WHEEL OF LIFE

(Sanskrit: Bava Chakra) In Tibetan Buddhism especially, the Wheel of Life is a symbol consisting of three concentric circles held by Yama, the God of the Underworld. It signifies samsara . The inner-most circle contains symbols of the three sources of suffering : the pig (ignorance), the snake (hate), and the cock (desire). The next circle is divided into six sections, each depicting one of the six states of being . The outside ring is divided into twelve sections, each representing a symbol of one of the twelve factors of conditioned arising (death, birth, craving, ignorance, consciousness, etc.).