A Tibetan Thangka is a painting of a sacred image or deity on cloth (usually cotton canvas or silk). The delicate, detailed imagery is hung in meditation centers, personal ritual spaces, and even yoga classrooms - anywhere we would like to remind ourselves of the Divine. These richly colored paintings are intended to bring the essence of Spirit into our homes and sacred spaces.

Samsara

The wheel of life (bhavachakra in sanskrit, or samsara for others) is often found on the exterior walls of the monasteries, on either side of the main entrance. It represents samsara which is a synonim of the word life. The "wheel" also happens to be a synonim of samsara, as it can also means "cycle" or "rotation".
Samsara an Iconographic Concept

Meaning of Bhavachakra

By Samsara (bhavachakra) we are talking of all existences that are conditioned by: ignorance, suffering and the unexplainable flow of time, often represented by Yama holding the wheel of life. Nirvana, on the other hand, represents the world unaffected by negative emotions, which by definition is the nature of true happiness.

Hub: the three poisons

In the hub of the wheel are three animals: a pig, a snake, and a bird. They represent the THREE POISIONS of ignorance, attachment, and aversion. The pig stands for ignorance; this comparison is based on the Indian concept of a pig being the most foolish of animals, since it sleeps in the dirtiest places and eats whatever comes to its mouth. The snake represents aversion or anger; this is because it will be aroused and strike at the slightest touch. The bird represents attachment (also translated as desire or clinging). The particular bird used in this diagram represents an Indian bird that is very attached to its partner. These three animals represent the three poisons, which are the core of the bhavacakra. From these three poisons, the whole cycle of existence evolves.

In many drawings of the wheel, the snake and bird are shown as coming out of the mouth of the pig, indicating that aversion and attachment arise from ignorance. The snake and bird are also shown grasping the tail of the pig, indicating that they in turn promote greater ignorance.

Under the influence of the three poisons, beings create karma, as shown in the next layer of the circle.

Second layer: karma

The second layer of the wheel shows two-half circles:

• One half-circle (usually light) shows contented people moving upwards to higher states, possibly to the higher realms.
• The other half-circle (usually dark) shows people in a miserable state being led downwards to lower states, possibly to the lower realms.

These images represent karMA, the law of cause and effect. The light half-circle indicates people experiencing the results of positive actions. The dark half-circle indicates people experiencing the results of negative actions.

Ringu Tulku states:

We create karma in three different ways, through actions that are positive, negative, or neutral. When we feel kindness and love and with this attitude do good things, which are beneficial to both ourselves and others, this is positive action. When we commit harmful deeds out of equally harmful intentions, this is negative action. Finally, when our motivation is indifferent and our deeds are neither harmful or beneficial, this is neutral action. The results we experience will accord with the quality of our actions.

Propelled by their karma, beings take rebirth in the six realms of samsara, as shown in the next layer of the circle

Third layer: the six realms of samsara

The third layer of the wheel is divided into six sections that represent the six realms of samsara. These six realms are divided into three higher realms and three lower realms.

• The three higher realms are shown in the top half of the circle; the higher realms consist of the god realm, the demi-god realm and the human realm. The god realm is shown in the top middle and the human realm and demi-god realms are on either side of the god realm.
• The three lower realms are shown in the bottom half of the circle; the lower realms consist of the hell realm, the animal realm and the hungry ghost realm. The hell realm is shown in the bottom middle of the circle, with the animal realm and hungry ghost realm on either side of the hell realm.

The figure holding the wheel: impermanencE

The wheel is being held by a fearsome figure who represents impermanence. The Dalai Lama states:

The fierce being holding the wheel symbolizes impermanence, which is why the being is a wrathful monster, though there is no need for it to be drawn with ornaments and so forth ... Once I had such a painting drawn with a skeleton rather than a monster, in order to symbolize impermanence more clearly.

This figure is most commonly depicted as Yama, the lord of death. Regardless of the figure depicted, the inner meaning remains the same–that the entire process of cyclic existence (samsara) is transient; everything within this wheel is constantly changing.

Yama has the following attributes:

• He wears of crown of five skulls that symbolize the impermanence of the five aggregateS (The skulls are also said to symbolize the five poisons.)
• He has a third eye that symbolizes the wisdom of understanding impermanence.
• He is sometimes shown adorned with a tiger skin, which symbolizes fearfulness.(The tiger skin is typically seen hanging beneath the wheel.)
• His four limbs (that are clutching the wheel) symbolize the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death.