Arts and crafts of Bhutan
The Wheel of Life
One of the most dramatic and arresting subjects of Thangkas (religious paintings) is the Wheel of Life. Not only is it rich in symbolism, but it also captures key aspects of the Buddha's teaching, including rebirth, karma and dependent origination.
Ostensibly, Wheel of Life Thangkas show the six realms of existence into which a being is continually reborn unless they attain nirvana (the end of craving, suffering and the cycle of existence). But there is more to the Wheel of Life Thangka than that.
Yama
The traditional Wheel of Life Thangka presents a large circle which consists of three more concentric circles within and six segments. Turning this large circle is Yama, the Lord of Death. A fierce-looking figure, his head protrudes above the circle and his feet below. His incisors are fang-like and his hands and feet are taloned. Skulls adorn his head, indicating his association with death.
The Innermost Circle
The innermost circle of the Wheel of Life are three animals - a pig, a rooster and a snake, representing greed, hatred and delusion. These are referred to as 'the three fires' or 'the three poisons'. The fact that these are positioned at the very center of the Wheel of Life indicates how fundamental they are in sustaining the cycle of birth and death with all its attendant suffering. The pig represents delusion, the rooster greed and the snake hatred.
The Inner Circle
The circular band surrounding the center of the Wheel shows beings rising and falling according to their deeds (the law of karma). Those who lived good lives are seen to be ascending, those who have lived bad lives, descending. The background is light for those ascending and dark for those on the descent.
The Six Realms
Moving outwards, the Wheel is split into six segments, each segment depicting one of the six realms of samsara, the cycle of birth and death. Starting clockwise at the top there is the realm of the gods, a place of pleasure and happiness. Figures playing musical instruments - suggesting a life of leisure and sensory delight - are often depicted within this segment. It should be noted, however, that this is not an everlasting abode, and so too with the others. Once a god's store of good deeds has been used up, that god is destined to rebirth in a lower realm.
The second segment portrays the realm of what are variously referred to as demi-gods or titans. Though powerful, they live a flawed existence due to their jealousy which causes them to compete with each other.
The third segment moving clockwise shows the realm of the hungry ghosts or pretas. These are shown with distended bellies, though no matter how much they eat and drink, they are always thirsty and hungry.
The bottom segment shows the hell realm, where beings live tormented by extremes of heat and cold. Though not an eternal realm, the opportunities for good actions are limited so it is difficult for a being to escape from this realm easily.
The fifth segment is the animal realm dominated by instinct and a need to survive, and in which opportunities for moral action are, as in hell, limited.
The final realm is that of humans - a place that has pleasant aspects and some unpleasant ones too. Of the six, Buddhism regards this as the best realm of all in that it offers the best conditions for gaining enlightenment. Unlike the realm of the gods, humans are able to focus on other things rather than just sensory pleasure. The vicissitudes of life mean that it is inevitable that humans will see the realm they inhabit as less than satisfactory and therefore seek answers. It is thus a place where there are opportunities for both moral action and spiritual advancement. It is for this reason Buddhism emphasizes how precious it is to be born a human being and how important it is to take advantage of the special opportunities it affords, opportunites denied the other five realms.
In many Wheel of Life Thangkas, a bodhisattva is depicted in each of the six realms, suggesting that compassionate beings are in each of the realms to help those who are there.
The Outer Circle - The Twelve Links
To understand the symbolism of the outer circle, you need to work clockwise through the twelve images depicted. These represent, in turn, each of the twelve links of dependent origination, the Buddha's explanation of the process by which beings live, die and are reborn again.
1. A blind man - this image symbolises ignorance/delusion. The reason we are in the samsaric cycle is because we are unenlightened.
2. A potter - the potter signifies action, the deeds that stem from ignorance and which have various consequences whether for good or ill.
3. A monkey - this represents consciousness, which lacks control as it moves from one object to another.
4. People in a boat - sometimes there are two people in the boat signifying body and mind travelling through samsara.
5. A house- this is shown with five windows and a door and symbolizes the senses. In Buddhism, the mind is considered to be an additional sense to the other five.
6. Two lovers- these signify the senses and sensory data coming together: the eye for example coming into contact with a colour or shape.
7. A man with an arrow piercing his eye - this represents feelings, which, whether pleasant or unpleasant, partially blind us.
8. A man having a drink - this signifies craving, the desire to have and possess.
9. A man plucking fruit from a tree - here craving leads to grasping and clinging.
10. A pregnant woman/Sometimes a couple in bed - this represents 'becoming'; from clinging new life is about to be born.
11. A birth scene- this symbolizes birth/rebirth
12. An old man or corpse - old age and death are the inevitable consequence.
Buddhist Thangkas of this kind would have been used originally as teaching aids, especially those who were not literate.
