Dharma-cakra

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | 700+ words | Copyright

Dharma-cakra (Skt., wheel of the law; Pāli, dhamma-cakka). Symbol of the Buddhist teachings represented in the form of a wheel usually with eight spokes which represent the Eightfold Path. The teachings, like a wheel, are thought to be eternal in having neither a beginning nor end. The symbolism of the wheel derives from the name of the first sermon given by the Buddha, known as the Discourse on Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Law (Dharmacakra-pravartana Sutta) in which he sets out the Four Noble Truths and the ‘three turnings of the wheel’. In later Buddhism a second and third ‘turning of the wheel’ are recognized: the second is the Mahāyāna, and the third is the Vajrayāna. See also cakra.

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DAMIEN KEOWN. "Dharma-cakra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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DAMIEN KEOWN. "Dharma-cakra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Dharmacakra.html

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