What is the name of the Buddha's first sermon?

The Buddha’s first sermon was the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, traditionally translated as “Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma.” According to Buddhist tradition, Gautama Buddha delivered it at the Deer Park in Sarnath, near Varanasi, after attaining enlightenment.

His audience consisted of five former companions from his ascetic years: Kondanna, Assaji, Bhaddiya, Vappa, and Mahanama. The discourse explained the Middle Way between sensual indulgence and harsh self-mortification, then presented the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.

The title refers to beginning the movement of the Buddha’s teaching, often symbolized by the Dharma wheel. The text is preserved in the Pali Canon as Samyutta Nikaya 56.11, although parallel versions exist in other Buddhist traditions.

A common mix-up is the Fire Sermon, or Adittapariyaya Sutta, which is an important later discourse. The Anattalakkhana Sutta was also addressed to the five ascetics, but it followed the first sermon rather than naming it.