Bhavachakka (Wheel of Bhava)

Theruwan saranai.
Hello everybody.

I think everyone has seen this image at least once.

In Pali, it’s called, bhavachakka (wheel of Bhava.)

In Sanskrit, bhavachakra.

I think calling it Wheel of Kamma works too.
Or wheel of samsara, san (raga, dosa, moha) sara (journey).
A journey because of taking the trinity (raga, dosa, moha) as good.
Or wheel of addiction.

• According to some scriptures, the Buddha declared that this picture should be installed over the gate of every monastery in order to represent the central teaching.

I’ve heard that it had something to do with Arahant Muggallana.

• The image consists of four concentric circles, held by Mahākāla (great time), or Yama.

I’m talking about the big guy, looking like a Boss from RPG games.

1. The pig, rooster and snake in the hub of the wheel represent the three poisons of moha, raga and dosa (akusalamūla), the unwholesome roots.
As long as greed, hatred and delusion are in place then the process of wheeling will continue.

• The pig stands for moha (delusion, which leads to indecisive attachment): not understanding the law of cause and effect, therefore believing achieving happiness through senses is possible.

Thinking there exists entities (units) that can be controlled and kept under one’s charm.

The pig is known for its foolishness. Since it sleeps in the dirtiest places and eats whatever comes to its mouth.

• The bird represents raga (greed, which leads to pleasant attachment.)

That bird is known for its strong attachment to its partner.

• The snake represents dosa (anger or aversion, which leads to unpleasant attachment.)

Snake is known for being irritated by the slightest touch and then striking back.

• In many drawings of the wheel, the snake and bird are shown as coming out of the mouth of the pig.

Moha is the pig, then from its mouth raga (bird) and dosa (snake) comes out.

And these three cause the wheel of Kamma to turn.

• When a sensory object comes in contact with a sensory organ, the mind prepares its own version of the image.

Then an automatic appraisal between the incoming image, and our past conditioning or our past corrupted experiences happens (moha.)

If this aprisal leads to the liking we call it raga.
If it leads to dislike we call it dosa.
If it happens between the like or dislike then it’s moha (indecisive.)

• Also the snake (dosa) and the bird (raga)
are shown to be grasping the tail of a pig (moha.)
Indicating that they in turn promote greater
Ignorance or foolishness (moha.)

2. Under the influence of the three poisons, beings generate kamma (abhisankhāra), as shown in the second layer.

• One half-circle (usually lights) shows people moving upwards to higher states or higher realms.
Those are people who engage in puñña kamma or anenja kamma.

• The other half-circle (usually dark) shows people in a miserable state being led downwards to lower states, lower realms.

These are people who engage in apuññ kamma or papa kamma.

Based on the type of kamma and the law.
They take birth in the third layer.

3. The six realms of sansara.
Sometimes five representing what are called bhūmi.
They are: haven, hell, the realm of hungry ghosts, the human realm, the realm of animal and, if a sixth one is included, this will be the Asura realm.
Sometimes the asuras, or titans are included within the Deva Realm and are not given their own segment of the diagram.

• God realm (Deva): It can represent sublime States of bliss arising from concentration and meditative absorption.

Or the gods that live in higher rooms engage in sensual pleasures, such as music, fragrances, refine tastes or visual images.

Because of joy and pleasure, they usually don’t think of practicing Dhamma and spend most of their long life pursuing meaningless distractions.

When death comes to them, they are completely unprepared, without realizing it, they have completely exhausted their good kamma, and they suffer through being reborn in the lower realms.

• The Asura Realm: They spend their time fighting among themselves or making war on the gods, they always lose the fight, because the gods are much more powerful.

They suffer from constant fighting and jealousy.

They are generally not as beautiful nor as powerful as Devas.

• Human realm: is defined as the realm of those who live according to the precepts.

So you can have a human body but not be living in the human realm.

Humans suffer from hunger, thirst, heat, cold, being attacked by enemies, separation from the pleasant association with unpleasant, and not getting what one likes. And suffering from old age, sickness and death (due to jati.)

Suitable for the practice of dhamma, because humans are not completely distracted by pleasure (like gods) nor completely in suffering like lower beings.

