The Buddhist Wheel of Life: Aesthetics of Suffering and Salvation

[Guest guest]

This piece was put together by me.

 

================================================

The Buddhist Wheel of Life: Aesthetics of Suffering and Salvation

================================================

 

One of Buddha's foremost disciples was Maudgalyayana. He was said

to be extremely adept at spiritual practices and had such mastery

over psychic powers that he could penetrate into the soul of any

individual and visualize all that was happening there and why.

 

With this ability to enter deeply into the lives of another it is

not surprising that the insights expressed in his teachings

gained a wide audience and universal acceptance. Buddha, noticing

this, proposed that a picture should be made representing

Maudgalyayana's teachings, so that his message could be made

available to even those who did not have direct access to him.

Thus was born the esoteric image known as 'The Wheel of Life.'

This diagram serves as a powerful inspiration to spiritual

aspirants and is painted to the left of all Tibetan monasteries,

offering an opportunity to both monks and pilgrims alike, to look

deeply into their own inner beings.

 

An amazing collection of contrasting imagery, each aspect of this

composition is packed with rich symbolism and direct,

hard-hitting metaphors. Essentially a construction made up of

four concentric circles, it is an attempt to convey spiritual

insights behind our 'physical existence' in purely visual terms.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/tc58.jpg

 

The Buddhist view is that we humans exist in an unenlightened

state. The goal of our earthly sojourn is to attain enlightenment

and gain deliverance from the constant cycle of birth and

re-birth which characterizes all sentient beings.

 

There are various reasons for the suffering our mortal forms have

to entail. The Wheel of Life presents these very causes for our

suffering through both gruesome and sublime imagery. But under no

condition is it a pessimistic presentation, rather it is an

optimistic affirmation that redemption is possible by recognizing

the delusions that plague our ephemeral existence. The first step

towards their elimination and replacement by positive virtues is

the recognition of these ills. It is this very identification

that the Buddhist Wheel helps us in attaining. By making visuals

the primary mode of expression, it makes these realizations

available to all, even the spiritually uninitiated.

 

On first viewing this metaphysical diagram, the attention of the

viewer is immediately captured by the starkness of the center

where are shown a pig, a snake, and a cock, running on endlessly

(as life itself), and each emerging from another, in a kind of

awful dance.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/center.jpg

 

Each of these animals represents a particular human failing or

weakness, which stands as an obstacle to spiritual

accomplishment. They are known as the 'Three Poisons' because

from them grow all of life's evils, and because they corrupt us

from within. It is appropriate that these forces are depicted by

animals, since they represent primitive urges beneath our

supposedly civilized exterior.

 

The cock from which emerges the snake represents greed. No doubt,

the proverbial vanity and lust of this poor bird make it an

appropriate symbol for this human failing. The word greed does

not really do full justice to the emotion symbolized by the cock

which includes the whole spectrum of unwholesome desire from

vague hankerings to intense longings. A more appropriate term

would be 'craving.' Craving of this sort can be observed for

example when we lose something and experience not only regret or

irritation at no longer being able to enjoy it but a deeper sense

of loss, even a kind of panic. It further signifies the most

natural of all human emotions, namely our craving for admiration

and approval of those around us. In such a scenario we are

constantly looking at ourselves through the eyes of the world,

and lose track of our inner life force, which, rather than the

approval and opinion of others, should be the ultimate benchmark.

Thus said the Buddha Shakyamuni "Just as a rock is not moved by

the wind, so the wise man is not moved by blame or praise."

 

Craving should be distinguished from healthy desire. A hungry

person may want food, which is a straightforward desire, and as

soon as one eats this hunger is satisfied. This is an important

distinction between a natural, healthy desire and an unnatural

craving. The satisfaction of the former leads to its termination,

while in the case of the latter any attempt at gratification

leads to further temptation, as in the case of lust for money for

its own sake.

 

Next is the snake that signifies aggression. It is a symbol of

our instinctive self. Our inherent instinctive nature is

aggressive. When things do not work out as we would have wanted

them to, our first reaction is to blame others and we then try to

force the situation, which leads to resistance. Any time we meet

resistance, if we force the situation, the resistance will only

increase. Thus we have to distrust out first instinctive reaction

to an unfavorable situation, and proceed only after the first

wave of anger and frustration has subsided. It is not that we are

not aware that we must restrain our impromptu, on the spot

retroactions, but we are lulled into complacency and such

reactions slither past our better judgement (like a serpent).

