Last Existence: First Sermon

Fragment of a relief depicting the First Sermon. After attaining Enlightenment in Bodh Gayā, the Buddha travels to Sarnath. In the Deer Park, he teaches the dharma to the five ascetics with whom he had shared years of practice. Remnants of the Buddha’s profile are barely visible on the left. Two of the five monks surrounding him are depicted wrapped in their overrobe with hands in a gesture of meditation. To the right there are the branches of a tree with lanceolate leaves.