Turning the Wheel of Dhamma: the Buddha's first sermon

Content of the sermon: most sources give the Four Noble Truths. The Luomo jing (Discourse to Rāma) in the Chinese Madhyama Āgama and one sutra in the Ekottarika Āgama give only the Middle Way and the Noble Eightfold Path; the Buddha biography Puyao jing (the Chinese Lalitavistara) gives the twelve links of dependent arising (the twelve links that explain the round of birth and death). Source text

Sequence: the Buddha biography Zhong benqi jing says the five went forth first and heard the Four Noble Truths afterwards; the Taizi ruiying benqi jing says the five became disciples the moment they saw the Buddha, and records nothing of what was taught. The Sanskrit Lalitavistara says that on that night the Buddha was silent in the first watch, reassured the five in the second, and taught only in the last; before the teaching a thousand jewelled seats appeared on the ground, and the Buddha passed by the first three (the seats of the three previous Buddhas) and sat on the fourth. Source text

Degree of realization: the Chinese and Tibetan Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya say that Koṇḍañña attained arahantship on hearing the Four Noble Truths the second time, earlier than the other four. The Sanskrit Lalitavistara says that sixty koṭis (one koṭi is ten million) of gods attained the first fruit together with Koṇḍañña, and a further eighty koṭis of gods of the higher heavens; the Chinese and Tibetan Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya give eighty thousand gods. Source text