>From the mouth of the snake issues a pig, a symbol of ignorance.

The ears of a pig are large enough such that they fall over his

eyes. Thus blinkered by its ears, the pig is conscious only what

its snout is sticking into, and unaware of all other that is

happening near him. In a similar manner our perspective on life

is narrowed by our cultural conditioning, and we lose sight of

our own essential, natural being, which is but an extension of

the all pervading pure consciousness

 

Our attempts to satisfy the misplaced desires, symbolized by the

cock, lead to unhealthy aggression, making us insensitive and

ignorant (as the pig), to the feelings of those in our immediate

environment. This ignorance makes us selfish and thus is reborn

the cock of desire from the pig, continuing the cycle which binds

us to the constant wheel of samsara.

 

Next to the central circle is a concentric band divided along two

halves. One is colored softly and radiantly, while the other is

black. The darker portion shows individuals who have chosen the

path of darkness and thus descend into gloomy depths. The glowing

path, however, is the one taken by those following the righteous

way, attaining spiritual ascension. Hence it shows mortals rising

towards greater spiritual heights.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/two.jpg

 

Our lives are dominated essentially by two contradictory forces:

the evolutionary urge within us which drives us to achieve new

levels of consciousness and the dead weight of our ignorance

which pulls us back to more limited horizons. Our task, in taking

up the spiritual path, is to consciously allow the forces of

evolution to carry us upward and to prevent ignorance from

binding us down. The evolutionary urge is nothing but the pull

towards Buddhahood, and is there within each of us, but it is

heavily outweighed by our ignorance regarding the same. Thus for

any progress to take place we must make a constant effort to

overcome the pull of ignorance which binds us to the lower stages

of being, exemplified by the dark part showing erring beings

tumbling downwards.

 

Beyond this band is a wider area divided into six units, each

depicting a different level of conditioned existence.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/states.jpg

 

These states of existence are termed conditioned because they are

brought about as a result of our own actions or karma. They can

be both positive or negative:

 

 

1). The Realm of Hell:

 

The first such realm is the world of hell. Pictures of hell in

the Buddhist tradition are typically shown as places of intense

pain and torment, where its victims are subjected to the most

excruciating tortures, inflicted on them by presiding demons.

Flames engulf the entire realm which is unbearably hot, though

there are regions of ice also, which yield the painful experience

of cold.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/hell.jpg

 

The depiction of this hell is an objectification of hatred,

rather a visual depiction of what may await us if we fill out

hearts with hatred instead of compassionate understanding.

 

The basic features of hell are constant suffering and relentless

pain inflicted by furious and vengeful beings. But this hell as

all parts of our existence is a making of our own. A result of

our own karma. It is upon us whether we wish to make our life a

hell on earth and make every situation a torment for ourselves.

The hell of the Wheel of Life is but that same mental state made

manifest in all its painful detail. None can rest in peace who

has in his heart a hatred for any other.

 

The hell is not everlasting. Every process is impermanent and a

particular state continues so long as the conditions which have

brought it into being are still present. One will remain in hell

as long there are undisciplined karmic energies keeping one

there. Tradition has it that a life in hell may extend over many

aeons - perhaps this corresponds to the well-known experience of

time dragging when we are suffering.

 

 

2). The Realm of the Hungry Ghosts:

 

Next to the realm of hell are groups of ungainly creatures

huddled together. Their distended bodies are the color of smoke,

and they appear insubstantial as if made of mist. Their arms and

legs are spindly and frail and their heads are carried on long,

thin necks, while their bellies are bloated, sagging masses which

their legs can barely support. Tiny mouths, no thicker than a

needle, are topped by wide, staring eyes, filled with pain and

longing signified by their red color.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/ghosts.jpg

 

These pathetic creatures are obsessed with perpetual hunger and

an unquenchable thirst. They stagger on their feeble limbs in

search of sustenance. Driven by their overwhelming hunger and

thirst, the hungry ghosts live out their lives for no other

purpose than food and drink. Their weak limbs and pinhole mouths

make it almost impossible for them to gain any sustenance. No

matter what they acquire it is not sufficient for them, and

leaves them unsatisfied, panting for more. Even if they get what

they want it gives them little pleasure. No matter what they

possess, they always feel that there is something missing. Thus

this realm is the personification of the mind in which craving

predominates. The human hungry ghost is the miser who lives for

his money, the collector who is never content with what he has

but must have more.

