by LOTUSCHEF on JUNE 23, 2012
Dharmacakra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma_wheel
The Dharmachakra ( Pāli: Dhammacakka; Tibetan: འཀོར་ལོ།(chos kyi ‘khor lo); (IPA: [dəməseʔ tɕà]); Chinese: 法輪; pinyin:fălún), lit. ”Wheel of Dharma” or “Wheel of Life”, is a symbol that has represented dharma, the Buddha‘s teaching of the path to enlightenment, since the early period of Indian Buddhism.[1] A similar symbol is also in use in Jainism. It is one of the Ashtamangala symbols.
History
The Dharmachakra symbol is represented as a chariot wheel (Sanskrit cakram) with eight or more spokes. It is one of the oldest known Buddhist symbols found in Indian art, appearing with the first surviving post-Harappan Indian iconography in the time of the Buddhist king Aśoka.[2] The Dharmacakra has been used by all Buddhist nations as a symbol ever since. In its simplest form, the Dharmachakra is recognized globally as a symbol for Buddhism.[3]
In Buddhism—according to the Pali Canon, Vinayapitaka, Khandhaka, Mahavagga, Dhamma cakkappavattana sutta—number of spokes of the Dharmacakra represent various meanings:
8 spokes representing the Noble Eightfold Path (Ariya magga).
12 spokes representing the Twelve Laws of Dependent Origination (Paticcasamuppāda) or the twelve permutations of the four noble truths.[4]
24 spokes representing the Twelve Laws of Dependent Origination and the Twelve Laws of Dependent Termination (Paticcasamuppāda).
31 spokes representing 31 realms of existence (11 realms of desire, 16 realms of form and 4 realms of formlessness).
Footprint of the Buddha. 1st century, Gandhara, with depictions of the triratna and the Dharmacakra.
Symbolism
In Buddhism, Parts of the Dharmacakra also representing:
Its overall shape is that of a circle (cakra), representing the perfection of the dharma teaching
The hub stands for discipline, which is the essential core of meditation practice
The rim, which holds the spokes, refers to mindfulness or samādhi which holds everything together
Each spoke represents the Noble Eightfold Path including
• Right beliefs • Right aspirations • Right speech • Right conduct • Right livelihood • Right effort • Right mindfulness • Right meditational attainment
The corresponding mudrā, or symbolic hand gesture, is known as the Dharmacakra Mudrā.
The Dharmachakra is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan Buddhism.
The dharma wheel can refer to the dissemination of the dharma teaching from country to country. In this sense the dharma wheel began rolling in India, carried on to Central Asia, and then arrived in South East Asia and East Asia.
Multiple turnings of the Wheel
Main article: Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma
Mahayana schools classify Buddhist teachings in turns of a sequential scheme of development. These phases are called “turnings” of the Dharmacakra (Sanskrit: dharmacakra-pravartana).
All Buddhists agree that the original turning of the wheel occurred when the Buddha taught the five ascetics who became his first disciples at the Deer Park in Sarnath. In memory of this, the Dharmacakra is sometimes represented with a deer on each side.
In Theravāda Buddhism, this was the only “turning of the wheel”, and later developments of the Buddhist doctrine which do not appear in the Pali Canon or the Agamas are not accepted as teachings of the historical Buddha.
Other schools of Buddhism, such as the Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna distinguish later “turnings”. Specific accounts of them vary. In one, the first turning of the Dharmacakra is Gautama Buddha‘s original teaching, in particular the Four Noble Truths which describes the mechanics of attachment, desire, suffering, and liberation via the Eightfold Path; the second turning is the teaching of the Perfection of Wisdom sutra, a foundational text of Mahayana Buddhism; and the third is the teaching of the Mahavairocana Sutra, a foundational text of Tantric Buddhism.
In another scheme, the second turning of the Dharmacakra is the Abhidharma, the third is the Mahāyāna Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, and the fourth includes both the Yogacara sutras and Tathāgatagarbha sutras.
Shared by Lama Lotuschef
True Buddha School
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