Self, Death, and the Afterlife
● Dhamma - Buddhist doctrine about the nature of existence and includes the teachings of the Buddha.
● Samsara – Literally meaning ‘wandering on’; the never-ending cycle of death and rebirth; one of the
causes of suffering as it because of Samsara we will keep experiencing suffering of other kinds in different
lives until we reach Nirvana.
● Karma – Literally meaning ‘action’, karma refers to action driven by intention, which leads to future
consequences. Those intentions are considered to be the determining factor in the kind of rebirth in
samsara.
● Paticcasamuppada – ‘Conditioned arising’ or ‘dependent origination’, i.e., the chain of cause and effect
from the beginning of existence that links all things mental and physical together.
● Rebirth (Punabhava) – ‘Rebecoming’ (rebirth/renewed existence).
● The Six Perfections - To become a Bodhisattva a Mahayana Buddhist must become perfect in six areas of
their lives. These are: generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditation, wisdom.
● The Four Sublime States - The four godly states: loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, calmness.
● Karuna – ‘Compassion’
● Metta – ‘Loving kindness’; a pure love which is neither grasping nor possessive.
The Bhavacakra (Wheel of Becoming/Life):
Most important realms to remember are marked by a: *
The Bhavacakra is a Buddhist (primarily Tibetan Buddhist) representation of the "Wheel of Becoming," or
cycle of existence. Each of the Six Realms, no matter whether they are a Higher or a Lower Realm, will have
its downsides. Some Buddhist schools may have a different number of realms, but the generally accepted
version has six. In early Buddhism, only five were shown as the Realm of Asuras was added as the sixth realm
in Tibetan Buddhism later on.
The Higher Realms include: the Realm of Gods, the Realm of Asuras, and the Human Realm. The Lower
Realms include: the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, the Hell Realm, and the Animal Realm.
It is important to note that this cycle does not begin in any one realm – it simply is, and every being will
continue existing in this cycle until they reach Nirvana, be it in their current lifetime, or in a hundred form
now.
Many Buddhists understand the Wheel in an allegorical, not literal, way. As you examine the parts of the
wheel you might find yourself relating to some of it personally or recognizing people you know as Jealous
Gods or Hell Beings or Hungry Ghosts.
Yama –
The creature holding the Wheel of Life in his hooves is Yama, the wrathful Dharmapala who is Lord of the Hell
Realm. Yama, Lord of the Underworld, represents death and holds the wheel in his hooves.
The face of Yama peers over the top of the Wheel. In spite of his appearance, Yama is not evil. He is a
wrathful Dharmapala (a creature devoted to protecting Buddhism and Buddhists). Although we may be
frightened of death, it is not evil - just inevitable.
In legend, Yama was a holy man who believed he would realize enlightenment if he meditated in a cave for
50 years. In the 11th month of the 49th year, robbers entered the cave with a stolen bull and cut off the bull's
head. When they realized the holy man had seen them, the robbers cut off his head also. But, the holy man
put on the bull's head and assumed the terrible form of Yama. He killed the robbers, drank their blood, and
threatened all of Tibet. He could not be stopped until Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom, manifested as the
even more terrible Dharmapala Yamantaka and defeated Yama. Yama then became a protector of Buddhism.
, The Centre –
At the centre of the Wheel of Life are the forces that keep it turning -- greed, anger, and ignorance. At the
centre of every Wheel of Life are a cock, a snake and a pig, which represent greed, anger and ignorance. In
Buddhism, greed, anger (or hate), and ignorance are called the "Three Poisons" because they poison
whoever harbours them. These are the forces that keep the Wheel of Life turning, according to the Buddha's
teaching of the Second Noble Truth.
The circle outside the centre, which is sometimes missing in depictions of the Wheel, is called the Sidpa
Bardo, or intermediate state. It is also sometimes called the White Path and the Dark Path. On one side,
bodhisattvas guide beings to rebirths in the higher realms of Devas, Gods and Humans. On the other, demons
lead beings to the lower realms of Hungry Ghosts, Hell Beings and Animals.
The Outer Circle -
The outer circle of the Wheel is the Paticcasamuppada, the Links of Dependent Origination. Traditionally, the
outer wheel depicts the 12 Nidanas:
o a blind man or woman (ignorance)
o potters (formation)
o a monkey (consciousness)
o two men in a boat (mind and body)
o a house with six windows (the senses)
o an embracing couple (contact)
o an eye pieced by an arrow (sensation)
o a person drinking (thirst)
o a man gathering fruit (grasping)
o a couple making love (becoming)
o a woman giving birth (birth)
o and a man carrying a corpse (death)
The (Dharmakaya) Buddha –
In the upper right-hand corner of the Wheel of Life, the Buddha appears, representing hope for liberation. He
is outside the circle to show that He has escaped it.
In many depictions of the Wheel of Life, the figure in the upper right-hand corner is a Dharmakaya Buddha.
The dharmakaya is sometimes called the Truth Body or the Dharma Body and is identified with Sunyata.
Dharmakaya is everything, unmanifested, free of characteristics and distinctions.
Often this Buddha is shown pointing to the moon, which represents enlightenment. However, He may be
shown with His hands raised, as if in blessing, or pointing to something else within the image, e.g., Yama, the
Wheel, or the Door to Heaven.
The Door to Nirvana –
The upper left-hand corner of a Bhavacakra is filled with a scene or symbol representing liberation from the
Wheel.
In one example, there is a temple with a seated Buddha. A stream of beings rise from the Human Realms
toward the temple, which represents Nirvana. Artists creating a Wheel of Life fill this corner in various ways.
Sometimes the upper left-hand figure is a Nirmanakaya Buddha, representing bliss. Sometimes the artist
paints a moon, which symbolizes liberation.
*The Realm of the Gods –
The Realm of the Gods (Devas) is the highest realm of the Wheel of Life and is always depicted at the top of
the Wheel.