 

 

3). The World of the Animals:

 

In the realm of the animals, life is the life of the body. All

endeavor is directed to the satisfaction of physical desires and

the business of self-preservation. This depiction is a visual

representation of the ignorant refusal to see beyond the needs of

the body.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/animals.jpg

 

Such a horizon is willfully narrow and refuses to look beyond the

surface of life, at its meaning and purpose.

 

 

4). The Realm of the Titans:

 

The titans know only warfare. Not content with what they possess

these giants rush upon the gods of the sensuous realm and try to

grab from them their happiness and delight. They try to capture

the heavenly tree which fulfills all wishes.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/titans.jpg

 

Their longing to possess does not come from desire or greed. They

want things because they begrudge the possessions and

achievements of others. The success of others leaves them with a

feeling of inadequacy and belittled. Indeed it is said that man

is not content with he does have but discontent with what others

have. This is the underlying message behind this realm.

 

 

5). The Human World:

 

The human realm is the world of everyday experience.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/humans.jpg

 

A human birth is considered the most favorable at the outset of

one's spiritual life because it contains a balance of pleasure

and pain. Constant pain is demoralizing and numbs initiative.

Similarly persistent pleasure and success tends to breed

complacency. Human life, containing both pleasure and pain, makes

us aware of both these aspects of life, striking a harmonious

balance. Thus since human life gives us such rare opportunities

for spiritual realization, Buddhism teaches that it is very

precious indeed.

 

 

6). The Heavens of the Gods:

 

The Pali and Sanskrit words which are usually translated as 'god'

come from a root which means 'to shine.' The gods are the shining

or radiant ones who live in unalloyed happiness and pleasure. It

is traditionally recognized that such beings are both heavenly

and also found on the earth. The one who has gained spiritual

attainment is the one who has created his heaven on earth. The

one who has evolved himself into a higher being in a purely

spiritual sense.

 

It is significant to note here that the gods are shown partaking

of similar sensuous experiences as the humans, albeit at a more

rarified level. The import being that the gods are not so far

removed from the human dimension and mortal humans too can attain

godhood following the path of virtuous karma.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/heavens.jpg

 

These six realms constitute all possible states of existence in

the universe and all beings cycle between these states, dependent

on their karma, none of these states being permanent or

everlasting. Thus, virtuous persons are said to be born in

heaven; virtuous beings dominated by negative emotions of

jealousy are born in the realm of the titans; persons dominated

by attachment are born in the ghostly realms; those afflicted

with hatred and anger are born in hell; and those dominated by

dullness are born in the world of animals.

 

 

The outermost concentric ring of the Wheel of Life is divided

into twelve units, each depicting a phase of the peculiar cycle

of cause and effect which keeps one trapped in the six realms of

cyclic existence mentioned above.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/outer.jpg

 

 

1). The Blind Man (Ignorance)

 

In the first section we discern a tottering shape, unsteadily

groping towards its way. It is an old man bent with his years but

not with their wisdom.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/oldman.jpg

 

His eyes gaze before him vacantly. He thinks he has been this way

before, he seems to picture to himself the landscape around him,

and he moves forward eagerly. But, alas, never has he been here

and the scene he imagines is quite different from reality. Over

and over again, he staggers and falls. But each time he drags

himself to his feet with renewed hope.

 

Ignorance is blindness, unable to see yet believing that we know

it all. It is lack of insight into the reality of things, lack of

enlightenment even. Ignorance however is not just that we cannot

see but also that we think we can see. We may be ignorant of the

real nature of things but we think we know. If we start to

examine what is in our minds, trying to see how we came by what

we take to be knowledge, we realize that what we pass of as

knowledge is derived from other sources. The views of those

around us we absorb by a kind of osmosis - in order to satisfy

our desire to belong, and our natural disinclination to utilize

our own powers of analysis and observation.

 

 

2). The Potter at his Wheel (Volitional Activities)

 

Next we see a potter turning lumps of clay on his wheel and, with

deft hands, shaping vases and bowls, pots and dishes.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/potter.jpg

 

How each pot turns out depends upon the potter. His skill and

experience, aesthetic sense, and even his mood at the time of

creation. When rage inflames him, his pot is hard and awkward in

shape and, when he is gripped by craving, his desires determine

what shape he will form from the lump of clay before him.

