The Wheel of Life also known as “The Bhavachakra Mandala” is a depiction of samsara or cyclical existence. The initial painting of the Bhavacakra Mandala is supposed to have been commissioned by Sakyamuni Buddha himself. The outside rim of the circle is divided into twelve portions in this mandala to signify the twelve-linked dependent origination, which begins with ignorance and ends with death. The following are the twelve causal linkages, along with their accompanying symbols:

  1. Ignorance - a blind person using a cane to walk.
  2. Mental Fabrication - like a potter sculpting a vase.
  3. Consciousness – a monkey reaching for fruit from a tree.
  4. Name and Form - a boat with two guys afloat.
  5. Six Sense Faculties – a dwelling with six windows
  6. Contact - two lovers consorting, kissing, or being entwined
  7. Desire – a drunkard in his drunkenness 7. Pain – an arrow struck into the eye
  8. Grasping — the act of a man plucking fruit from a tree.
  9. Becoming – a couple having an affair.
  10. Birth — the act of giving birth to a child. 
  11. Death and Old Age — a man bringing a body to the funeral.

The six realms of existence, especially God, Demigod, and Hell, are represented by parts at the circle's center. The upper section is divided into two sections, one symbolizing gods and demigods and the other representing the human realm.

The lower half is divided into three divisions, one for the animal realm on the left, one for the ghost realm on the right, and one for the hell realm in the middle. The three joyful kingdoms of gods, demigods, and humanity are represented in the lengthier upper part. The wish-fulfilling jewel tree's roots are in the domain of demigods, and its fruits are in the realm of gods. The former is seen battling with the latter out of pure jealousy. Meanwhile, the gods are partaking in heavenly pleasures like dancing, playing music, and so on. The world of the ghosts, beneath the demigods, is another segment; here, ghosts are hungry and thirsty. This realm's inhabitants are slender and skinny, with large bellies and small mouths. The animal worlds are located to the left of the middle circle. The animals are divided into two categories: aquatic and terrestrial. To put it another way, some people dwell in the oceans and lakes, while others live on land. Animals suffer significantly as a result of fighting amongst themselves, with the larger and more strong killing and eating others. The hell realm is shown at the section's center. As the judge of sinners, King Yama is depicted as wrathfully threatening sinners who are tortured by the messenger of death.

The third circle rim is colored black and white and is separated into two halves. Due to their non-virtuous behaviors, virtuous people are observed climbing to the higher section in this segment. Three entities, a cock, a snake, and a pig, are depicted in the circle's center, each gripping the tail of another to symbolize hunger, hatred, and delusion, respectively. They're also known as the "three poisons" or the "fundamental cause" of cyclic existence. The cycle of life, for example. Hayagriva, a massive monster-like creature who is an emanation of Avalokitesvara himself, holds the entire mandala.

The Buddha stands in the painting's right corner, pointing to the hare in the moon in the painting's left corner, indicating calm nirvana, free from the anguish of cyclic existence.

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