Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhists hold that Buddha Shakyamuni gave three main sets of teachings during his career on earth, poetically described as the “three turnings of the wheel of the Dharma.” The three turnings sketch an intellectual history of Buddhism:
- The first turning was the teachings on the Four Noble Truths.
- The second turning was the Mahayana teachings, including on the bodhisattva path, the Prajnaparamita Sutras, and the Madhyamaka teachings on emptiness.
- The third turning of the wheel was the Yogachara philosophy teachings on the innate enlightenment of all beings, and some of the Vairayana tantras as well.