Wheel of Life

WHEEL OF LIFE (Tib. Sipai Khorlo)

First described in the Extensive Enjoyment Sutra by Buddha Shayamuni, this diagram depicts the nature and causes of cyclic existence. Yama, the lord of death holds the wheel in his teeth and claws, reminding the viewer of impermanence and that there is not a single being in cyclic existence who is outside the control of death. To break the chain of endless cyclic death and rebirth we need to eliminate the fundamental delusions of ignorance, hatred and greed, depicted by the three animals – pig, snake and pigeon – in the hub of the wheel.

© Andy Weber 1989