Dhamma Wheel Orientation
When the Buddha delivered his first discourse, or sutta, it is said by the tradition that he “set in motion the wheel of the Dhamma.” It has been turning ever since, as millions of people over thousands of years have sought to practice some aspect of the path every day.
The Buddha was a skillful teacher, presenting a cohesive and well-organized curriculum over the course of his lifetime. His use of numerical lists and repeating formulas, along with a host of other literary devices, was carefully designed so his followers could remember the teachings, reflect upon them regularly, and put them into practice in a gradual and consistent way.
Created by the Buddhist scholar Andrew Olendzki and Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Dhamma Wheel is a daily email course designed not only to deepen your understanding of Buddhist wisdom but to gradually integrate it into your meditation practice and your life.
Course Structure
In this course, we make use of the natural patterns and rhythms embedded in the suttas as we work steadily through the primary teaching of the eightfold path—the path to awakening. Each day of the week is themed according to one of the eight path factors. Following the theme of the day, each email lesson includes a passage from the Pali canon, Andrew's commentary, and suggestions for daily practice.
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday Right view | The truth of suffering | The origin of suffering | The cessation of suffering | The path to the cessation of suffering |
Tuesday Right intention | Lovingkindness | Compassion | Appreciative joy | Equanimity |
Wednesday Right speech | Abstaining from false speech | Abstaining from malicious speech | Abstaining from harsh speech | Abstaining from gossip |
Thursday Right action | Bodily action | Verbal action | Mental action | Social action |
Friday Right living | Abstaining from harming living beings | Abstaining from taking what is not given | Abstaining from misbehaving among sensual pleasures | Abstaining from intoxication leading to heedlessness |
Saturday Right effort | Restraining unarisen unwholesome states | Abandoning arisen unwholesome states | Developing unarisen wholesome states | Maintaining arisen wholesome states |
Sunday Right mindfulness & Right concentration | – Mindfulness of body – Focus on rise and fall of material form | – Mindfulness of feeling – Focus on rise and fall of feeling | – Mindfulness of mind – Focus on rise and fall of consciousness | – Mindfulness of mental states – Focus on rise and fall of perception and formations |
Additional Resources for Further Study
As a support for your study and practice, we offer these additional reading materials that you may find helpful as a companion to the Dhamma Wheel daily emails:
• The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering by Bhikkhu Bodhi
• The Authenticity of the Early Buddhist Texts by Bhikkhu Sujato & Bhikkhu Brahmali
• "Back to the Beginning," an interview with Andrew Olendzki in Tricycle magazine
You can find the full text of the suttas quoted each day at Access to Insight by locating the sutta abbreviation (DN / MN / SN / AN / KN) and scrolling down to the chapter number. Another source for sutta references is SuttaCentral. You can enter the sutta reference without spaces (e.g. SN11.10) in the search field to jump straight to the sutta. Multiple translations are sometimes available for a given sutta.
The full text of the Visuddhimagga (Vm) is freely available for reference here and is also organized by chapter and verse.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Pali canon?
The Pali canon is the body of literature that dates to more or less the lifetime of the Buddha (circa 500 B.C.E.) and the first few generations of his followers.
In Pali we refer to the canon as the "Tipitaka" ("Tripitaka" in Sanskrit)—literally, the "Three Baskets," which contain the collected words of the Buddha. The Three Baskets are:
The Vinaya, the teachings on the history and rules of the monastic community; The Suttas ("Sutras" in Sanskrit), which comprise the narrative and verse teachings; and The Abhidhamma (“Abhidharma” in Sanskrit), a later compilation of teachings on Buddhist psychology that was primarily built upon the Vinaya and the Suttas.
—From "Back to the Beginning," an interview with Andrew Olendzki in Tricycle magazine.
What are the abbreviations after each sutta passage?
The references at the end of each passage refer to the four primary Nikayas of the Pali Tipitaka in standard notation, or to Buddhaghosa’s later compilation:
- DN = Digha Nikaya (The Long Discourses)
- MN = Majjhima Nikaya (The Middle Length Discourses)
- SN = Samyutta Nikaya (The Connected Discourses)
- AN = Anguttara Nikaya (The Numerical Discourses)
- Vm = Visuddhimagga (The Path of Purification)
You can find the full text of the suttas quoted each day at Access to Insight by locating the sutta abbreviation (DN / MN / SN / AN / KN) and scrolling down to the chapter number.
The full text of the Visuddhimagga (Vm) is freely available for reference here and is also organized by chapter and verse.
What translation is used for the suttas?
Translations of these texts have been published originally by the Pali Text Society, and more recently by Wisdom Publications. The translations in Dhamma Wheel follow these for the most part, but have been modified substantially in some places. Repetition has been compressed, lists have been standardized, names have been replaced with the generic ‘person’, and the gender has been universalized (‘one’ rather than ‘he’).
What is the structure of the daily emails?
Dhamma Wheel cycles through the eight aspects of the noble path each week. Every Monday focuses on right view, every Tuesday on right intention, and so forth until Sunday, a day of meditation that includes both right mindfulness and right concentration. And since each day of the week appears at least four times every month, each month also has a four-fold cycle. Mondays cycle through the four noble truths, Tuesdays cover the four brahma-viharas, and so forth, with Sundays focusing on both the four foundations of mindfulness and the four phases of concentration practice.
While it may sound complex, you will soon get into the flow of taking on a particular theme to investigate and practice each day of the week and month. To help maintain perspective, two textual passages are quoted each day, one repeating each month for reference and one unique to each day. In addition, reflections are offered daily, as well as suggestions for practice. After 364 daily emails, the cycle will repeat and you can continue on or jump off at any time.
What time are the daily emails sent out?
The emails are sent out at 4am in your local time zone. If our email server is unable to determine your local time zone, you'll receive each email at 4am EST.
Can I communicate with others taking the course?
Check out the conversations happening on Twitter here or post your own thoughts with hashtag #DhammaWheel!
Can I view all of the lessons in one place?
As an email course, all of the lessons live in your email inbox. You may want to add each Dhamma Wheel email you receive to a folder or label in your inbox so that you can refer back to it anytime you wish.
How can I update my email address or billing information?
Visit this page and enter your email address to receive an email link to manage your subscription details.
I've enrolled, but I'm not receiving any Dhamma Wheel emails!
Sorry to hear that! Please check the spam folder in your email client for any emails from Tricycle Online Courses, or search your inbox for "Dhamma Wheel" and see if they come up. If you don't find them, please reach out to us at learn@tricycle.org to resolve the issue.
When does Dhamma Wheel end?
The end date is up to you. After 364 emails, the Dhamma Wheel cycle will repeat and you can continue on as long as you find the readings, reflections, and practices beneficial—or jump off at any time.
How do I cancel my subscription?
Visit this page and enter your email address to receive an email link to manage your subscription.
If you have any other questions, please reach out to us by email at learn@tricycle.org.