The eight-spoked wheel is meant to represent the aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path, the practices said to lead one out of the cycle of rebirth. In some early Buddhist sites, the wheel served as a symbol of the Buddha himself.

In Buddhism, the Dharma Chakra is widely used to represent the Buddha’s Dharma (Buddha’s teaching and the universal moral order), Gautama Buddha himself and the walking of the path to enlightenment, since the time of Early Buddhism.

The circle, the round shape of the wheel, represents the perfection of the dharma, the Buddha’s teaching. The rim of the wheel represents meditative concentration and mindfulness, which hold practice together. The hub represents moral discipline.

In Buddhism, desire and ignorance lie at the root of suffering. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied. As a result, desiring them can only bring suffering.

The idea of kamma (kamma is also known as karma) is that actions have consequences. The Wheel of Life (Bhavachakra) represents the idea in Buddhism of life, death and rebirth. For example, if a person lives a good life and has good kamma, they will be reborn into a better realm.

Buddha’s most important teachings, known as The Four Noble Truths, are essential to understanding the religion. Buddhists embrace the concepts of karma (the law of cause and effect) and reincarnation (the continuous cycle of rebirth). Followers of Buddhism can worship in temples or in their own homes.

‘ Jesus and the Buddha are extraordinary friends and teachers. They can show us the Way, but we can’t rely on them to make us happy, or to take away our suffering.