 

The volitional activities are like the potter, formative forces

which shape our own future. They are the sum total of all our

willing, whether the intentions manifest themselves in overt

action, or remain as desires in our hearts. Indeed it is the

accumulated momentum of all our wishes which determines the flow

of our lives. A rope is plaited from many tiny hairs. But none of

these hairs reaches even a fraction of the full length of the

rope. Similarly the direction and tendency of our being is shaped

by the countless acts of volition which we make in the course of

our daily existence. Indeed every thought has a direction, an

inherent momentum which discharges itself upon the world. With

every mental image, every longing, every coherent idea, we are

radiating a very subtle, but extremely powerful, field of energy

which influences our environment.

 

 

3). The Monkey in the Tree (Sentience)

 

A young monkey frisks in a tree, leaping from branch to branch,

never still for a moment. It sees, at the top of the tree, a

glint of ripe fruit and up it leaps, hands and feet clasping the

tree-trunk, his tail curved and waving.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/monkey.jpg

 

It seizes the fruit, plucks it and takes an enormous bite. Its

mouthful still unchewed, another fruit catches its eyes. It

dashes off towards the new enticement, disregarding the fruit he

has just plucked and swallowing down in a hurry whatever is there

in his mouth. Soon, there is a heap of half-chewed fruit.

 

Our restlessness is an inherent part of our nature. An object

loses its charm as soon as we are able to acquire it. Our

attention then is diverted towards another. In the process we are

unable to enjoy either of them. This is true for activities we

perform too. Not having finished the job at hand we flit to

another diversion, thus remaining unfulfilled and devoid of any

sense of achievement.

 

 

4). Men in Boat (Name and Form):

 

Two men ride in a boat, while a third, more imposing than the

other two, rows and steers the boat.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/boat.jpg

 

Each individual is made up of a mind and the body. These are

represented by each of these two persons. The one steering the

boat is the mind body composite which makes up the complete

individual that of each of us is, better known as the

Psychophysical organism. Without the other, each one is

incomplete and insufficient.

 

 

5). The House with Empty Windows (The Sense Organs):

 

A man sits within a house which has five windows and a door.

Through these apertures, he watches the world. The windows and

the door denote the six senses (eye, ear, nose, tongue and body

together with the mind). The senses are the 'portals' whereby we

gain our impressions of the world.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/house.jpg

 

The worlds to which the physical sense gives us access are the

lowest. It is only through the door of the mind that we can have

access to higher worlds which are no less real than the physical.

The faculty for perceiving them is cultivated through meditation,

which is defined as exercise for the mind.

 

 

6) A Couple Embracing (Sensuous Impressions)

 

A man and woman gaze at each other passionately. Their hands

entwine and pull each toward the other. Clasping each other

close, they strain to press their two bodies into one.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/couple.jpg

 

A couple embracing depicts the contact of the sense organs with

their objects, wherein lies their ultimate fulfillment.

 

 

7). Man with an Arrow in his Eye (Feeling)

 

A howl of pain shatters the silence and a man falls to his knees,

groaning, his hands pressed to his face. At the center of his

right eye, embedded deeply in it, is an arrow.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/arrow.jpg

 

The arrow represents sense data impinging upon the sense organs,

in this case, the eye. In a very vivid way, the image suggests

the strong feelings which our sensory experience invokes.

 

Feelings are either painful or pleasant. Pleasure and pain are

experienced on a number of different levels ranging from direct

physical sensations to the loftiest bliss of liberation.

According to Buddhist psychology, the experience of direct pain

is confined to a relatively small area of the total possibilities

of conscious experience. These unfortunately, more often than

not, are the areas in which we habitually dwell.

 

 

8). Woman Offering Drink to a Man (Craving):

 

The next link is illustrated by a seated man being offered a

drink by the woman who stands before him. The fact that it is a

woman offering a drink to a man may be intended also to bring to

the mind the intensity of sexual desire. The man partaking

alcohol emphasizes the addictive nature of pleasure.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/craving.jpg

 

 

9). Woman on a Tree Plucking Fruit (Grasping):

 

This image is a logical development of the previous link, namely

that of craving. Craving leads to action to fulfill the desire.

