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Concept
Bhavacakra
Summary
The bhavacakra (Sanskrit: भवचक्र; Pāli: bhavacakka; Tibetan: སྲིད་པའི་འཁོར་ལོ, Wylie: srid pa'i 'khor lo) is a symbolic representation of saṃsāra (or cyclic existence). It is found on the outside walls of Tibetan Buddhist temples and monasteries in the Indo-Tibetan region, to help non Buddhists understand Buddhist teachings. It is used in Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism.
Bhavachakra, "wheel of life," consists of the words bhava and cakra.
bhava (भव) means "being, worldly existence, becoming, birth, being, production, origin".
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. It is the tenth of the Twelve Nidanas, in its Pratītyasamutpāda doctrine.
The word Chakra (चक्र) derives from the Sanskrit word meaning "wheel," as well as "circle" and "cycle".
The word chakra is used to mean several different things in the Sanskrit sources:
"Circle," used in a variety of senses, symbolising endless rotation of shakti.
A circle of people. In rituals, there are different cakrasādhanās in which adherents assemble and perform rites. According to the Niruttaratantra, chakras in the sense of assemblies are of 5 types.
The term chakra is also used to denote yantras (mystic diagrams), variously known as , , etc.
Different nerve plexuses within the body.
Legend has it that the historical Buddha himself created the first depiction of the bhavacakra, and the story of how he gave the illustration to King Rudrāyaṇa appears in the anthology of Buddhist narratives called the Divyāvadāna.
The bhavachakra is painted on the outside walls of nearly every Tibetan Buddhist temple in Tibet and India, to instruct non-monastic audience about the Buddhist teachings.
The bhavachakra consists of the following elements:
The pig, rooster and snake in the hub of the wheel represent the three poisons of ignorance, attachment and aversion.
The second layer represents karma.
The third layer represents the six realms of samsara.
Official source
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