Thedharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र,Pali:dhammacakka) orwheel of dharma is asymbol used in theDharmic religions. It has a widespread use in Buddhism.[1][2] InHinduism, the symbol is particularly used in places that underwent religious transformation.[3][4][5][6] The symbol also finds its usage in modern India.
Historically, the dharmachakra was often used as a decoration inEast Asian statues andinscriptions, beginning with the earliest period ofEast Asian culture to the present.[7] It remains a major symbol of the Buddhist religion today.
TheSanskrit noundharma (धर्म) is a derivation from the rootdhṛ 'to hold, maintain, keep',[8] and means 'what is established or firm'. The word derives from theVedic Sanskritn-stemdharman- with the meaning "bearer, supporter". Thehistorical Vedic religion apparently conceived ofdharma as an aspect ofṚta.[9]
Similar chakra (spoked-wheel) symbols are one of the most ancient in all Indian history. Madhavan and Parpola note that a wheel symbol appears frequently inIndus Valley civilization artifacts, particularly on severalseals.[10][note 1] Notably, it is present in a sequence of ten signs on theDholavira Signboard.[10][12]
Some historians associate the ancient chakra symbols withsolar symbolism.[13] In theVedas, the godSurya is associated with the solar disc, which is said to be a chariot of one wheel (cakra).Mitra, a form of Surya, is described as "the eye of the world", and thus the sun is conceived of as an eye (cakṣu) which illuminates and perceives the world.[14] Such a wheel is also the main attribute ofVishnu.[12] Thus, a wheel symbol might also be associated with light and knowledge.
The Buddha is said to have set the "wheel of dharma" in motion when he delivered his first sermon,[17] which is described in theDhammacakkappavattana Sutta. This "turning of the wheel" signifies a great and revolutionary change with universal consequences, brought about by an exceptional human being. Buddhism adopted the wheel as a symbol from the Indian mythical idea of the ideal king, called achakravartin ("wheel-turner", or "universal monarch"),[12][17] who was said to possess several mythical objects, including theratana cakka (the ideal wheel). TheMahā Sudassana Sutta of theDigha Nikaya describes this wheel as having a nave (nābhi), a thousand spokes (sahassārāni) and a felly (nemi), all of which are perfect in every respect.[14]Siddhartha Gautama was said to have been a "mahapurisa" (great man) who could have chosen to become a wheel turning king, but instead became the spiritual counterpart to such a king, a wheel turning sage, that is, aBuddha.[18]
In his explanation of the term "turning the wheel of Dharma", the Theravada exegeteBuddhaghosa explains that this "wheel" which the Buddha turned is primarily to be understood as wisdom, knowledge, and insight (ñāṇa). This wisdom has two aspects, paṭivedha-ñāṇa, the wisdom of self-realisation of the Truth and desanā-ñāṇa, the wisdom of proclamation of the Truth.[14] The dharmachakra symbol also points to the central Indian idea of "Dharma", a complex and multivalent term which refers to the eternal cosmic law, universal moral order and in Buddhism, the very teaching and path expounded by the Buddha.[19]
The originalLion Capital of Ashoka, from Sarnath. It originally supported a large dharmachakra on the top (reconstitution).
In theBuddhist Art at early sites such asBharhut andSanchi, the dharmachakra was often used as a symbol of Gautama Buddha himself.[18][14] The symbol is often paired with thetriratna (triple jewel) ortrishula (trident) symbolizing thetriple gem, umbrellas (chatra), symbols ofsovereignty and royal power, gems and garlands. It is also sometimes depicted alongside animals such as lions,[14] or deer.
There are different designs of the Buddhist dharmachakra with 8, 12, 24 or morespokes. In different Buddhist traditions, the different number of spokes may represent different aspects of the Buddha's Dharma (teaching). In the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition for example, the 8 spoked wheel represents thenoble eightfold path, and the hub, rim and spokes are also said to represent the three trainings (sila,prajña andsamadhi).[20]
In Buddhism, the cyclical movement of a wheel is also used to symbolize the cyclical nature of life in the world (also referred to as the "wheel ofsamsara",samsara-chakra or the "wheel of becoming", bhava-cakra).[14] This wheel of suffering can be reversed or "turned" through the practice of the Buddhist path. The Buddhist terms for "suffering" (dukkha) and happiness (sukha) may also originally be related to the proper or improper fitting of wheels on achariot'saxle.[21] The Indo-Tibetan tradition has developed elaborate depictions calledBhavacakras which depict the many realms ofrebirth inBuddhist cosmology.
The spokes of a wheel are also often used as symbols of the Buddhist doctrine ofdependent origination. According to the Theravada scholarBuddhaghosa:
“It is the beginningless round of rebirths that is called the ’Wheel of the round of rebirths’ (saṃsāracakka). Ignorance (avijjā) is its hub (or nave) because it is its root. Ageing-and-death (jarā-maraṇa) is its rim (or felly) because it terminates it. The remaining ten links [of Dependent Origination] are its spokes [i.e. saṅkhāra up to the process of becoming, bhava].”[14]
The earliest Indian monument featuring dharmachakras are theAshokan Pillars, such as the lion pillar at Sanchi, built at the behest of theMauryan emperorAshoka. According to Benjamin Rowland:[14]
”The Sārnāth column may be interpreted, therefore, not only as a glorification of the Buddha’s preaching symbolised by the crowning wheel, but also through thecosmological implications of the whole pillar as a symbol of the universal extension of the power of the Buddha’s Law as typified by the sun that dominates all space and all time, and simultaneously an emblem of the universal extension of Mauryan imperialism through the Dharma. The whole structure is then a translation of age-old Indian and Asiatic cosmology into artistic terms of essentially foreign origin and dedicated, like all Asoka’s monuments, to the glory of Buddhism and the royal house.”
