Wheel

The wheel (cakka) is a flat circular object that turns as it moves. The ancient Template:Wiki used the wheel as a symbol for Template:Wiki Template:Wiki and domain. The first Buddhists used it as a symbol for Template:Wiki too, only for spiritual rather than for Template:Wiki Template:Wiki. The Buddha’s first discourse is called ‘Setting in Template:Wiki the Wheel of the Dhamma.’ (S.V,420). The rim of the wheel (mukhavaṭṭi) represent Template:Wiki or progress and the spokes (ara) and hub (nābhi) represent the coming together of multiple things into a Template:Wiki. Generosity, kindly speech, doing good for others and treating them with impartiality are to the world, the Buddha said, what the linchpin (āṇi) is to the wheel (A.II,32), i.e. they keep it turning smoothly. A wheel flanked on either side by a Template:Wiki has long been used to symbolize the Buddha’s teaching of this discourse at the Deer Park at Sārnāth.

The Wheel is also called Dharmachakra. Buddha is said to have "turned the wheel of the dharma" and it therefore became the "wheel of law." It represents the overall teachings of the Buddha and is one of the most important Buddhist symbols. In Tibet, it is called the "the wheel of transformation."

A wheel is an object intended for mobilization and this is symbolic of the Template:Wiki of the soul as it progress along the spiritual path. It embodies change and also represents the never ending cycle of samsara, or rebirth. The cycle of samsara can only be broken by following the path of the Buddha and reaching enlightenment. The hub stands for Template:Wiki in moral discipline. There are eight spokes on the wheel which are reflections of the Noble Eightfold Path. The spokes represent the correct application of wisdom, which ends ignorance and suffering. The rim represents concentration, which is essential to the successful meditative practice.

In the Template:Wiki context, the wheel is a Template:Wiki symbol in Buddhist art and Template:Wiki. The wheel is often depicted on the body of Buddha, usually on his palms and the soles of his feet. The wheel is also commonly found in the center of mandals, representing the wholeness and Template:Wiki of the universe.

Today the wheel as a symbol for Buddhism is often depicted with eight spokes representing the Noble Eightfold Path although this is a relatively recent innovation. In the scriptures the Dhamma wheel, called either the Supreme Wheel (brahmacakka) or Highest Wheel (anuttaraṃ dhammacakkaṃ, A.III,9; 148), was perceived as being ‘a thousand-spoked’ (sahassāraṃ, D.III,60). Before the advent of statues, the Buddha was often represented by a wheel. What the cross is to Christians, the Template:Wiki symbol to Template:Wiki and the Om sign to Template:Wiki, the wheel is to Buddhists.

The Buddhist Wheel Symbol, T. Karunaratne, 1969. Template:R www.buddhisma2z.com