Symbolism of the Dharmachakra

The Buddha was the first person who “turned the wheel of dharma” and when he did the wheel then became it's own symbol called the Dharmachakra or the “wheel of law”. The Tibetans use the term “the wheel of transformation” The wheel is a representation of the cycle of samsara, or rebirth. The cycle can only be broken by following the Buddha's teachings, and is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols.

Buddhists see the wheel as having three basic parts or "three trainings". The first section is the hub, it symbolizes moral discipline, which is able to stabilize the mind. There are eight spokes that represent wisdom that can be applied to defeat ignorance. Each of the eight spokes symbolize the Noble Eightfold Path set out by the Buddha in his teachings. The rim is a representation of concentration, which holds everything else together.

The wheel's motion is seen as a metaphor for the rapid spiritual change that happens when someone follows the teachings of the Buddha. The first discourse at Deer Park in Sarnath is known as the "first turning of the wheel of dharma." And subsequent discourses at Rajgir and Shravasti are known as the "second and third turnings of the wheel of dharma."

The wheel has been a common symbol in Buddhist art long before the introduction of images. In those days, the Dharmachakra symbolized not only the Buddha's teachings but the Buddha himself. Emperor Ashoka (272-32 BC) built pillars on top of which he placed four carved lions and four wheels, Each one faces the one of four directions to proclaim the Buddhist Dharma throughout India.

Today, the Dharmachakra appears in the art of every Buddhist culture. On images of the Buddha, the wheel appears on the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet. It is often seen in Tibet, flanked by two deer, the whole image is a representation of the Buddha's first sermon in the Deer Park. The wheel is usually central to mandalas, geometric representations of the Buddhist universe. It also appears in the Dharmachakra Mudra, in which the Buddha forms a wheel with the position of his hands.