In Buddhism, human existence is understood as more than just birth, suffering, and death. It is a cycle—samsara—a continual round of rebirths shaped by our actions, intentions, habits, and mental states.
The Wheel of Life, also known as Bhavacakra in Sanskrit (or Bhavacakka in Pāli), is a rich symbolic map. It presents not merely a cosmological view of how beings wander among different realms of existence, but also a psychological framework showing how suffering arises, is sustained, and how liberation might be attained.
In this article you will learn:
- What the Wheel of Life is and its structure
- The six realms of samsara and what each realm represents
- The central causes and outer links that keep the wheel turning
- How Buddhist teachings show the path to breaking free from the cycle
- How this concept can illuminate your own life, including through tools like GoodLiife Score
- Why it matters, today, even outside formal religious contexts
What Is the Wheel of Life (Bhavacakra)?
The Wheel of Life is a traditional Buddhist representation of samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. It is often depicted as a circular illustration (thangka or mural) that includes multiple layers—each symbolic—showing causes of suffering, realms of existence, and the way to liberation. (Wikipedia)
Key components typically include:
- A central hub (usually three animals) representing the three poisons or root afflictions: ignorance, craving (attachment/desire), and aversion (anger/hate). (Encyclopedia of Buddhism)
- A second layer showing karma, often depicted with beings rising to and falling from different states, representing positive and negative karmic results. (Glen Svensson)
- A third ring dividing six realms of existence (the six realms of samsara), each realm into which one can be reborn, depending on their karma.
- An outer circle representing the twelve links of dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda), explaining how ignorance gives rise to suffering through a chain of causes. (Buddhism Way)
- Often, the wheel is held in the grasp of a fearsome being (Yama, the Lord of Death) symbolizing impermanence; above the wheel is sometimes an image of the Buddha pointing to the moon, indicating the possibility of liberation.
The Six Realms of Samsara
One of the most striking parts of the Wheel is the depiction of six realms (gatis)—realms of existence or modes of being that illustrate different kinds of suffering and conditions of mental states. These can be understood both literally (as cosmological realms of rebirth) and metaphorically (as states we often experience in life).
Here are the six realms with their character and symbolic lessons:
| Realm | Name | Description / Symbolic Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| God Realm (Deva) | Deva-gati | Existence of pleasure, abundance, long life. But also spiritual complacency—beings here may neglect Buddhist practice, being distracted by pleasure, unaware of impermanence. |
| Demi-God Realm (Asura) | Asura-gati | Powerful beings, strong desire for dominance, jealousy, conflict. They are partially above human, but suffering due to envy, rivalry. |
| Human Realm | Manussa-gati | The realm of human birth which Buddhism views as most favorable for practice. It has suffering but also capacity for wisdom, moral agency, reflection. It is the realm where one can most realistically cultivate liberation. |
| Animal Realm | Tiryagyoni-gati | Marked by ignorance, survival instincts, fear. Lack of freedom; beings act more by instinct and habit rather than conscious wisdom. Metaphorically, times when we act without mindfulness or understanding. |
| Hungry Ghost Realm (Preta) | Preta-gati | Repulsion, craving, unsatisfied desires. Even when something is attained, there is always more hunger. Metaphor for addiction, insatiable wants. |
| Hell Realm (Naraka) | Naraka-gati | Intense suffering, often as a result of destructive karma. Both physical suffering (in cosmological view) or deep mental torment. Symbol of anger, hatred, and inability to let go of suffering. |
Core Causes and the Outer Links: What Keeps the Wheel Turning
To understand how beings remain trapped in samsara, Bhavacakra teaches about the three poisons and karma, plus the twelve links of dependent origination.
The Three Poisons
At the very center are three animals:
- Pig → Ignorance (Avidyā)
- Rooster / Bird → Craving / Attachment / Desire
- Snake → Aversion / Hatred / Anger
These are root mental afflictions. They give rise to unwholesome (negative) actions and feed samsara.
