The Wheel Of Life

The Wheel of Life illustrates in a popular way the essence of the Buddhist teachings, the Four Truths: the existence of earthly suffering, it’s origin and cause, the ending or prevention of misery and the practice path to liberation from sufffering.
The Wheel of Life describes the cause of evil and its effects. Mirrored in earthly phenomena just as it is experienenced by everyone from the cradle to the grave. Picture by picture it reminds us that everyone is always his or her own judge and is responsible for their own fate, because, according to Karma, causes and their effects are the fruits of one’s own deeds.
The circular composition of the Wheel of Life guides the viewer from picture along the black path or the white path. It leads him or her through the twelve interwoven causes and their consequences to rebirth in one of the so called Six Worlds. Projected on one plane, they fill the whole inner sphere of the Wheel of Life. But the meaning of this painting is to show the way out of these worlds of suffering into the sphere beyond.

Explanation of Sections:
Standing Buddha (right)
The Bodhisattava ( left)
The Monster of Impermanence ( holding the wheel)
The Roots of Evil ( center)
The Dark Path ( center left of the hub)
The White Path ( center right of hub)
The Symbolic Six Worlds ( inner circle)
The Twelve interdependent Causes and their Effects ( outer circle)

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