The bhavacakra (Sanskrit; Pali: bhavacakka; Tibetan: srid pa'i 'khor lo) is a symbolic representation of samsara (or cyclic existence). It is found on the outside walls of Tibetan Buddhist temples and monasteries in the Indo-Tibetan region, to help ordinary people understand Buddhist teachings.
The bhavachakra consists of the following elements:
- The pig, rooster and snake in the hub of the wheel represent the three poisons of ignorance, attachment and aversion.
- The second layer represents karma.
- The third layer represents the six realms of samsara.
- The fourth layer represents the twelve links of dependent origination.
- The fierce figure holding the wheel represents impermanence. It is also Yama, the god of death.
- The moon above the wheel represents liberation from samsara or cyclic existence.
- The Buddha pointing to the white circle indicates that liberation is possible.
Symbolically, the three inner circles, moving from the center outward, show that the three poisons of ignorance, attachment, and aversion give rise to positive and negative actions; these actions and their results are called karma. Karma in turn gives rise to the six realms, which represent the different types of suffering within samsara.
The fourth and outer layer of the wheel symbolizes the twelve links of dependent origination; these links indicate how the sources of suffering that the three poisons and karma produce live within cyclic existence.
The fierce being holding the wheel represents impermanence; this symbolizes that the entire process of samsara or cyclic existence is impermanent, transient, constantly changing. The moon above the wheel indicates liberation. The Buddha is pointing to the moon, indicating that liberation from samsara is possible.
Hub: the three poisons
- ① In the hub of the wheel are three animals: a pig, a snake, and a bird. They represent the three poisons of ignorance, aversion, and attachment, respectively.
The pig stands for ignorance; this comparison is based on the Indian concept of a pig being the most foolish of animals, since it sleeps in the dirtiest places and eats whatever comes to its mouth.
The snake represents aversion or anger; this is because it will be aroused and strike at the slightest touch.
The bird represents attachment (also translated as desire or clinging). The particular bird used in this diagram represents an Indian bird that is very attached to its partner.
These three animals represent the three poisons, which are the core of the bhavacakra. From these three poisons, the whole cycle of existence evolves.
Second layer: karma
The second layer of the wheel shows two-half circles:
- ② One half-circle (usually dark) shows people in a miserable state being led downwards to lower states, possibly to the lower realms.
- ③ The other half-circle (usually light) shows contented people moving upwards to higher states, possibly to the higher realms.
These images represent karma, the law of cause and effect. The dark half-circle indicates people experiencing the results of negative actions. The light half-circle indicates people experiencing the results of positive actions.
Third layer: the six realms of samsara
The third layer of the wheel is divided into six sections that represent the six realms of samsara, or cyclic existence, the process of cycling through one rebirth after another. These six realms are divided into three lower realms and three higher realms.
The three lower realms are shown in the bottom half of the circle:
- ④ Hell realm (Naraka): hell beings endure unimaginable suffering for eons of time. There are actually eighteen different types of hells, each inflicting a different kind of torment. In the hot hells, beings suffer from unbearable heat and continual torments of various kinds. In the cold hells, beings suffer from unbearable cold and other torments.
- ⑤ Hungry ghost realm (Preta): hungry ghosts suffer from extreme hunger and thirst. They wander constantly in search of food and drink, only to be miserably frustrated any time they come close to actually getting what they want. For example, they see a stream of pure, clear water in the distance, but by the time they get there the stream has dried up. Hungry ghosts have huge bellies and long, thin necks. On the rare occasions that they do manage to find something to eat or drink, the food or water burns their neck as it goes down to their belly, causing them intense agony.
- ⑥ Animal realm (Tiryagyoni): wild animals suffer from being attacked and eaten by other animals; they generally lead lives of constant fear. Domestic animals suffer from being exploited by humans; for example, they are slaughtered for food, overworked, and so on.
The three higher realms are shown in the top half of the circle:
- ⑦ Human realm (Manusya): humans suffer from hunger, thirst, heat, cold, separation from friends, being attacked by enemies, not getting what they want, and getting what they don't want. They also suffer from the general sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death. Yet the human realm is considered to be the most suitable realm for practicing the dharma, because humans are not completely distracted by pleasure (like the gods or demi-gods) or by pain and suffering (like the beings in the lower realms).
- ⑧ Demi-god realm (Asura): the demi-gods have pleasure and abundance almost as much as the gods, but they spend their time fighting among themselves or making war on the gods. When they make war on the gods, they always lose, since the gods are much more powerful. The demi-gods suffer from constant fighting and jealousy, and from being killed and wounded in their wars with each other and with the gods.
- ⑨ God realm (Deva): the gods lead long and enjoyable lives full of pleasure and abundance, but they spend their lives pursuing meaningless distractions and never think to practice the dharma. When death comes to them, they are completely unprepared; without realizing it, they have completely exhausted their good karma (which was the cause for being reborn in the god realm) and they suffer through being reborn in the lower realms.
Outer rim: the twelve links
The outer rim of the wheel is divided into twelve sections that represent the Twelve Nidanas. As previously stated, the three inner layers of the wheel show that the three poisons lead to karma, which leads to the suffering of the six realms. The twelve links of the outer rim show how this happens—by presenting the process of cause and effect in detail.
By contemplating on the twelve links, one gains greater insight into the workings of karma; this insight enables us to begin to unravel our habitual way of thinking and reacting.
The twelve causal links, paired with their corresponding symbols, are:
- ⓐ Lack of knowledge (Avidya) – a blind person, often walking, or a person peering out
- ⓑ Constructive volitional activity (Samskara) – a potter shaping a vessel or vessels
- ⓒ Consciousness (Vijnana) – a man or a monkey grasping a fruit
- ⓓ Name and form (constituent elements of mental and physical existence) (Namarupa) – two men afloat in a boat
- ⓔ Six senses (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind) (Sadayatana) – a dwelling with six windows
- ⓕ Contact (of objects with the senses) (Sparsa) – lovers consorting, kissing, or entwined
- ⓖ Feeling (Vedana) – an arrow to the eye
- ⓗ Craving or thirst (Trsna) – a drinker receiving drink
- ⓘ Grasping or attachment (Upadana) – a man or a monkey picking fruit
- ⓙ Coming to be (Bhava) – a couple engaged in intercourse, a standing, leaping, or reflective person
- ⓚ Being born (Jati) – woman giving birth
- ⓛ Old age and death (Jaramarana) – corpse being carried
The figure holding the wheel: impermanence
- ⑩ The wheel is being held by a fearsome figure who represents impermanence.
This figure is often interpreted as being Mara, the demon who tried to tempt the Buddha, or as Yama, the lord of death. Regardless of the figure depicted, the inner meaning remains the same–that the entire process of cyclic existence (samsara) is transient; everything within this wheel is constantly changing.
The Buddha pointing to the white circle: the path to liberation
- ⑪ The upper part of the drawing shows an image of the Buddha pointing toward the moon; this represents the path to liberation.
While in Theravada Buddhism this is the Noble Eightfold Path, in Mahayana Buddhism this is the Bodhisattva path, striving to liberation for all sentient beings. In Tibetan Buddhism, this is Lamrim, which details all the stages on the path, while Zen has its own complicated history of the entanglement of meditation practice and direct insight.
The moon: liberation
- ⑫ Above the wheel is an image of the moon; the moon represents liberation from the sufferings of samsara.
Some drawings may show an image of a "pure land" to indicate liberation, rather than a moon.
See also
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