Dharmacakra

Dharmacakra
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The dharmacakra Sanskrit: ; Pli: dhammacakka; Burmese: ([dmse t]); Chinese:

; pinyin: fln; Standard Tibetan: (chos kyi 'khor lo); 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.[citation needed] It is one of the Ashtamangala
symbols.[citation needed]

History
The dharmacakra 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 Aoka.[2] It has been used by Buddhist nations as
a symbol ever since. In its simplest form, the Dharmachakra is recognized globally as a symbol for Buddhism.[3] The
Ashoka Chakra with 24 spokes, appears on the Lion Capital of Sarnath, the official Emblem of India and is
represented at the center of the Flag of India.

Symbolism
In Buddhism, according to the Pali Canon (Vinayapitaka, Khandhaka,
Mahavagga, and Dhammacakkappavattanasutta), the number of spokes
of the dharmacakra represent various meanings:
Eight spokes representing the Noble Eightfold Path (Ariya magga).
Eight laws relating to the vicissitude of life or a reminder to stay
neutral in the face of these eight laws (Attha Loka Dhamma).[4]
12 spokes representing the twelve laws of dependent origination
(Paticcasamuppda) or the twelve permutations of the four noble
truths.[5]
24 spokes representing the twelve laws of dependent origination and
the twelve laws of dependent termination (paticcasamuppda).
31 spokes representing 31 realms of existence (11 realms of desire,
16 realms of form and four realms of formlessness).

A simplified version of the dharmacakra

In Buddhism, the parts of the dharmacakra also represent:

Its overall shape is that of a circle (cakra), representing the perfection of the dharma teaching

Dharmacakra
The hub stands for discipline, which is the essential core of meditation practice
The rim, which holds the spokes, refers to mindfulness or samdhi which holds everything together
Each spoke represents a portion of the Noble Eightfold Path including

Right beliefs
Right aspirations
Right speech
Right conduct
Right livelihood
Right effort
Right mindfulness
Right meditational attainment

The corresponding mudr, or symbolic hand gesture, is known as the dharmacakra mudr.
The dharmacakra is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Tibetan Buddhism.
According to Hindu religion, Puranas mentioned that only 24 Rishis wielded the whole power of the Gayatri Mantra.
These 24 rishi in Himalayas are represented through the 24 letters of Gayatri Mantra. The all the 24 spokes of
Dharmachakra are representation of all these 24 rishi of Himalayas in which Vishvamitra is first and Yajnavalkya is
last who governs the religion (Dharma).
24 Spokes of Dharmachakra according Hindu religion:
1. Love
2. Courage
3. Patience
4. Peacefulness
5. Magnanimity
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Selflessness
10. Self-Control
11. Self Sacrifice
12. Truthfulness
13. Righteousness
14. Justice
15. Mercy
16. Gracefulness
17. Humility
18. Empathy
19. Sympathy
20.Spiritual Knowledge
21. Moral Values
22. Spiritual Wisdom
23. The Fear of God

Dharmacakra

24. Faith or Belief or Hope

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

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 Theravda 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.
Gankyil

Other schools of Buddhism, such as the Mahyna and Vajrayna

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 Mahyna Perfection of
Wisdom Sutras, and the fourth includes both the Yogacara sutras and Tathgatagarbha sutras.

Other uses
In the Unicode computer standard, the Dharmacakra is called the "Wheel of Dharma" and found in the
eight-spoked form. It is represented as U+2638 ().
The coat of arms of Mongolia includes a dharmacakra together with some other Buddhist attributes such as the
lotus, cintamani, blue khata and Soyombo.
Following the suggestion of Bhimrao Ambedkar, the Buddhist dharmacakra was used on the new Flag of India.[6]
The national flag of the former Kingdom of Sikkim in the Himalayas featured a version of the Dharmacakra.
Thai people also use a yellow flag with a red Dharmacakra as their Buddhist flag.
The Dharmacakra is also the U.S. Armed Forces military chaplain insignia for Buddhist chaplains.
In Jainism, the Dharmacakra is worshipped as a symbol of the dharma.[citation needed]
Other "cakras" appear in other Indian traditions, e.g. Vishnu's Sudaranacakra, which is, however, a wheel-shaped
weapon and not a representation of a teaching.
In non-buddhist cultural contexts, an eight-spoked Dharmacakra resembles a traditional ship's wheel. As a
nautical emblem, this image is a common sailor tattoo.

