Wheel of Life: Iconography
Wheel of Life Main PageSubjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
--- Circular (Sarma/Nyingma)
--- Horizontal/Vertical (Nyingma)
- Outline Page
- Schematic
- Demon with Ornaments
- Demon without Ornaments
- Teeth, Top & Bottom: 85113
- Types of Beings
- Confusions
- Others...
Videos: Wheel of Life Video List
Five & Six Classes of Beings & Realms:
- God Realm (alternately with Asuras)
- Asura Realm (alternately with Gods)
- Human Realm
- Animal Realm
- Ghost Realm
- Hell Being Realm
Number of Sections:
- Four Sections
- Five Sections
- Six Sections
- Multiple sections
The Four Circles:
First: The innermost of the 4 concentric circles shows a pig (ignorance), snake (anger) and a rooster (desire) circling on a dark background. They are often shown biting on each others tail.
Second: The next circle, made of a white half and a black half, shows those individuals that have performed meritorious actions (good karma) moving upwards in the circle of existence and those having performed bad actions moving downward, naked, led by red and green attendants of the Lord of Death.
Third: The widest of the circles is that of the six realms of existence; god, asura (anti-gods), human, animal, ghost (preta) and hell. Each segregated by a red dividing line. At the top is the Realm of the Gods highlighted by a heavenly being, the god Shakra (Indra), in a palace playing a stringed instrument. Some traditions explain that the god Indra depicted in this way is an emanation of Shakyamuni Buddha. To the right is the Asura Realm, a lower form of the gods that are always engaged in conflict. To the left is the Human Realm and below that is the Animal Realm. To the lower right is the Realm of ghosts (preta). At the bottom is the Hell Realm with a central blue figure, wrathful, holding a stick in the right hand and a mirror in the left. This is Yama Dharmaraja, the Lord of the Dead, King of Judgment (the Law of Karma). This form of Yama is a not the same entity as the Buddhist Tantric protector Yama Dharmaraja. Yama in the hell realm holds a mirror to reflect those actions (and consequences) performed by each individual that comes before him. In each realm the various beings are portrayed engaged in their respective activities along with the occasional buddha or bodhisattva.
Fourth: The outer circle is composed of 12 scenes which represent the Twelve Links of Dependent Arising starting at the bottom left with three blind figures (#1 ignorance) and then moving clockwise around the Wheel of Existence to meet again at the bottom right where two figures carry bundled corpses to the funeral pyre (#12 old age and death).
Yama:
Yama the Lord of Death, although portrayed in the Hell Realms, actually resides in the Realm of Ghosts and is the King of the Pretas. He lives in the city of Pretas, Kapila, 500 miles below the classical north Indian city of Rajgir and is accompanied by thirty-six attendants. His association with the Hell Realms is in the capacity of a judge of karma, good and bad deeds.
Database Search: All Images
Jeff Watt 3-2007 [updated 9-2016, 5-2017, 1-2020]
