The Wheel: Eight Auspicious Symbols Card, by Kumar Lama

The Wheel

Buddhism adopted the wheel as the main emblem of the ‘wheel-turning’ chakravartin, identifying this wheel as the dharmachakra or ‘wheel of dharma’ of the Buddha’s teachings. The wheel’s swift motion represents the rapid spiritual transformation revealed in the Buddha’s teachings. The wheel’s comparison to the rotating weapon of the chakravartin represents its ability to cut through all obstacles and illusions. The three components of the wheel – hub, spokes, and rim – symbolize the three aspects of the Buddhist teachings upon ethics, wisdom, and concentration. The central hub represents ethical discipline, which centers and stabilizes the mind. The sharp spokes represent wisdom or discriminating awareness, which cuts through ignorance. The rim represents meditative concentration, which both encompasses and facilitates the motion of the wheel. A wheel with a thousand spokes represents the thousand activities and teachings of the Buddhas. A wheel with eight spokes symbolizes the Buddha’s eightfold noble path, and the transmission of these teachings towards the eight directions.

The eight auspicious symbols are the most well know group of Buddhist symbols, and are traditionally listed in the order of: (1) a white parasol; (2) a pair of golden fishes; (3) a treasure vase; (4) a lotus; (5) a right-spiraling white conch shell; (6) an endless knot; (7) a victorious banner; (8) a golden wheel.

In the Buddhist tradition these eight symbols of good fortune represent the offerings present by the great Vedic gods to Shakyamuni Buddha upon his attainment of enlightenment.

This beautiful card print comes from an image painted by the artist Kumar Lama.

Card measures 5" x 7", and is a textured folding greeting card with a blank interior, that comes in a