Wheel of Existence (Bhavachakra)

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The wheel is divided into four parts: 1. The hub, 2. Inner circle (divided into two halves), 3. The body of the wheel divided by five spokes and 4. The rim. All are in the grip of the wrathful Yama, the lord of impermanence and death. The hub depicts three spiritual poisons in the form of three animals: (black) pig symbolizes delusion (moha) (green) Snake, aversion, hatred (dvesa) (red) cock, passion (raga). The hub is surrounded by an inner circle which is further has two segments, the proper right side, from top to bottom shows the sentient beings who have done good deeds ascending to the world of gods, while the left from bottom upwards depicts those who have indulged in evil deeds and thus descend into hell.

The inner circle is surrounded by another circle, the main body of the wheel which is divided into five segments by spokes. In every segment the presence of celestial Buddhas has been shown. The upper one is heaven in which Gods have been shown along with the Indra's palace. The longer portion of the heaven depicts Titans who were later on expelled from heaven because of their pride. They fight the gods for the fruits of the wish-giving tree whose roots are in their realm but fruits in the world of the gods. It is said that gods born from lotus blossoms enjoy heavenly delights. They are subject to the law of anityata, of birth, life, death and rebirth. They may live for millions of years in heaven, but when their merits are exhausted they have to come down.

The heaven is followed by the human world on proper left side. The human world is generally the depiction of birth, disease, old age and death, a king, a monk near a stupa, struggle for existence etc. Here the human world is represented by a scene of labour by sweat of the brow; men tilling a field are shown. A stupa has also been shown.

Below the human world is the zone of tortured ghosts (pretas), which depicts emaciated and pot-bellied beings whose insatiable greed in past births has given them tantalizing thirst and hunger. Below heaven on proper right side is the animal world. The animals (tiryag-yoni) live in a fearful world of uncontrolled instincts. The lowest realm is the hell (Naraka), presided by Yama, the king and judge of the dead.

The outer most circle, the rim of the wheel, is made of twelve segments or interdependent causes of rebirth, like blind woman, potter, monkey plucking fruit, two individual rowing a boat, empty house, man and woman in embrace, arrow piercing a man's eye, a drunken man, child being born, a sick and old man being carried by another individual on the back, etc.

The Wheel of Existence is generally painted near the main entrance of a temple to instruct those who come to worship.

The painting is in light grey complexion with gold and black linings. The elaborate bottom border is decorated with auspicious symbols.

References:

A. Waddell, Buddhism and Lamaism of Tibet, Delhi, 1978 (reprint)

P.V. Bapat, 2500 Years of Buddhism, New Delhi, 1956.

This description by Dr. Shailendra Kumar Verma, Ph.D. His doctorate thesis being on the "Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (from its inception to 8th century A.D)."

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Unveiling the Divine Art: Journey into the Making of Thangkas

A Thangka is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting that usually depicts a Buddhist Deity (Buddha or Bodhisattva), a scene, or a mandala. These paintings are considered important paraphernalia in Buddhist rituals. They are used to teach the life of the Buddha, various lamas, and Bodhisattvas to the monastic students, and are also useful in visualizing the deity while meditating. One of the most important subjects of thangkas is the Bhavacakra (the wheel of life) which depicts the Art of Enlightenment. It is believed that Thangka paintings were developed over the centuries from the murals, of which only a few can be seen in the Ajanta caves in India and the Mogao caves in Gansu Province, Tibet. Thangkas are painted on cotton or silk applique and are usually small in size. The artist of these paintings is highly trained and has a proper understanding of Buddhist philosophy, knowledge, and background to create a realistic and bona fide painting.

The process of making a thangka begins with stitching a loosely woven cotton fabric onto a wooden frame. Traditionally, the canvas was prepared by coating it with gesso, chalk, and base pigment.

After this, the outline of the form of the deity is sketched with a pencil or charcoal onto the canvas using iconographic grids. The drawing process is followed in accordance with strict guidelines laid out in Buddhist scriptures. The systematic grid helps the artist to make a geometrical and professional painting. When the drawing of the figures is finalized and adjusted, it is then outlined with black ink.

Earlier, a special paint of different colors was made by mixing powdered forms of organic (vegetable) and mineral pigments in a water-soluble adhesive. Nowadays, artists use acrylic paints instead. The colors are now applied to the sketch using the wet and dry brush techniques. One of the characteristic features of a thangka is the use of vibrant colors such as red, blue, black, green, yellow, etc.

In the final step, pure gold is coated over some parts of the thangka to increase its beauty. Due to this beautification, thangkas are much more expensive and also stand out from other ordinary paintings.

Thangka paintings are generally kept unrolled when not on display on the wall. They also come with a frame, a silken cover in front, and a textile backing to protect the painting from getting damaged. Because Thangkas are delicate in nature, they are recommended to be kept in places with no excess moisture and where there is not much exposure to sunlight. This makes them last a long time without their colors fading away. Painting a thangka is an elaborate and complex process and requires excellent skills. A skilled artist can take up to 6 months to complete a detailed thangka painting. In earlier times, thangka painters were lamas that spent many years on Buddhist studies before they painted.