Bhavachakra: The Wheel of Samsara
A Secular Buddhist Interpretation
The Wheel of Samsara image depicts the cycle of rebirth. In some of my previous essays (here and here), I discuss how the Buddhist doctrine of rebirth differs from the doctrine of reincarnation and how rebirth can be interpreted in a secular and naturalistic manner. Honestly, I believe that this is the only manner in which the doctrine makes sense at all, given the wider context of Buddhist teachings (e.g. anÄtman).
I will give a very brief description of what the image depicts, then venture into a sort of explanation. For a more detailed explanation of the image, see the article The Bhavachakra by Tulika Bahadur.
The image represents the cycle of rebirth (samsara). In the very center are the three poisons that set the cycle in motion. This can be seen as the axil that turns the wheel. The three poisons are ignorance (depicted as a pig), attachment (depicted as a bird), and aversion (depicted as a snake). The pig, in its ignorance, wallows in its own filth and eats whatever is given to it. The bird gets attached to its sexual partner ā think of ducks or geese who mate for life. The snake is aggressive and is quick to strike when it is approached.
The next layer, moving outwards from the center, shows people ascending on the left and descending on the right. Those on the left are ascending up towards heavenly realms, while those on the right are falling and descending into hellish realms. The ascending-and-descending cycle represents the destinies of those trapped in the cycle of samsara.
Moving further out, the next layer depicts the six realms of samsara. On the bottom are the lower realms: the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm, and the hellish realm. The animal realm is dominated by ignorance and acquisition, like a hunter trying to acquire its prey. Without questioning why, the lion hunts the lamb. The hungry ghost realm is dominated by greed and is occupied by spirits who are constantly hungry but never satisfied, so they overeat and make themselves miserable. The hellish realm is dominated by anger and its occupants are never happy. On the top half of this layer, there are the upper realms: the human realm, the demigod (asura) realm, and the god (deva) realm. The human realm is dominated by desire and has a fairly balanced mix of pleasure and suffering, which happens to be most conducive to the dharma. The demigodāāāor asuraāāārealm is dominated by jealousy and is a place of greater material wellbeing than the human realm. The demigods enjoy more natural abilities than humans do. The godāāāor devaāāārealm is the realm where the inhabitants enjoy the most natural powers and the greatest material wellbeing. The gods basically enjoy so much material prosperity that they do not experience any significant amount of pain. However, the privileged position tends to corrupt the inhabitants of the god realm, so that they end up falling and being reborn in a lower realm in their next rebirth. For more information on these realms, check out The Six Realms of Samsara in Tibetan Buddhism by Lauren Simpson-Green.
The next layer outwards depicts the twelve links which represent the causal connection between the three poisons and the cycle of rebirth. The twelve links are: (1) lack of knowledge, (1) constructive activity, (3) consciousness, (4) name and form, (5) the six senses, (6) contact, (7) pain, (8) thirst, (9) clinging, (10) coming to be, (11) birth, and (12) aging and death. Unfortunately, I am not knowledgeable enough on this subject to give a more detailed explanation of the twelve links. If you want more info about this particular layer of the image, I suggest you do a little reading on pratÄ«tyasamutpÄda.
The next layer of the image is outside of the wheel. The deity Yama is holding the wheel with his four limbs (representing the four sufferings of birth, sickness, old age, and death). Yamaās third eye represents an understanding of impermanence. The five skulls on his crown represent the five aggregates (skandhas) that give rise to the illusion of self. Above Yama, you will typically find an image of the Buddha pointing to the moon. The moon represents liberation or nirvana (the blowing out of the passions and the suffering they entail). The Buddha is the teacher showing the way.
In my previous essays, I spoke of how rebirth can be interpreted in the light of the theory of generic subjective continuity. Using a sort of Epicurean epistemology that allows for multiple explanations, I also observed that rebirth can be interpreted as us living on in the consequences of our actions that donāt cease when we die. Things that we have done in this life will continue to influence events after we die, so we live on by way of our karmic energy. I also argued that rebirth can be seen as a constant process happening moment-to-moment. We are constantly being reborn in this life. I think it is best to see the doctrine of rebirth as having layers of meaning rather than one specific meaning. I now want to discuss the psychological interpretation, which is a variation of that last explanation of rebirth mentioned above.
We are constantly changing and being āborn againā in this life. The person I am today is not the person I was a decade ago. The soul (psyche, mind) is constantly being reborn into different states of consciousness (realms of being) in this very lifetime. Imagine a person going through their life. In middle school, their psyche is stuck in the animal realm, as an animalistic state of consciousness dominates them and causes them to quarrel with others. As they get older, hormones kick in and their mind is reborn into the hungry ghost realm, as the pursuit of sexual gratification comes to the forefront. As the individual ages a bit more, they are reborn again into a hellish state, as disillusionment and disappointment with society and the world makes them constantly angry. Then, the individual meets their future husband or wife, their passions start to settle down, and they are reborn into the human realm, which is more moderate. Perhaps, at some point, this individual gets elected to a high political office and/or becomes extremely wealthy. Now their mind is reborn into the demigod or god realm, which can easily corrupt them and bring them back into the hungry ghost realm (greed) or the hellish realm (anger). A trend can be seen over a personās lifetimes where their mind tends to dwell more in certain realms during certain phases of their life. At the same time, this macro view can be replicated at the microscopic level. If we look at an individual throughout a single day, their mind is reborn as a response to events and stimuli throughout that day. My wife saying āgood morningā may make me happy and cause me to be reborn into an upper realm, while the person who cuts me off on the freeway may send me back down into the hellish realm. We are not just reborn throughout our entire lifetimes, but also from one moment to the next. The average person may pass through all six realms during a single day. Mindfulness meditation can help us control our emotions and keep us from slipping back into lower realms, but it can also help us reach a state of nirvana and equanimity so that we can break free from the wheel of samsara altogether.
