The Wheel of Life is a visual depiction of cyclic existence (samsara) as taught in the Buddhist teachings. On the outside of the wheel is Yamataka (the Lord of Death) who is consuming everything in samsara when it dies. Then in the outer circle is the 12 links of dependent origination.
Next is the six realms of samsara each with a buddha presiding over it. These (clockwise from the top) are the god realm, the jealous god realm fighting with the gods, the animal realm, the hell realm, the hungry ghost realm, and the human realm with birth, old age, sickness and death.
This thangka was chosen among many because it depicts the six realms and the 12 links very clearly. In addition, it has the six different Buddha presiding over the six realms which is a feature not shown on many other Wheel of Life paintings.
All of these photos are very high quality (300 dpi) and free of copyright restrictions.
You can download the medium size (4 by 6 inches) or the large size (8 x 10 inches) or both.
You can also order a print of this photo in the Dharma Photos section of this website.
This product was added to our catalog on Wednesday 25 March, 2020.