According to Harrison, the symbolism of "the wheel of the law" and the order of Nature is also visible in the Tibetanprayer wheels. The moving wheels symbolize the movement of cosmic order (ṛta).[22]
The dharmachakra is a symbol in thesramana religion of Budhha Dhamma.[23][24]
Wheel symbolism was also used in Indian temples in places that underwent a religious transformation from Buddhism,[25][26] such as Jagannath temple, whose deity is believed by some scholars to have aBuddhist origin.[27][28] It also finds use in other ancient temples of Odisha, the most famous of which is theKonark Sun Temple.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the first Vice President of India, stated that theAshoka Chakra of India represents the "wheel of the law ofdharma", as well as "Truth orsatya", "Virtue" as well as "motion", as in the "dynamism of a peaceful change".[29]
Some Buddha statues also depict the relatedDharmachakra Mudrā, a hand sign depicting the turning of the Dharma wheel.
A very similar wheel symbol also appears in theflag of the Romani people, hinting to their nomadic history.
In non-Buddhist cultural contexts, an eight-spoked wheel resembles a traditionalship's wheel. As a nautical emblem, this image is a commonsailor tattoo, which may be misidentified as a dharmachakra or vice versa.
Thesonnenrad is a similar symbol used by occultists and neo-nazis.
In theUnicode computer standard, the dharmachakra is called the "Wheel ofDharma" and found in the eight-spoked form. It is represented as U+2638(☸). Asemoji: ☸️.
Flag of the Romani People. It contains blue and red colour to represent the heaven and earth respectively, and uses a 16 spoke Dharmachakra to symbolise their tradition and to pay homage to their Indian origin.
^These symbols, however, are elongated and not circular. Spoked wheel vehicle are virtually absent inHarappan civilisation.[11] Therefore interpreting these symbols as spoked wheel is a matter of debate.
^abGrünwedel e.a.:"The wheel (dharmachakra) as already mentioned, was adopted by Buddha's disciples as the symbol of his doctrine, and combined with other symbols—a trident placed above it, etc.—stands for him on the sculptures of the Asoka period."[15]
^Goetz: "dharmachakra, symbol of the Buddhist faith".[16]
^Day, Terence (1 January 2006) [1982]. "The Concept of Obligation".The Conception of Punishment in Early Indian Literature. Editions SR (volume 2). Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. p. 42.ISBN9780889208384. Retrieved5 March 2024.The importance of the conception of Dharma in early brāhmanic thought is so considerable that it has seemed either that it replaced Ṛta as the leading philosophical and religious conception or that the earlier concept was at some time absorbed into it. It is probably more true that Dharma was conceived as an aspect of Ṛta which became so useful for framing religious, moral and social regulations, that interest in it and discussion of its applications to social and moral order eclipsed all discussions of metaphysical and theological ideas.
^abThe Ancient Indus Valley: New PerspectivesBy Jane McIntosh. p. 377
^abLudowyk, E.F.C. (2013)The Footprint of the Buddha, Routledge, p. 22.
^Issitt, Micah. Main, Carlyn. (2014).Hidden Religion: The Greatest Mysteries and Symbols of the World's Religious Beliefs, ABC-CLIO, p. 186.
^A Lamp Illuminating the Path to Liberation: An Explanation of Essential Topics for Dharma Students by Khenpo Gyaltsen (translated by Lhasey Lotsawa Translations, Nepal: 2014, pp. 247–248).
^Sargeant, Winthrop (2009), The Bhagavad Gita, SUNY Press, p. 303.
Anthony, David W. (2007),The Horse The Wheel and Language. How Bronze-Age Riders From The Eurasian Steppes Shaped The Modern World, Princeton University Press
Beer, Robert (2003),The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols, Serindia Publications, Inc.,ISBN978-1932476033
Day, Terence P. (1982),The Conception of Punishment in Early Indian Literature, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press,ISBN0-919812-15-5
Goetz, Hermann (1964),The art of India: five thousand years of Indian art, Crown
Grünwedel, Albert; Gibson, Agnes C.; Burgess, James (1901),Buddhist art in India, Bernard Quaritch
Harrison, Jane Ellen (2010) [1912],Themis: A Study of the Social Origins of Greek Religion, Cambridge University Press
Inden, Ronald (1998),Ritual, Authority, And Cycle Time in Hindu Kingship. In: JF Richards, ed., "Kingship and Authority in South Asia", New Delhi: Oxford University Press
Mallory, J.P. (1997),Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers,ISBN978-1-884964-98-5
Nath, Vijay (March–April 2001), "From 'Brahmanism' to 'Hinduism': Negotiating the Myth of the Great Tradition",Social Scientist,29 (3/4):19–50,doi:10.2307/3518337,JSTOR3518337
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![The Flag of India has the Ashoka Chakra at its center representing the Dharmachakra.[29]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aFlag_of_India.svg)
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