Path, as disciples of Buddha, we hope the ‘Wheels of the Dharma’ continue to be in motion at our newly constructed Monastery in Deer Park, Victoria
(3 Gold Court, Deer Park), by further propagating Buddha’s Dharma.

鹿野苑-初轉法輪

當初佛陀以太子悉達多之身出家修行，父親淨飯王很不放心，派五位親信陪太子修行。起初大家一起在苦行林修苦行，經過了六年，只有受苦捱餓，卻未能解脫煩惱。

於是佛陀決定放棄苦行而行中道，就自個兒到尼連禪河沐浴，並接受一位牧羊女供養的羊乳糜。這時五位夥伴看到了，覺得太子受不了苦，退墮不想修苦行了，就離開佛陀，來到鹿野苑。佛陀受了羊乳糜供養，恢復體力，就到菩提伽耶繼續用功，不久證得道果。

佛陀經過一番思擇後，覺得應該要說法度眾生。於是他想起陪他修行的五位夥伴，他們已經用功修學多年。就進入禪定觀察，五位夥伴當時在鹿野苑。 於是佛陀從菩提伽耶走路到鹿野苑。

五位比丘起初依然在意佛陀的棄苦之行，但之後在聽取佛法而為之改觀，成為佛陀成道後第一次向人宣說佛法，此稱為「初轉法輪」，而首次宣說的內容主要為中道,四聖諦,八正道,在古印度,鹿野苑。

所說 四聖諦:苦聖諦,集聖諦,滅聖諦,道聖諦八正道: 正見,正思惟,正語,正業,正命,正精進,正念,正定是機緣是巧合，秉承2500多年前佛陀在古印度鹿野苑初轉法輪，宣揚佛法的精神，觀音圓通寺，亦將於澳洲，維多利亞州的鹿野苑啟建新的道場。希冀能藉此新道場來傳承佛陀的教義，讓法輪能永續的在娑婆世界轉，以便接引更多的法界眾生

建寺募款積極籌備中，歡迎大眾隨喜功德。