Dharmacakra

The National Flag of India has

the Ashoka Chakra at its center
representing all Indian religions

The Dharmacakra flag, symbol of

Buddhism in Thailand

Thammachak
(Dharmacakra) Seal,
seal of Thammasat
University in
Thailand, consisting
of a Constitution on
Phan or container
with the 12-spoked
Dharmacakra behind

The flag of the former Kingdom

of Sikkim featured a version of
the Dharmacakra

Dharmacakra for the

U.S. Armed Forces
military chaplain

Dharmacakra in Falun Gong

Dharmacakra is translated as Falun in Chinese, and is therefore the most important thing in Falun Gong practice. In
"The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa", Li Hongzhi explains, "The rotating Law Wheel has the same nature
as the universe and as its miniature. The Buddhist Law Wheel, the Daoist yin-yang, and everything in the
Ten-Directional World are reflected in the Law Wheel. The Law Wheel provides salvation to the cultivator when it
rotates inward (clockwise), since it absorbs a great amount of energy from the universe and transforms it. The Law
Wheel provides salvation to others when rotating outward (counter-clockwise), for it releases energy that can save
any being and rectify any abnormal condition; people near the cultivator benefit."

Notes
[1] Albert Grnwedel, Agnes C. Gibson, James Burgess,Buddhist art in India. Published by Bernard Quaritch, 1901, page 67: "The wheel
(dharmachakra), as already mentioned, was adopted by Buddha's disciples as the symbol of his doctrine ..."
[2] Albert Grnwedel, Agnes C. Gibson, James Burgess, Buddhist art in India. Published by Bernard Quaritch, 1901, page 67: "The wheel
(dharmachakra), as already mentioned, was adopted by Buddha's disciples as the symbol of his doctrine, and combined with other symbolsa
trident placed above it, etc.stands for him on the sculptures of the Asoka period."
[3] Hermann Goetz, The art of India: five thousand years of Indian art. Published by Crown, 1964, page 52: "dharmachakra, symbol of the
Buddhist faith".
[4] http:/ / www. thebuddhism. net/ 2013/ 05/ 09/ the-eight-laws-relating-to-the-vicissitude-of-life/
[5] http:/ / www. accesstoinsight. org/ tipitaka/ sn/ sn56/ sn56. 011. than. html#fnt-3
[6] Christopher S. Queen, Sallie B. King, Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist liberation movements in Asia. SUNY Press, 1996, page 27, (http:/ /
books. google. com/ books?id=6ZsTgY1lNNsC& pg=PA27& dq=dharmachakra+ buddhist+ symbol& lr=#PPA27,M1): "Ambedkar, as a
member of Nehru's first cabinet, proposed the use of the Buddhist dharmachakra or "wheel of the law" on the new flag of India and the
Ashokan lion-capital on the national currency."

Dharmacakra

Further reading
Dorothy C. Donath (1971). Buddhism for the West: Theravda, Mahyna and Vajrayna; a comprehensive
review of Buddhist history, philosophy, and teachings from the time of the Buddha to the present day. Julian
Press. ISBN0-07-017533-0.

Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

Dharmacakra Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=579912924 Contributors: 1cr malkin, A Ramachandran, Abrarzawed, AjaxSmack, Aleksd, Aristitleism, Atulsnischal, B9
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Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

File:Dharma Wheel.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Dharma_Wheel.svg License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Contributors:
user:Esteban.barahona, user:Shazz
Image:Dharma Wheel.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Dharma_Wheel.svg License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Contributors:
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Image:Sam Taeguk.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Sam_Taeguk.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 Contributors: by nagyman
Image:Flag of India.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_India.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Anomie, Mifter
Image:Flag of Sikkim monarchy.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_Sikkim_monarchy.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: AnonMoos, David Levy,
Gmaxwell, Kintetsubuffalo, Mattes, Nichalp, Roland zh, VIGNERON, Xiengyod, 2 anonymous edits
Image:Dharmacakra_flag_(Thailand).svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Dharmacakra_flag_(Thailand).svg License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Contributors:
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File:Emblem of Thammasat University.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Emblem_of_Thammasat_University.svg License: Public Domain Contributors: Royal Thai
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