1.10: Buddhist Wheel of Life (Bhavachakra)
- Page ID
- 359656
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Artist: Various Buddhist artists
Medium: Painted diagram
Art Historical Time Period: Various, origin ca. 5th century CE
The Buddhist Wheel of Life, or Bhavachakra, is a symbolic diagram that illustrates the cycle of samsara — the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. The wheel is usually painted on monastery walls as a teaching tool and reminder of the impermanence of worldly existence.
At the center of the wheel are three animals — a pig, snake, and rooster — which represent ignorance, hatred, and desire. These forces drive the cycle of suffering. Around the center are six realms of existence: gods, demigods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings. The outer rim shows the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, a detailed explanation of how karma binds beings to samsara. The entire wheel is held in the jaws of Yama, the god of death, symbolizing that all beings are under the power of impermanence.
The Wheel of Life is essential to Buddhist teaching and visual storytelling. It blends cosmology, psychology, and ethics into a single image and inspires practitioners to seek liberation through the Eightfold Path and the practice of mindfulness and compassion.
Vocabulary
- Samsara – The cycle of death and rebirth.
- Bhavachakra – The Wheel of Life, a Buddhist diagram of existence.
- Impermanence – The belief that all things are transient and ever-changing.
Student Authors
- Gabriela Martinez ’25 and Raul Fernandez ’24
References and Image Attribution
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