The woman who climbs the tree to pluck a fruit represents craving

having taken the form of concrete action. Attached to a

particular object by our obsessive craving we attempt to grasp it

in a futile manner. The fruit is an ancient symbol for earthly

desires. A woman going up to the length of climbing a tree to

grasp what she perceives as the fulfillment of her desires is

metaphor enough for the almost disproportionate efforts we expend

in the pursuit of similar temptations.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/grasping.jpg

 

 

10). Couple Making Love (Bringing into Existence):

 

Lost to all but their own urgent desire, a couple melts together

in the act of love. Tumbling rapturously to their release, they

do not know that a new life has started in the woman's womb. Thus

the image for bringing into existence (becoming) is a man and

woman performing the sexual act, initiating a new life.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/love.jpg

 

 

11). Woman in Labor (Birth):

 

After the process of procreation is the actual episode of giving

birth. This is often represented by an explicit image of a woman

delivering a child.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/birth.jpg

 

This new life is the condition in dependence upon which arises

death and decay.

 

 

12). A Coffin (Death and Decay):

 

The final link is frequently portrayed by a coffin being carried

towards its ultimate rest.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/death.jpg

 

Whatever is born is bound to experience the attacks of sickness,

the waning of physical powers in old age, the pain of separation

and loss, and finally death. Once birth has taken place a process

has been set in motion which must end in death, for birth and

death are but integral parts of the cycle of samsara.

 

The complete Wheel of Life is gripped tightly in the talons of

the Lord of Death, whose horrific face, projecting fangs and the

forehead wreathed in the macabre five-skull crown is visible

above the diagram.

 

Illustration : http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/tc67.jpg

 

We are all clutched in the fear of death. But death is not the

end. According to Buddhist thought death is the beginning of a

new existence. The process of death is evidenced everywhere in

the natural rhythms of the earth, sea, and sky. A death occurs

each night as the sun sets, each month as the moon wanes, each

year as the earth shuts down for the winter, and each time the

ocean waters recede with the tide. Thus the concept of death in

nature is a promise of hope. With each death there is a

resurrection. Nature has the capacity for renewal. The new,

renewed state is of course dependent upon our previous karma.

 

Conclusion:

 

The Buddhist Wheel of Life symbolically represents how all

sentient beings, who have not practiced the Dharma and liberated

themselves, are bound in a cycle of existences whose very nature

is suffering. The symbolism is depicted through a series of

pictograms that are meant to act as a powerful mnemonic device

for both the serious practitioner and the layman. The Old Masters

prescribe that one should think about this diagram and focus on

it day and night so as to never forget its meaning. According to

Shri Dharmakirti "One should intently and seriously contemplate

the meaning of this wheel. If possible, one should put up a

pictorial representation of it, if necessary in solitary retreat,

until its significance sinks in. Once this happens, the wish to

be free of this mindless suffering is spontaneous and constant.

An apt comparison would be with a sick man, who while suffering

from a chronic painful ailment, discovers after a thorough

medical examination that the reason for his illness is some

regular component of his diet. Such a person would immediately

try to remedy the defect."

 

===========================================

 

References and Further Reading:

 

Andrews, Tamra. A Dictionary of Nature Myths: Oxford, 2000.

 

Chopra, Deepak. The Seven Spiritual laws of Success: New Delhi,

2000.

 

Dharmakirti, Shri. Mahayana Tantra (An Introduction): New Delhi,

2002.

 

Hamani, Laziz, and Claude B. Levenson. Symbols of Tibetan

Buddhism: Paris, 1996.

 

Innes, Brian. Death and the Afterlife: London, 1999.

 

Subhuti, Dharmachari. The Buddhist Vision (An Introduction to the

Theory and Practice): London, 1992.

 

Shrestha, Romio. Celestial Gallery: New York, 2000.

 

Thurman, Robert A.F. (Trans.) The Tibetan Book of the Dead

(Liberation Through Understanding in Between): New York, 2000.

 

Tresidder, Jack. The Hutchinson Dictionary of Symbols: Oxford,

1997.

 

---------------------------

 

To view the illustrations along with the text, the

HTML version of the article can be seen at

http://www.exoticindia.com/article/wheeloflife/

 

 

This article was sent as a newsletter from the website

http://www.exoticindia.com

 

Nitin G.