Karma Layer
Surrounding that is a ring showing beings moving up and down—rising when good karma is accrued by virtuous actions; falling when bad karma or harmful actions lead to suffering or rebirth in unpleasant realms. This shows that our choices matter and affects our state of being. (HD Asian Art)
The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination
The outermost ring often shows twelve images or metaphorical scenes, each representing a link (nidāna) in the chain of causation by which suffering arises. Examples include ignorance → formations → consciousness → name & form → sense‐bases → contact → feeling → craving → clinging → becoming → birth → old age & death. (Glen Svensson)
These links show not just cosmology but a psychological model: how our mental states and actions, continuously without awareness or interruption, perpetuate suffering. Breaking even one link (e.g. reducing craving, loosening ignorance) can begin to disrupt the cycle.
Liberation: Breaking Free from Samsara
The Buddhist path offers practical ways of moving beyond the Wheel of Life. Some of the key pointers are:
- Cultivating wisdom (especially insight into impermanence, not-self, suffering) to reduce ignorance.
- Practicing ethical conduct (sīla), generosity, compassion to avoid harmful karma and build positive patterns.
- Training the mind (meditation, mindfulness) to tame craving, aversion, delusion.
- Using the contemplation of the Wheel as a reminder that existence is impermanent and conditioned.
- Recognizing that human life, despite suffering, offers unique opportunity for awakening. Because as humans we have both joy & suffering, clarity & ignorance, we can see the truth.
In many Bhavacakra depictions, the outermost part includes the Buddha pointing to the moon, or some symbol of the “path to liberation,” emphasizing that escape from samsara (nirvana, enlightenment) is possible.
Applying the Wheel of Life Symbolism in Personal Growth
Even if one is not a Buddhist, or doesn’t believe in literal rebirth, the Wheel of Life provides a powerful metaphor for awareness and growth:
- Notice when you are acting under ignorance, craving, or aversion (the poisons) in daily life.
- Identify which “realm” your thoughts or emotions feel like in different moments: e.g., Do you feel like a hungry ghost when desire dominates? Or like you are in “hell realm” under anger or despair?
- Recognize the role of past actions and habits (karma) in shaping your present mental/emotional landscape.
- Use the notion of dependent origination as a map: see how one condition leads to another (e.g. ignorance → craving → suffering) and find ways to interrupt the chain.
These can align with modern psychological and coaching tools, journaling, mindfulness, reflection, and behavior change.
The Wheel of Life & GoodLiife Score App: For Insight and Liberation
Given the depth and richness of the Wheel of Life, it can serve as inspiration in guiding personal practices and tools. The GoodLiife Score app is an example of how such ancient wisdom can be paired with modern technology to help in awareness, tracking, and transformation.
Here’s how GoodLiife connects with the themes of the Buddhist Wheel of Life:
- Tracking mental states & emotions – GoodLiife helps you monitor moods, stress, desires, aversions, which correspond to aspects of the wheel (craving, anger, ignorance). Awareness is the first step toward liberation.
- Identifying patterns – The app gives insight into recurring emotional/mental states. You may see that certain triggers lead to aversion or craving; that’s analogous to seeing where karma pushes you into lower realms.
- Supporting ethical & mindful habits – GoodLiife can help you build habits of mindfulness, compassion, meditation or reflection. These are tools to weaken ignorance and craving and cultivate wisdom and kindness.
- Setting goals & micro-actions – Rather than leaving things abstract, GoodLiife lets you pick small, actionable steps toward more clarity, peace, balance.
- Reminders & reflection – Regular check-ins make it possible to watch how one’s inner “wheel” is moving: are you being pulled toward certain mental states? Are you building momentum toward more wholesome states?
- Community or supportive resources – Often liberation isn’t in isolation. The app may provide insights from teachings, prompts, reflections, community support, or guidance.
Conclusion
The Buddhist Wheel of Life is a powerful map: of ignorance and suffering but also of potential and liberation. It reminds us that suffering is not random. It has causes. And that, with wisdom, ethical action, and mindful reflection, the cycle can be broken.
Using such a framework doesn’t require belief in rebirth or full cosmology—it can also serve as a practical mirror for habitual patterns of mind and emotion.
If you’re seeking greater clarity, insight, or peace, the GoodLiife Score app offers tools to bring much of this symbolism into daily life. By helping you track emotional states, identify patterns, set mindful goals, and act on them, it supports you in stepping out of unhelpful cycles and toward a life with more awareness and freedom.
Get the GoodLiife Score for free now and explore your own wheel. See where your mental, emotional, and life states turn—and start moving toward balance and liberation today.