Can you explain the Wheel of Life (Buddhism) to me?

Question

I'm a little lost on the subject...

What is it? What does it represent? How does it apply to my life on earth? What are some good resources for it? I'd like to find a site that explains it in simple terms. What each section represents? How does one affect the other?

Answer 1

I posted an explanation to this question but I'll repost it here for your convenience. The Wheel of Life is a depiction of the twelve links of dependent origination / dependent arising: Ignorance, Formative activity, Consciousness, Name and form, The six sense bases, Contact, Feeling, Craving, Grasping, Existence, Birth, and Aging and death.

In Tibetan Buddhism, virtuous and non-virtuous actions (karma) are viewed like "seeds" that are planted when performed. The level of how virtuous or non-virtuous the action is is based upon the act performed and the intention of the individual performing the act. These seeds may ripen in either this lifetime or in a future life so there is no randomness per se but upon the intensity of the accrued virtuous versus non-virtuous karma.

"It is the intention behind the action, that I call karma. Having wanted, wished, and willed, one acts by body, speech, and mind. There are actions (karma) which cause later effects to ripen in hell! There are actions which cause later effects to ripen when an animal! There is karma which cause later effects to ripen as a hungry ghost! There are actions which cause later effects to ripen as human being! There is karma which cause later effects to ripen in divine states! The result of actions is of three kinds: Ripening here and now in the present life, in the next life, or in future lives." (Anguttara Nikaya 6:63 from http://what-buddha-said.net)

"Ownership and inheritance of the delayed results of action: All beings are the owners of their actions, inheritor of their deeds! They are literally created by and born of their behaviour, they are tied to their acts, and their undertakings determines their future destiny...Whatever they do, good as bad, the delayed results of that action, will be the only theirs...." (AN 10:206)


According to the text "Steps on the Path to Enlightenment: A Commentary on Tsongkhapa's Lamrim Chenmo--Volume Two: Karma" by Geshe Sopa (Wisdom Publications) the imagery found in the wheel is as follows.

"This wheel is a representation of all cyclic existence. with pictures symbolizing the five (or sometimes six) realms, and along the outer circumference are scenes symbolizing the twelve links of dependent origination, beginning with ignorance--represented by a blind old man or woman. At the center you find the three root afflictions--ignorance, desire, and hostility--depicted as a pig, a pigeon or a rooster, and a snake forming a circle with each one grasping the tail of the next. The entire wheel is held in the mouth of Yama, the Lord of Death, in the form of a savage demon....The Buddha himself instructed his disciples to devise this kind of representation of dependent origination....He [the Buddha] told them to paint this picture in the vestibule or entryway of the monastery...."

"When you understand how each link in this chain of causality gives rise to the next link, you also grasp the means by which you can interrupt this process of samsaric evolution by cutting the causal links at certain points....When you replace ignorance--the first link in this chain--with wisdom, you naturally bring about a revolution in your actions, your karma--the second link."

Geshe Sopa continues with an explanation of each of the links in the Wheel of Life in a similar manner and how they may be broken, thus ending cyclical samsaric rebirth.

He further explains, according to the Tibetan tradition, the misconceptions many have of the three schools of Buddhism: Theravada (commonly called Hinayana or "The Lesser Vehicle"), Mahayana ("The Greater Vehicle"), and Vajrayana (Esoteric, Tantric or "The Diamond Vehicle" which some categorize as a subset of Mahayana). That they are not separate schools unique unto themselves but interrelated--like stepping stones across a stream--and how it all relates to Bodhisattva. But this is much too involved for the confines of this post.

If you get the opportunity, you may want to read the entire text (BTW volume three of this five volume commentary is due in November of this year).

I apologize for the length of the post. I hope this has been of some help in answering your question.

May all be at peace.

John

Answer 2

The following link has an understandable introduction that leads to great detail.

Answer 3

What part of it are you "lost" on? www.buddhanet.net

The info you're asking for has got to be a bit more specific since it's enough to fill a whole book to answer. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just trying to help.

_()_

Answer 4

Life is a big circle, no beginning no end and "you" are the center!

Answer 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhavacakra