Samsara

Tibetan Wheel of Life

-Represents Samsara - world of suffering

Outside the Wheel

• the Buddha - the enlightened one - the one who is 'awake to the truth' and has broken free from the world of Samsara 
• rabbit represents story from Jataka tales in which a previous incarnation of the Buddha sacrificed himself to save another's life. 

Yama - Lord of Death

• whole of Samsara is in the grip of Yama. 

Central Circle - 3 poisons

• pig = ignorance - not understanding the truth 
• cockerel = greed, craving = cause of suffering
• snake = hatred 
• 3 poisons 'turn' the wheel, life of samsara is driven by the poisons

Inner half-circles

• people moving up represent postive Karma
• people moving down represent negative Karma 

The Six Realms 

They can be interpreted in different ways -

1) Literally - some Buddhists believe they are actual places you can be reborn into

2) Lifestyles - they represent the kind of general lifestyle that people might have 

3) Psychological - they represent states of mind - in this case you could move into several realms in one day.

• Heaven - the realm of the Gods - the rich and the famous are worshipped by some people
• Asuras - the jealous warriors - they are desperate to get into the…