Dharmacakra
| Part of a series on |
| Buddhism |
|---|
The dharmacakra, 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); lit. "Wheel of Dharma" or "Wheel of Law"), is one of the Ashtamangala symbols[1] that has represented dharma, the Buddha's teaching of the path to Nirvana, since the early period of Indian Buddhism.[2][note 1]
Contents
Etymology[edit]
The Classical Sanskrit noun dharma is a derivation from the root dhṛ, which has a meaning of "to hold, maintain, keep",[note 2] 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.[4]
The word chakra derives from Proto-Indo-European *kʷekʷlos, and its cognates include Greek kiklos, Lithuanian kaklas, Tocharian B kokale and English "wheel," as well as "circle."[5][6] *kʷekʷlos is derived from the root *kʷel-, a verb that meant "to turn.".[6] Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, first Vice President of India has stated that the Ashoka Chakra of India represents the Dharmachakra.[7]
History[edit]
According to Buddha, the wheel is an early Indian solar symbol of sovereignty, protection and creation.[8] As a solar symbol it first appears on clay seals from c.2500 BCE from the Indus Valley Civilization.[8] According to Beer, the wheel is also the main attribute of Vishnu, the Vedic god of preservation.[8]
Usage[edit]
Buddhist usage[edit]
The Dharmachakra is one of the Ashtamangala symbols[9] of Buddhism.[10][note 3] 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.[2][2][note 1]
The Buddha is said to have set the "wheel of dhamma" (dhammachakra) in motion when he delivered his first sermon,[11] which is described in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. The wheel itself depicts the idea about the cycle of rebirth of a human.[citation needed]
Buddhism adopted the wheel as the main symbol of the "wheel-turning" chakravartin, the ideal king[11] or "universal monarch",[8] who turns the wheel (of a chariot) when he conquers the world,[11] symbolising the ability to cut through all obstacles and illusions.[8]
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.[12]
Beyond Buddhism[edit]
- In the Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana, two kings named Bharata of the Hindusolar and lunar dynasties respectively are referred to as "Chakravartin"[13]
- Jagdish Chandra Jain referred to this icon in Kalinga.[14] In Jainism, the Dharmachakra is worshipped as a symbol of the dharma.[citation needed]
- 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 the Dharmachakra.[15]
-
The flag of the former Kingdom of Sikkim featured a version of the Dharmachakra
-
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
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b Grünwedel 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."[2]
- ^ Monier Williams, A Sanskrit Dictionary (1899): "to hold , bear (also bring forth) , carry , maintain , preserve, keep , possess , have , use , employ , practise , undergo"[3]
- ^ Goetz: "dharmachakra, symbol of the Buddhist faith".[10]
References[edit]
- ^ ancient-symbols.com, Buddhist symbols
- ^ a b c d Grünwedel 1901, p. 67.
- ^ Monier Willams
- ^ Day 1982, p. 42-45.
- ^ Mallory 1997, p. 640.
- ^ a b Anthony 2007, p. 34.
- ^ See the national flag code at http://www.mahapolice.gov.in/mahapolice/jsp/temp/html/flag_code_of_india.pdf and also the national symbols page of the National Portal of India at http://india.gov.in/india-glance/national-symbols
- ^ a b c d e Beer 2003, p. 14.
- ^ ancient-symbols.com, Buddhist symbols
- ^ a b Goetz 1964, p. 52.
- ^ a b c Pal 1986, p. 42.
- ^ Harrison 2010 (1912), p. 526.
- ^ Kurt Titze, Klaus Bruhn, Jainism: A Pictorial Guide to the Religion of Non-violence
- ^ "Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History", p. 314, by John Cort, publisher = Oxford University
- ^ See the national flag code at http://www.mahapolice.gov.in/mahapolice/jsp/temp/html/flag_code_of_india.pdf and also the national symbols page of the National Portal of India at http://india.gov.in/india-glance/national-symbols
Sources[edit]
- 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 Check date values in:
|date=(help) - Hiltebeitel, Alf (2007), Hinduism. In: Joseph Kitagawa, "The Religious Traditions of Asia: Religion, History, and Culture". Digital printing 2007, Routledge
- 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
- Nath, Vijay (2001), From 'Brahmanism' to 'Hinduism': Negotiating the Myth of the Great Tradition, Social Scientist 2001, pp. 19-50
- 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
- Samuel, Geoffrey (2010), The Origins of Yoga and Tantra. Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century, Cambridge University 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[edit]
- 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[edit]
Media related to Dharmacakra at Wikimedia Commons- Buddhist Wheel Symbol (Dharmachakra)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||