wheel of life

The symbol of life as a wheel, found in many faiths. The wheel can stand for the whole cycle beginning with birth, rising up to the height of a person's power, and then declining again until death is reached. It can also stand for the rise and fall of fortunes at different times in a person's life, as often in Western popular religious art. In Buddhist and Hindu art, it is used to show the various stages of existence through which the average soul or atman has to pass to reach either release or nirvana.

In Buddhist art, the circle of the cosmos is held by Yama, a dragon who symbolizes change and death (anicca). In the centre are a cock, a snake, and a pig, each holding onto each other's tails to emphasize their connection to, and feeding from, one another. They symbolize the three hindrances of desire, hatred, and ignorance. The wheel of life may have six spokes dividing the six realms the soul may occupy - humanity, animals, ghosts, hells, demi-gods, and gods.