Visualizing the Wheel of Samsara can be quite helpful in understanding its symbolism. While artistic depictions can vary slightly across different traditions and time periods, there are common elements.

Imagine a circular diagram, much like a wheel, held in the grasp of a fierce being, often identified as Yama, the Lord of Death, symbolizing the impermanent nature of all existence and the relentless cycle.

Here’s a breakdown of what you’d typically see as you move from the center outwards:

• The Hub (Innermost Circle): This central area usually depicts the three poisons that drive the cycle:
  • A rooster (or sometimes a dove) representing attachment and desire.
  • A snake representing aversion, anger, and hatred.
  • A pig (or sometimes a boar) representing ignorance and delusion. These three creatures are often shown biting each other’s tails, illustrating how these negative forces are interconnected and perpetuate the cycle.
• The Next Circle: This circle is typically divided into two halves, often with contrasting colors:
  • One half depicts beings moving upwards, often shown as illuminated or joyful, representing the results of positive karma leading to more favorable rebirths.
  • The other half shows beings moving downwards into darker realms, often depicted as suffering or being dragged, representing the results of negative karma leading to less favorable rebirths.
• The Third Circle: This larger circle is divided into six segments, representing the six realms of Samsara:
  • The Realm of Gods (Devas): Often shown with beings experiencing pleasure and luxury.
  • The Realm of Demigods (Asuras): Depicted with beings engaged in conflict, driven by envy and power struggles.
  • The Realm of Humans (Manushya): Usually shows scenes of everyday life, with a mix of joy and suffering, representing the opportunity for spiritual practice.
  • The Realm of Animals (Tiryagyoni): Often shows animals in various states, highlighting instinct and the struggle for survival.
  • The Realm of Hungry Ghosts (Pretas): Depicted with beings with emaciated bodies and large empty stomachs, symbolizing insatiable craving.
  • The Realm of Hell Beings (Naraka): Shows scenes of intense suffering and torment in various hellish environments.
• The Outer Rim (The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination): Surrounding the six realms is a ring that illustrates the twelve links of dependent origination. These are often depicted as a series of symbolic images that explain the causal chain leading to suffering and rebirth. The specific images can vary, but they represent concepts like ignorance, volitional formations, consciousness, name and form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, becoming, birth, and old age and death.
• The Figure Holding the Wheel (Yama): Encircling the entire wheel is often the figure of Yama, the Lord of Death. His fierce appearance reminds us that all beings within the cycle are subject to impermanence and death. He holds the wheel in his grasp, emphasizing that the entire process of Samsara is within the realm of impermanence.

So, in essence, the Wheel of Samsara is a complex and symbolic mandala that visually represents the cyclical nature of existence, the forces that drive it, the different realms of experience, and the interconnectedness of cause and effect. Seeing it can be a powerful reminder of the importance of understanding these dynamics in the pursuit of liberation.