
Wearing an object imprinted with the dharma wheel may be considered a technique to bring good fortune and positive energy into your life. In this sense, it is appropriate for people of all faiths to wear, since the symbolism of a wheel is universal. The dharma wheel is unique among religious symbols in that it resembles both a cartwheel and a ship's wheel. You can't go wrong with using it for a necklace or a pair of earrings. Jewelry shaped like the dharma wheel is both fashionable and spiritually significant. Different "spikes" stand in for deep realizations and enlightenment. Spokes that extend over the wheel's rim may be interpreted as spikes, even though they don't seem extremely sharp in most cases.
Wheels with four spokes are very unusual, and when they do appear, they often represent one of two things: the Four Noble Truths or the four dhyanas. In ancient Buddhist cosmology, a wheel with 31 spokes represented the 31 spheres of reality. The Ashoka Chakra is a dharma wheel with 24 spokes. A wheel with 24 spokes symbolizes the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, its reversal, and one's eventual escape from samsara. If a wheel contains 10 spokes, each pointing in a different direction, it’s symbolizing the whole world. The most frequent kind of Buddhist wheel has eight spokes. With eight spokes, a wheel might symbolize the Eightfold Path. You may also find the yin-yang symbol, a blank circle, or a second wheel in some depictions of the hub.īased on the number of spokes, several ideas are represented. Three twirls in the center of the wheel represent the Three Treasures or Three Jewels, which are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangh. Hub. The center stands for integrity and self-control. Spokes. Consciousness and meditation are the glue that ties the practice together, and the wheel's rim symbolizes this. Rim. The dharma, or Buddha's teaching, is complete, much like the wheel's circular form. However, some frequent interpretations of the wheel's significance include: Some also believe the dharma wheel represented the sun during that time.Īs mentioned above, the dharma wheel has three main components.ĭifferent scholars and cultures have offered various interpretations of these pieces throughout the years. It’s composed of three main components that represent significant teachings of Buddhism: the hub, the rim, and the spokes.Įven while it is often linked with Buddhism and Hinduism, the Dharma Wheel really has its origins in the ancient civilization of the Indus River Valley. Traditionally, the dharma wheel is depicted as golden chariot wheels with various spokes. Similarly to how a cross symbolizes Christianity or the Star of David symbolizes Judaism, this symbol is used to signify Buddhism worldwide.
It is one of Buddhism's earliest symbols, which is also known as “dharmachakra” in Sanskrit. There are eight auspicious symbols in Tibetan Buddhism, and this includes the dharma wheel. We have compiled everything you need to know about finding and using your dharma wheel into one helpful guide that will help you navigate this process easily.
#Dharma the wheel of life buddhism how to#
As a meditator, yogi, or otherwise spiritual seeker, it's essential to know what your dharma wheel is-and even more important to know how to use it.