2. The Wheel Of Life
There are four circles in
the wheel of life:
Inner circle
First circle
Second circle
Third circle
3. THE FIRST CIRCLE
There is a cock, snake and a pig representing Greed,
Aversion and Delusion - the 3 roots of all evil and
the main causes for our wandering in Samsara.
A cock is full of vanity and likes to show off his beauty. He thinks
that he is virtuous in every respect and likes to scratch the earth. This
means that he constantly creates impulses and emotions. He
represents greed which is Lobha.
A snake is a poisonous animal who bites and kills his enemies
with venom. This signifies vindictiveness, so he stands for anger
(Dosa).
A pig is a greedy animal who eats without any consideration and
always goes to sleep afterwards. Though he is already full, hunger is
still in his mind. He represents delusion which is Moha.
4. THE FIRST
CIRCLE
The 3 beasts are shown biting the tail of the other,
meaning that really they are inseparable, so that one
cannot have, say, greed, without the other monsters
lurking in its train.
Even characters which are rooted predominantly in one of these
three, have the other two present.
Most normal people will also have a unhealthy balance of these
three in their hearts, ever ready to influence their actions when a
suitable situation occurs.
These beasts revolve endlessly in the heart of the puthujjana and
ensure that he experiences plenty of dukkha.
5. THE SECOND CIRCLE – White Dhamma
White Dhamma is the good Kamma which is
under the influence of the Buddha. The person is
mindful of the 4 postures (eating, standing,
walking and lying down), of speaking, and of
thinking, contemplating body and mind. He is
full of mindfulness at all times.
The circle is
broken into
Performing virtuous deeds results in good two, one half is
kamma leading to a good future rebirth. with a white
background
and one with a
black
background.
6. THE SECOND CIRCLE - Black Dhamma
Black Dhamma is the bad Kamma of
body, speech or mind which is caused by
Avijja (Ignorance).
He signifies one who lacks mindfulness
in the contemplation of the 4 postures -
eating, walking, sitting and lying down.
The circle is One who is in the sphere of Black
broken into Dhamma is like one who walks at night,
two, one half is
with a white
clothed only in darkness, dirty and
background useless.
and one with a
black They generate bad and evil kamma
background. leading to hell in future rebirth.
7. THE THIRD CIRCLE
Animals generally have a strong inclination
towards eating, drinking etc. Humans,
interested in these actions, strengthen their
Evil Root of Delusion and are likely to be
reborn as animals.
Kamma dragging one to the hells are actions involving hatred, killing,
torture and violence generally. People lead themselves to experience
hell because they have made the Evil Root of Aversion very strong in
themselves. The mind that enters hell represents an angry mind, full
of vindictiveness.
Those who have strengthened the Evil Root of Greed, having been
mean, possessive and selfish are liable to arise as spirits with strong
cravings forever unsatisfied, for which reason they are known as
hungry ghost.
8. THE THIRD CIRCLE
The path to the
It is more usual for heavens is
one who has cultivated by those
followed the pure who make special
path to be born as efforts to live with
a man or among purity and self-
the gods. The restraint,
basis for the exercising loving-
former is the kindness toward
practice of the all beings and so
Five Precepts. purifying their
minds through
meditation.
9. THE FOURTH CIRCLE
There are 12 links in the fourth circle representing the Paticca
Samupada.
Avijja (Ignorance): illustrated by a blind man.
He is totally deluded because of Ignorance. It is the
mind full of delusion and wrong views about matter
and mind (Rupa-Nama). As a result, it keeps on
grasping and clinging to the aggregates of form,
sound, smell, taste and mind objects.
The mind will eventually attach to the belief that there is a Self, a solid being
which will not decay or dissolve. This delusion about the idea of Self stems from a
lack of insight into reality.
Therefore Avijja stands for a deluded human being who is full of ignorance
(Moha) and does not realise the Truth. So he is portrayed by a blind person, who
does not know where he is going as he cannot see anything and cannot do
anything right.
10. THE FOURTH CIRCLE
Sankhara (Volitional activities): represented by a
potter shaping pots on his wheel.
He is trying to make something into a form from the
material already available. This shows the way Form,
Taste, Smell, Sound, tangible objects, and mind-
objects are created through mind contact.
