The Wheel of Life

Posted on July 28, 2007 in Buddhism Concepts

The Wheel of Life (Bhavachakra), also known as the “Thankas” in Tibetan, is a representation of the key aspects of the Buddha’s teachings on the suffering and impermanence of cyclic existence.

The Wheel of Life which is held by Yama, the Lord of Death, depicts the various cycles associated with the process and consequences of life unless one attains Nirvana (the end of craving, suffering and the cycle of existence).

The Innermost Circle

In the innermost circle of the Wheel of Life, there are representations of three animals – a pig (ignorance and confusion), a rooster (passion and lust), and a green snake (hatred and aggression). They represent the three poisonous delusions with each creature chasing and biting each other’s tails, giving rise to the endless cycle of rebirths.

The Inner Circle

Encompassing the innermost circle is another circle depicted with white and black backgrounds. This represents beings rising and falling according to their deeds. Those who lived good lives are seen to be ascending, while those who have lived bad lives, descending.

The Six Realms

Beyond this inner circle, the Wheel is divided into six segments, each segment depicting one of the six realms of the cycle of birth and death. Starting clockwise from the top is the realm of the gods, a place of pleasure and happiness. The second segment represents the realm of the demi-gods whose existence are flawed due to their jealousy. The third segment shows the realm of the hungry ghosts or pretas representing hunger and enormous cravings. The bottom segment is the hell realm which represents extreme suffering in the various hot and cold hells. The fifth segment is the animal realm which portrays an instinct and a need to survive, and in which opportunities for moral action are limited. The final segment is the human realm. The Buddhists believe that this realm, with its constant fluctuation of pleasure and pain, offers the best condition for attaining enlightenment.

The Outermost Circle

The depiction in the outermost circle represents the twelve links of the chain of dependence, the Buddha’s explanation of the process by which beings live, die and are reborn. Clockwise from the top they are:

Sometimes, Amitabha on the right represent the paradise into which those with the most fortunate karma proceed. Shakyamuni Buddha on the left pointing towards the Wheel of life after attaining liberation from the cycles of existence, adorns the top sections of the painting on the Wheel of Life.

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