From this, to transfer (転: ten) the creed (法輪: horin) is referred to as tenporin in Buddhism, and, particularly, an event in which Buddha taught the creed to his five ex-ascetic fellows in Sarnath for the first time is referred to as shotenporin.
そこから、仏教では教義（法輪）を他人に伝えること（転）を転法輪と言うようになり、特に釈迦がサールナート（鹿野苑）で元の修行仲間5人に最初に教義を説いた出来事を初転法輪と言う。