Dharmachakra

 Exploring Sanjusangen-do temple was a really cool experience. Just seeing all 1,001 statues under the same roof was mind blowing. Seeing the length of the hall was also super cool. As I was walking through the hall I noticed that most of the guardian deities were holding objects. Most of them were holding weapons or instruments but one of the guardian statues was holding what looked like a ships wheel. After, I looked up the meaning behind this wheel and found out it wasn't a ships wheel but it was a Dharmachakra. A Dharmachakra is an ancient Buddhist symbol that has a lot of different meanings. I think since its so ancient its meaning has grown and changed over the years causing it to have different meanings. The word "Dharma" means law, teaching, or truth in Buddhism and "chakra" means wheel in Sanskrit. This wheel shape symbolizes continues learning or life cycles. In Buddhism it is belived that after death people are reincarnated many times, learning from each life and getting closer to enlightenment. This lines up with the symbolism of the wheel in a really cool way. One of its first most ancient meanings is the representation of the Buddhas teachings and the path to enlightenment. The wheel usually has 8 spokes which symbolize the eightfold path, the process of getting rid of suffering by getting rid of attachment, which is belived to be the root of all suffering. The circular shape represents the perfection of the Buddhas teachings. The turning of the wheel can be interpreted as the spread of the Buddhas teachings. This ancient symbol originally came from ancient Indian culture then later was adopted into Buddhism. After learning about the symbolism behind the Dharmachakra I thought it was even more interesting why one of the guardian deities was holding it in place of a weapon or instrument. While most of the guardian deities were charges with guarding an person, teaching , or place this deity was charged with the guarding or sharing of this ancient symbol.  


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