SYMBOLS in BUDDHISM
The Wheel of Buddha
Dharmachakra
The Eight-Spoked Dharma Wheel or
'Dharmachakra' (Sanskrit)
symbolises the Buddha's turning the
Wheel of Truth or Law (dharma =
truth/law, chakra = wheel).
The wheel is one of the
most important Buddhist
symbols, as it represents
the teachings of the
Buddha. The Buddha was
the one who "turned the
wheel of the dharma"
and thus the wheel
symbol is the
Dharmachakra, or "wheel
of law."
The wheel's motion is
a metaphor for the
rapid spiritual
change by Buddha
at his "first turning
of the wheel of
dharma." The eight
spokes of the wheel
symbolize the
Noble Eightfold
Path set out by the
Buddha in his
teachings.
The wheel also represents
the endless cycle of
samsara, or rebirth,
which can only be
escaped by means of the
Buddha's teachings.
Some Buddhists regard
the wheel's three basic
parts as symbols of the
"three trainings" :
Hub = moral discipline,
which stabilizes the
mind. Spokes = wisdom
which is applied to
defeat ignorance.
Rim= training in
concentration, which
holds everything else
together.
THE BEGGING BOWL
The begging-bowl refers to the
the story that shortly before
the Buddha reached
enlightenment, a young
woman named Sujata
offered him a bowl of milkrice. At that moment, he was
practicing austerity by
eating extremely little. But
he realized at that moment
that he would need to have
more strength for the final
steps to enlightenment, and
further fasting would only
reduce his energy.
After he reached
enlightenment, he is
said to have thrown
away what little was
left in the bowl to
signify his
renunciation of all
material possessions.
bowl also points to
the monk's way of life;
going from the
monastery into the
village each morning
and living off what is
put into it by lay
people.
LOTUS
The Lotus (padma) is a
very important symbol
in India and of
Buddhism. It refers to
the complete
purification of body,
speech and mind, and
the blossoming of good
deeds in liberation. The
lotus refers to many
aspects of the path, as
it grows from the mud
(samsara), up through
muddy water it appears
clean on the surface
(purification), and
finally produces a
beautiful flower
(enlightenment).
The white blossom represents purity, the stem
stands for the practice of Buddhist teachings
which raise the mind above the (mud of)
worldly existence, and gives rise to purity of
mind. An open blossom signifies full
enlightenment; a closed blossom signifies
the potential for enlightenment.
SWASTIKA
The swastika ("all is well") is a cross with four arms of
equal length, with the ends of each arm bent at a
right angle. The swastika is an ancient symbol found
worldwide, but it is especially common in India. The
Buddhist swastika is almost always clockwise, while
the swastika adopted by the Nazis (many of whom
had occult interests) is counterclockwise.
Buddhism, the swastika
signifies good fortune as
well as the Buddha's
footprints and the
Buddha's heart.
The swastika is said to
contain the whole mind of
the Buddha and can often
be found imprinted on the
chest, feet or palms of
Buddha images.
It also signifies universal
harmony, and the balance
of opposites. Facing right,
it represents strength and
intelligence.