The Wheel of Life: the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination

The Wheel of Life (srid pa’i ‘khor lo) is “precisely, the teaching on The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination (rten ’brel yan lag bcu gnyis)”. It is depicted as a wheel held in the claws of a “demon,” which “depicts impermanence of our death” and signifies that “as long as we are in this wheel there is no escape”.

The Structure of the Wheel

Based on the sources, the Wheel consists of four concentric circles:

The Innermost Circle: Depicts the three poisons: “The pig symbolizes ignorance (ma rig pa). The snake symbolizes aversion (zhe sdang). The bird symbolizes attachment (‘dod chags)”.

The Second Circle: Half white and half black, depicting “virtuous karmas (dge ba’i las) and non-virtuous karmas (mi dge ba’i las)”.

The Third Circle: Depicts the “six migrating beings” (‘gro ba rigs drug) across the higher and lower realms of Samsara.

The Outermost Circle: Depicts the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination.

The Twelve Links (rten ’brel yan lag bcu gnyis)

The Twelve Links are “grouped into three sets”: the set of afflictions (nyon mongs), the set of karmas (las), and the set of miseries or results (sdug bsngal).

I. The Set of Afflictions (nyon mongs kyi phung po)

1. Ignorance (ma rig pa): Depicted as a “a blind man standing on a cliff”

8. Craving (sred pa): Depicted as a “person who is drinking alcohol.”

9. Grasping (len pa): Depicted as a “monkey eating one fruit and reaching out for the next.”

II. The Set of Karmas (las kyi phung po)

2. Compositional Action/Karma (‘du byed kyi las): Symbolised by a “potter making pots.”

10. Becoming/Existence (srid pa): Depicted by a “pregnant woman.”

III. The Set of Miseries/Results (sdug bsngal gyi phung po)

3. Consciousness (rnam par shes pa): Depicted by a “monkey jumping from one tree to the next.”

4. Name and Form (ming dang gzugs): Depicted by “two persons in a boat.”

5. Sense Sources (skye mched drug): Depicted by a “house with five or six windows.”

6. Contact (reg pa): Depicted by a “couple embracing.”

7. Feeling (tshor ba)

11. Birth (skye ba)