The first idea of the wheel of samsara arose even before the advent of Buddhism and takes its origins in late Vedic Brahmanism. The Buddhists borrowed this concept, but it was they who interpreted it as we understand it now.
The wheel of samsara is an unceasing cycle of births and deaths. This is a constant becoming and changing, which is controlled by the lord of death. The circle of samsara shows us all the phases of a person's life. In the center of the circle are three creatures, each of which has its own shortcomings: the pig is a symbol of greed and ignorance; cock - a symbol of carnal passion; the snake is a symbol of malice. All these qualities bind a person to an illusory life and forced existence. On the circle adjacent to the center, on the left, monks and those laymen are depicted who, with their pure lives, deserve a successful reincarnation and therefore move upwards. On the right side are sinful naked people who are destined for a miserable rebirth.
The next circle is divided into six parts. All of them depict the possible fate of a person after his death. Above is heaven; on the left - ordinary people; on the right - gods and titans; in the lower righthalf - unfortunate spirits suffering from sensuality; in the lower left half, the animal kingdom; and in the lowest part - cold and hot hell. Everywhere there is certainly a Buddha who helps everyone to come to the salvation of their souls. The very last outer circle consists of twelve paintings that depict the life of a person along the steps along which he again moves to death. Each painting has its own symbolism. Let's list their meanings clockwise - ignorance, driving force, consciousness, form, sense organs, touch, sensation, thirst, attachment, becoming, birth, old age and death.
In another way, the wheel of samsara is called bhavacakra. Otherwise, it can still be called simply the wheel of being. This wheel is held by the lord of death. Everything is closely interconnected - people, clinging to life, generate karma and already on it come to a new cycle of existence.
The wheel of karma is a constant movement along the path paved by one's own actions. The lord of death, the god Yama, decides the future fate of a person. He makes his decision on the karma of a person accumulated over his life, and most often it turns out that the karma is very bad, and all sinners are destined to go through a terrible judgment.
Summarize all of the above. The wheel of samsara is a complete cycle of a person's life, reflecting his passions, sins, life stages, karma and reincarnations. In interpreting the wheel of samsara, we have mentioned karma more than once. What is karma? This is any human action that inevitably carries certain consequences. Actions include not onlya physical act, but also spoken words, and even thoughts. The totality of these physical, mental and verbal actions performed over a lifetime determines the nature of the next birth, life and death. Karma can be good or bad, that is, it can lead to a happy or unhappy birth in the next reincarnation.
