Dharmachakra

For other uses, see Dharmachakra (disambiguation).

The dharmachakra, usually written dharmachakra in English (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र; Pāli: धम्मचक्क dhammachakka; Burmese: ဓမ္မစကြာ ([dəməseʔ tɕà]); Chinese: 法輪; pinyin: fălún; Standard Tibetan: འཁོར་ལོ། (chos kyi 'khor lo); Template:Dabbr "Wheel of Dharma" or "Wheel of Law") is one of the Ashtamangala symbols that has represented dharma, the Buddha's teaching of the path to Nirvana, since the early period of Indian Buddhism.

Etymology

The Classical Sanskrit noun dharma is a derivation from the root dhṛ, which has a meaning of "to hold, maintain, keep", and takes a meaning of "what is established or firm", and hence "law". It is derived from an older Vedic Sanskrit n-stem dharman-, with a literal meaning of "bearer, supporter", in a religious sense conceived as an aspect of Rta.

The word chakra derives from Proto-Indo-European *kʷekʷlos, and its cognates include Greek kuklos, Lithuanian kaklas, Tocharian B kokale and English "wheel," as well as "circle." *kʷekʷlos is derived from the root *kʷel-, a verb that meant "to turn."

History

According to Beer, the wheel is an early Indian solar symbol of sovereignty, protection and creation. As a solar symbol it first appears on clay seals from c.2500 BCE from the Indus Valley Civilization. The wheel is also the main attribute of Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation. According to Xiaojing Yan, the dharmachakra is of Hindu origin.

Usage

Buddhist usage

The Dharmachakra is one of the Ashtamangala symbols of Buddhism. It is one of the oldest known Buddhist symbols found in Indian art, appearing with the first surviving post-Harappan Indian iconography in the time of the Buddhist king Aśoka.

The Buddha is said to have set the "wheel of dhamma" (dhammachakra) in motion when he delivered his first sermon, which is described in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. The wheel itself depicts the idea about the cycle of rebirth of a human.

Buddhism adopted the wheel as the main symbol of the "wheel-turning" chakravartin, the ideal king or "universal monarch", who turns the wheel (of a chariot) when he conquers the world, symbolising the ability to cut through all obstacles and illusions. The entanglement of this symbolism is visible in the history of India, where Buddhism had a central place at the highest royal courts as "pinnacle of the cosmo-political system" until the 8th century CE:

"before the eighth century, the Buddha was accorded the position of universal deity and ceremonies by which a king attained to imperial status were elaborate donative ceremonies entailing gifts to Buddhist monks and the installation of a symbolic Buddha in a stupa [...] This pattern changed in the eighth century. The Buddha was replaced as the supreme, imperial deity by one of the Hindu gods (except under the Palas of eastern India, the Buddha's homeland) [...] Previously the Buddha had been accorded imperial-style worship (puja). Now as one of the Hindu gods replaced the Buddha at the imperial centre and pinnacle of the cosmo-political system, the image or symbol of the Hindu god comes to be housed in a monumental temple and given increasingly elaborate imperial-style puja worship."

This entanglement is also visible at the Borobudur, which had a pedagogical device for receiving the Buddhist teachings, but was also the manifestation of the power of the kings who regarded themselves as chakravartins, based on their Buddha-status:

... the king based his chakravartinship on his buddha-status [...] [H]is dynasty [...] was supernaturally endowed for the exercise of its worldy power. Consequently the massive edifice of the Barabudur [sic] not only was the spiritual center of the realm, but also the political center of the kingdom.

According to Harrison, the symbolism of "the wheel of the law" and the order of Nature is also visible in the Tibetan praying wheels.The moving wheel symbolizes the movement of Rta, the cosmic order.

Beyond Buddhism

• In the Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana, two kings named Bharata of the Hindusolar and lunar dynasties respectively are referred to as "Chakravartin"
• Jagdish Chandra Jain referred to this icon in Kalinga. In Jainism, the Dharmachakra is worshipped as a symbol of the dharma.
• Other "cakras" appear in other Indian traditions, e.g. Vishnu's Sudarśanacakra, which is, however, a wheel-shaped weapon and not a representation of a teaching.
• The national flag of the former Kingdom of Sikkim in the Himalayas featured a version of the Dharmachakra.
• Thai people also use a yellow flag with a red Dharmachakra as their Buddhist flag.
• The coat of arms of Mongolia includes a dharmachakra together with some other Buddhist attributes such as the lotus, cintamani, blue khata and Soyombo.
• The Dharmachakra is also the U.S. Armed Forces military chaplain insignia for Buddhist chaplains.
• In non-buddhist cultural contexts, an eight-spoked Dharmachakra resembles a traditional ship's wheel. As a nautical emblem, this image is a common sailor tattoo.
• In the Unicode computer standard, the Dharmachakra is called the "Wheel of Dharma" and found in the eight-spoked form. It is represented as U+2638 (☸).

• 
  The Coat of arms of Mongolia includes Dharmachakra, Cintamani, Lotus, blue khata and Soyombo
• 
  The Coat of arms of Sri Lanka, featuring a blue Dharmachakra as the crest
• 
  The National Flag of India has the Ashoka Chakra at its center representing all Indian religions
• 
  The flag of the former Kingdom of Sikkim featured a version of the Dharmachakra
• 
  The Dharmachakra flag, symbol of Buddhism in Thailand
• 
  Thammachak (Dharmachakra) Seal, seal of Thammasat University in Thailand, consisting of a Constitution on Phan or container with the 12-spoked Dharmachakra behind
• 
  Dharmachakra for the U.S. Armed Forces military chaplain

See also

• Ashtamangala
• Bhavacakra
• Chakravarti
• Coat of arms of Mongolia
• Coat of arms of Sri Lanka
• Khorlo
• Prayer wheel
• Sun Chariot
• Surya
• Sephirot

Sources

• 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., ISBN 9781932476033
• Day, Terence P. (1982), The Conception of Punishment in Early Indian Literature, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, ISBN 0-919812-15-5
• 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 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• 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, ISBN 978-1-884964-98-5
• Pal, Pratapaditya (1986), Indian Sculpture: Circa 500 B.C.-A.D. 700, University of California Press
• Queen; King, Sallie B. (1996), Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist liberation movements in Asia., SUNY Press
• Yan, Xiaojing (2009), The confluence of East and West in Nestorian Arts in China. In: Dietmar W. Winkler, Li Tang (eds.), Hidden Treasures and Intercultural Encounters: Studies on East Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia, LIT Verlag Münster

Further reading

• Dorothy C. Donath (1971). Buddhism for the West: Theravāda, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna; a comprehensive review of Buddhist history, philosophy, and teachings from the time of the Buddha to the present day. Julian Press. ISBN 0-07-017533-0.

External links

• Buddhist Wheel Symbol (Dharmachakra)