• Animal realm: Represents the state of mind dominated by food, sex, territory and animal instincts. A lot of human life actually revolves around animal instincts: Can I eat it? can I mate with it?
Does it want to come into my territory? Can I get into it’s territory? If you look through the news, a lot of it is about the
animal realm.

They suffer from being attack and eaten by other animals.

They generally lead lives of constant fear.

Domestic animals suffer from being exploited by humans; they are slaughtered for food, overworked, and so on.

• Hungry ghost realm: This is the mind absorbed into the destructive cycle of consuming a desire substance and being unable to escape from that.

The hungry ghost has a very small mouth but is always hungry; no matter how much the body or mind consumes of its drug of choice, it never gets enough and is always hungering for more.

Hungry ghosts suffer from extreme hunger and thirst. They wander constantly in search of food and drink. They have huge bellies and long, thin necks. On the rare occasions that they do manage to find something to eat or drink, the food or water burns their neck as it goes down to their belly, causing them intense agony.

• The Hell Realm: Comes last. This describes the mind in the state of anger, oppression and hatred. There is an intense focus on pain and the aversion that arises as a consequence of that.
When we are angry with someone and are absorbed in that conflict, to the point where we want to destroy something or someone. This is the experience of the hell realm. In the hell realm, it becomes more important to escape from pain, or to destroy or to harm or to hurt than anything else in the world.

Hell beings endure unimaginable suffering for eons of time. In Buddhist cosmology, there are eighteen different types of hells, each inflicting a different kind of torment. In the hot hells, beings suffer from unbearable heat and continual torment of various kinds. In the cold hell, beings suffer from unbearable cold and other torments.

4. Outer rim: The twelve links of paticc samuppāda.
The three inner layers of the wheel show that the three poisons lead to kamma, which leads to the suffering of the six realms.
The twelve links of the outer rim show how this happens. By presenting the process of cause and effect.

• Avijjā: lack of knowledge (four Ariya truths.)

Image – a blind person, often walking, or a person peering out.

Because of not understanding the reality of the world. Like a blind person, we grab at panchaskhandha and begin to entertain the mind.

• Sankhāra: image – a potter shaping a vessel or vessels.

Beginning the process of accumulation.
(Thought, speech and action to accumulate dirt.)

• Viññāna: Croupted mental energy, with expectation for the future.

Image – ignorant monkey trying to get the fruit.

• Nāmarūpa: image – tow men afloat in a boat.

Nāmarūpa is the cause of the making of the vexatious sensory organs.

• Salāyatana: sensory agency.

No longer a simple sense organ. It’s used for generating pleasure.

Image – a dwelling with six windows.

• Phassa: contact of “agency of external object with the agency of internal sense organ.”

Image – lovers consorting, kissing, or entwined.

• Vedanā: feeling.
Image – An arrow to the eye.

Mind made feeling(assado) because of the release of vexatious sense organ.

• Tanhā: getting attached to the feeling.

Image – a drinker receiving drink.

• Upādāna: grabbing or getting hold of something.

Image – a man or a monkey picking fruit.

• Bhava: state of being or mindset.

Image – a couple engaged in intercourse, a standing, leaping, or reflective person.

• Jati: being born.
Image – woman giving birth.

There’s no way to turn back now.

• Jarā marana: old age and death.

Image – Corpse being carried, and fire.

5. The Boss holding the wheel is supposed to represent Anicca.

Attributes of the Boss: He wears a crown of five skulls that symbolize the anicca of the five aggregates.

• He has a third eye that symbolizes the wisdom of understanding anicca.

• He is sometimes shown adorned with tiger skin, which symbolizes fearfulness.

• His four limbs symbolize the suffering of birth, old age, sickness and death.

6. The moon represents liberation from the dukkha of samsara.

• The Buddha pointing to the moon. That is the path.

The finger pointing to the moon is not the Nibbana. Aria eightfold path is not Nibbana, but the path that takes us there.

• If there are mistakes, please let me know.
And if anybody has insight or additional information leave a post.
Thank you.

Sources: wiki, catastrophe and apostrophe by Ajahn Amaro.