So Sankhara is the cause of impulses and emotions.
11. THE FOURTH CIRCLE
Vinnana (Consciousness): represented by a
monkey holding a crystal depicting a restless
mind in which the rising and falling of
consciousness takes place all the time.
A house represents the sense spheres (Ayatana).
Vinnana is consciousness every time there is
contact between one of the 6 senses and an
object.
12. THE FOURTH CIRCLE
Rupa-Nama (Matter and Mind) Salayatana (6 Sense Organs) is
is portrayed by a man and a depicted by the image of an
woman on a boat. (Matter is empty house with doors and
depicted by the boat and Mind windows which symbolise the
by the passengers). The physical six senses. The house stands
form is represented by the boat for the body, the doors for the
and Consciousness is represented mind, and the windows for the
by the people. Though the two eyes, ears, nose and tongue.
phenomena are different, they
have to depend on each other.
13. THE FOURTH CIRCLE
Phassa (Contact): A couple Vedana (Sensation) is reflected
embracing represents the by a man with an arrow sunk
contact from which deep in his eyes and is in great
consciousness of being male pain. It indicates the strong
and female arise. As a result, feeling which our sensory
impulses and emotions are experience, driven by impulses,
produced and defilements, evokes whether it is pleasant,
craving, like, dislike and unpleasant or neutral.
imbalance follow.
14. THE FOURTH CIRCLE
Tanha (Craving) is depicted in
the image of a man smoking Upadana (Grasping) is
heroin. He is an addict who represented by a monkey
always craves for more and plucking fruits from a tree.
more of the drug. Having no Grasping them brings about
contentment, he cannot have attachment when he is
enough of it. Craving cannot under the illusion that the
be fulfilled. It is the mind fruits belong to him. He
which causes impulses and lacks the wisdom to
emotions. consider reasons for letting
go.
15. THE FOURTH CIRCLE
Bhava (Becoming): A
pregnant woman
indicates the embryo
in her womb.
Becoming signifies Jati (Birth): A woman giving birth to a
the plane of existence baby reflects rebirth into different kinds
which of being such as female, male, animal
or other. It is birth into the 3 planes of
existence. It is the mind in which
corresponds to volitions; it volitions cause impulses and emotions.
signifies the existence of body and Concurrently, consciousness keeps on
mind. There is attachment to the rising and falling, followed by love and
concepts of 'my place and our hate. Birth and existence take place
place', Self, love and hate. Clinging continuously without end. The mind
to having and being is Bhava. forms attachments to various emotions
in the past, future and present.
16. THE FOURTH CIRCLE
Jara-Marana (Old age and Death): This
last link is personified by a man leaving
home, his belongings carried in a basket
on a pole over his shoulder. This indicates
leaving the body as there will be no
return. The only things that can be taken
are good and bad kamma.
The house, representing all body and properties, will have to be left
behind. He will be accompanied by sorrow, lamentation, pain,
grief, despair, disappointment and mourning at the separation from
loved ones.
17. The Wheel Of Life
Yaksha (Giant) represents time which
consumes day and night all sentient
beings who are deluded, overcome by
ignorance. He is a fierce creature who
stands for the 3 defilements. His
appearance is extremely ugly and
frightening. He drags all beings into the
fires.
The tiger's skin which covers Yaksha signifies
the mental intoxication and latent dispositions
which envelop and cling to sentient beings,
consuming them day and night.
The Giant's white eye represents days and the black one represents nights.
Days and nights constantly devour the lives of all sentient beings.
18. The Wheel Of Life
The Buddha above the Circle, standing
and pointing the Way to a disciple, shows
that the only way to Cessation of
Suffering is to see the 4 Noble Truths, to
know how to practise the Eightfold Noble
Path, and to understand Dependent
Origination and to rise above good and
bad Kamma. Consequently, one will be
able to rise above the Cycle of Existence
and finally realizes Nibbana.
19. The gift of Dhamma excels all gifts the
taste of Dhamma excels all taste, the delight
in dhamma excels all delights, The Craving-Freed
vanquishes all suffering.
- Dhammapada verse 354
Thank
you
