They are also called Asuras and are portrayed as battling a war against Gods. This realm lies next to the God’s realm to its right. Their king, Indra rides an multi headed elephant with his men to fight against the demigods. They enjoy the perfect health, wealth and comfort but are distracted far away from the idea of practicing Dharma.Īs shown in the thangka, the gods up in the sky are battling with the demigods (down in the ground). There are the depiction of Gods, residing in their kingdom and living their life lavishly. This realm lies directly beneath the face of the Yama in the thangka. They can be understood as the different states of our consciousness as we experience different kinds of sufferings.Ĭlick here for the high quality Thangka prints of Wheel of Life (Bhavachakra) The Gods Realm: Since our actions of body, speech and mind are caused by the initiation of our mental intends, these six realms are too, the creation of our own mind. Each section represents an individual realm namely, This is the largest wheel of the thangka and it is further segmented into Six sections. Or in some other paintings, all three of them form a ring to indicate the interdependent nature of all three delusions. Each of them represents:Īs both the snake and rooster as shown as arising from the mouth of a pig, it indicates that both the destructive nature of desire and anger arises due to Ignorance. These three animals represent the three major delusions or the causes of sufferings. Towards the center of this thangka, in a small circle are the three animals namely a pig, a rooster and a snake. An Insights of the Wheel of life Thangka: Click here to view our original Wheel of Life Mandala Thangka The Central of the Wheel: Soon, the whole kingdom contemplated on the Wheel of life thangka and everyone were greatly benefited. As he read the stanza inscribed beneath the diagram, he felt the powerful inspiration of the Shakyamuni Buddha. When Bimbisara presented his friend the completed picture of Wheel of life, he was extremely happy and immediately developed renunciation. He also explained the clear instruction on how to draw the picture. Then, Shakyamuni suggested him that a “wheel of life” diagram would be a perfect gift to return to his friend. Upon the receiving the gift, king Bimbisara was in great dilemma, as he could not think of a suitable return gift. One day, the king received a very precious gift from his friend who was also a king from a neighboring land. He was one of the chief patrons of Shakyamuni. There was a king named Bimbisara in the kingdom of Magadha. It was during the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, when the First Wheel of Life diagram was made. So, how did the Wheel of Life thangka Originated? This reflects our both external and internal conditions within this cycle. Composed of two words “Bhava” and “Chakra”, it means the circle or the rotation of the Worldly existence or Samsara. It is also called as “Bhava Chakra” in Sanskrit language. This portrayal is actually a visual aid that gives us a clear understanding of how a mind works. And as long as we are not enlightened, we remain imprisoned by the sufferings within this circle. So, Wheel of Life thangka is a profound depiction of the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha that shows how a deluded state of mind imprisons us within the circle of sufferings. It is indeed a widely popular subject and incorporates all the important topics of Buddhism such as the four Noble Truths, the origin and causes of sufferings, the cyclic phenomenon of our existence, impermanence and more. Wheel of Life is a complex mandala that portrays the circle of existence of beings as per the Buddhist philosophy.
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