Wheel of Life

(Sanskrit: Bava Chakra) In Tibetan Buddhism especially, the Wheel of Life is a symbol consisting of three concentric circles held by Yama, the God of the Underworld. It signifies samsara. The inner-most circle contains symbols of the three sources of suffering: the pig (ignorance), the snake (hate), and the cock (desire). The next circle is divided into six sections, each depicting one of the six states of being. The outside ring is divided into twelve sections, each representing a symbol of one of the twelve factors of conditioned arising (death, birth, craving, ignorance, consciousness, etc.).