The Wheel of Life

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The Wheel of Life
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According to the Buddha, each thing originates
because of another thing that has gone before it.
Things have existence but they are not permanent
or eternal. We exist this is not an illusion.
However, to think that we are eternal and have a
separate core self is an illusion.
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Material and mental things have causes and this
chain of becoming is constant. Your experiences
result from a series of causes and effects that
begin in your mind. Dependent origination was a
means for the Buddha to teach his followers how
they are able to control their own future which
can then offer them a way to free themselves from
suffering.
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Dependent origination is very often depicted as a
wheel of life. It is a symbolic representation of
what life is really like. It is not meant to
be interpreted literally. At the centre of the
wheel of life are the three Mental (root) poisons
greed, hatred and ignorance. They are usually
depicted as a chicken, snake and pig biting each
others tails to show that they feed off each
other.
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The Snake, Pig and Chicken
The two circles beyond the centre show the Six
Realms
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1. The realm of the gods devas These beings
live a life of luxury and pleasure and want for
nothing. They are not gods in the sense of, for
example, the Christian, Jewish or Islamic concept
of god. 2. The realm of asuras These are
usually called angry gods gods who would like
the position of devas and will go out of their
way to get what they want.
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3. The realm of pretas These are called hungry
ghosts. They are constantly hungry and thirsty.
They never feel full no matter how much they have
been given. They can never be satisfied. 4. The
animal realm Consciousness here is not as great
as within the human realm. Ignorance is greater.
Animals hunt and kill. They prey on each other to
survive. 5. The human realm 6. The realm of
hells This is the exact opposite of the devas.
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Finally, the outer ring depicts the twelve links
or nidanas which show how cause and effect create
continual rebecoming. It shows why the whole
Wheel of Samsara keeps turning.
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The wheel is held by Yama, the Lord of Death, who
has ultimate control over the fate of those who
live in samsara.
Outside the wheel stands the Buddha pointing to
the moon, which symbolises freedom nibbana.
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Questions

• Do you agree or disagree with Buddha that we are
  agents of our own fortune? Give reasons for your
  answer. (3 Marks)
• It is sometimes thought that Yama is holding up
  the wheel like a mirror to us. When we look at it
  we see our reflection. Do you think this is a
  good analogy? Give reasons for your answer. (2
  Marks)
• 3. How does the Wheel of help to explain the idea
  of Samsara? (4 Marks)