bhava-cakra

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bhava-cakra

Buddhism

Also known as: Wheel of Life, bhavachakka, bhavachakra

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

From Sanskrit:: “wheel [cakra] of becoming [bhava]”,

Also called:: Wheel Of Life

Related Topics:: gati

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bhava-cakra, in Buddhism, a representation of the endless cycle of rebirths governed by the law of dependent origination (pratītya-samutpāda), shown as a wheel clutched by a monster, symbolizing impermanence.

In the centre of the wheel are shown the three basic evils, symbolized by a red dove (passion), a green snake (anger), and a black pig (ignorance). The intermediate space between the centre and the rim is divided by spokes into five (later, six) sections, depicting the possible states into which a person can be reborn: the realms of gods, titans (if six states are shown), people, animals, ghosts, and demons. Around the rim of the wheel the 12 nidānas, or interrelated phases in the cycle of existence, are shown in an allegorical, or symbolical, manner—ignorance, karman formations, rebirth consciousness, mind and body, sense organs, contact, sensation, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, and old age and death.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.