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Bhavachakra, "wheel of life," [a] consists of the words bhava and chakra.. bhava (भव) means "being, worldly existence, becoming, birth, being, production, origin". [web 1]In Buddhism, bhava denotes the continuity of becoming (reincarnating) in one of the realms of existence, in the samsaric context of rebirth, life and the maturation arising therefrom. [2]
The wheel of joy is commonly depicted at the central hub of the dharmachakra, where its three or four swirls may represent the Three Jewels and victory over the three poisons, or the Four Noble Truths and the four directions. As a symbol of the Three Jewels it may also appear as the "triple-eyed" or wish-granting gem of the chakravartin.
Similar wheel symbols were used as a solar symbol by the Ancient Egyptians. [32] Some Buddha statues also depict the related Dharmachakra Mudrā, a hand sign depicting the turning of the Dharma wheel. A very similar wheel symbol also appears in the flag of the Romani people, hinting to their nomadic history.
[6] [7] The three poisons are represented in the hub of the wheel of life as a pig, a bird, and a snake (representing ignorance, attachment, and aversion, respectively). As shown in the wheel of life (Sanskrit: bhavacakra), the three poisons lead to the creation of karma, which leads to rebirth in the six realms of samsara. [1] [8] [9]
The earliest Buddhist art is from the Mauryan era (322 BCE – 184 BCE), there is little archeological evidence for pre-Mauryan period symbolism. [6] Early Buddhist art (circa 2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE) is commonly (but not exclusively) aniconic (i.e. lacking an anthropomorphic image), and instead used various symbols to depict the Buddha.
In Buddhism, especially in Theravada, the Pali noun cakka connotes "wheel". [10] Within the Buddhist scriptures referred to as the Tripitaka , Shakyamuni Buddha variously refers the "dhammacakka", or "wheel of dharma", connoting that this dharma, universal in its advocacy, should bear the marks characteristic of any temporal dispensation.
The Six Paths [1] in Buddhist cosmology [2] are the six worlds where sentient beings are reincarnated based on their karma, which is linked to their actions in previous lives. These paths are depicted in the Bhavacakra ("wheel of existence"). [3] The six paths are: [4] the world of gods or celestial beings ; the world of warlike demigods
Despite the invocation of Buddhist language and symbols, the law wheel as understood in Falun Gong has distinct connotations, and is held to represent the universe. [2] It is conceptualized by an emblem consisting of one large and four small swastika symbols, representing the Buddha, [3] and four small Taiji (yin-yang) symbols of the Daoist ...