Heaven

Asuras

Humans

Animals

Pretas

The Centre of the Wheel

A: Ignorance - a pig
B: Aversion and Hatred - a snake
C: Attachement - a cockerel

The 12 Segments and their Symbols

1. Ignorance - a blind woman
2. Mental concocting - a potter making clay pots
3. Consciousness - a monkey
4. Mind and Body - a man in a boat
5. The Senses - a house
6. Contact - a couple having sex
7. Feelings- a man with an arrow in his eye
8. Craving- a man drinking
9. Attachment - picking fruits
10. Becoming - conception
11. Birth - a woman giving birth
12. Old Age and Death - a corp e being carri d

THE WHEEL OF DEPENDENT ORIGINATION

The image of ' the Wheel ofLife" is an old drawing. Buddha drew it in the sand to explain to his
di ciples the laws ofconditioning. How everything depends on causes and conditions. How everything
we experience is a result of something that has happened before.
Here we see an ugly monster holding a big disc with many small images.
The round disc is in fact a mirror in which you can see your own life, right now, from moment to
moment, and the states of mind that you experience over longer periods of time. It shows the cause
or origination, of these states. And how to recognise your own conditioning and the origin of your
fiustration in daily life.
The original drawing was made by Buddha, in Kolanda, North India, not far from Bodh-gaya.
The picture is divided into several parts:
1. Yama, the creature holding the disc.
2. In the centre of the disc, three animals biting each other.
3. In the ring around the centre, half white, halfblack, people rising and falling.
4. Around that ring, six segments depicting beings in different states.
5. On the outer rim, twelve pictures showing what happens in every moment.
6. In the background, various other figures, always including Buddha pointing at the Moon.

ll th diffi rent Buddhi t traditions teach the texts that explain the Wheel ofCausation. In the Tibetan
monast ri the Wh 1i usually paint don the wall by the entry. Wheels are also painted on seroUs
and u ed a a teaching aid. It is aid that the image as we know it today was painted by Nagarjuna
who li ed a thousand y ars after Buddha made the original drawing. He was a Mahayana, Tibetan,
poet and yogi. Tb old te ts were written down from the oral tradition 800 years before he lived.
The e t xts are taught in every buddhist school, Theravada and Mahayana schools as well as Zen,
**all around the world.
The painting shows us our inner psychological cosmology. It exposes the internal processes and their
e temal effects. It shows us the cause of our frustration, limitation and pain. And it also shows us the
antidotes. The wisdom that is shown in this picture is not just words, it is something that you can
practice. It can give a new direction to your life and make it more meaningful.
Buddha was born in 563 BC in Lumbini, North India (now Nepal) and died in 483 BC in Kushinagar.
Ab ut 200 years after his death the first Buddhist Council was held. All the texts brought along
were divided up in three baskets giving it its name, the Council ofthe Three Baskets or Tripitaka.
One basket held the texts regarding the code ofmonastic discipline. The second, expository discourses
by the Buddha and his close disciples, and the third, philosophical and analytical texts.
In the second basket we would find texts like the "Rice Seedling Sutra and the Mahanidana Sutra
in which Buddha explains the cause of our suffering. In these sutra he speaks about dependent
arising", which is the general philosophy ofall Buddhist sy terns. Some ofhis discussions withAnanda
are also in these texts. In another text he addresses Bikkhu Sati on th Wrong Vi s he as
holding.
In the Kalama Sutra he explains how to distinguish a correct t aching from a fal on . c rding to
Buddha a teaching hould not be accept d as tru until one know by div t peri nc th tit i .
That mean it hould b tried out by ach individual wh hould th n om t hi r h r

conclusion.

All our uffering comes from not understanding who we are and how we exist. We use the words "I"
and 'mine without que tioning what we are saying or thinking. That is what Buddha calls "ignorance".
The Wheel is showing you your own experience in every split second. How you misunderstand
phenomena, the thing that happen to you, and the suffering that comes from that misunderstanding.
The Dalai Lama;
Dependent arising 1s the general philosophy ofall Buddhist systems. In Sanskrit the word for dependent
arising is Pratityasamutpada. The word Pratitya has three different meanings -meeting, relaying and
depending- but in all three, in terms of their basic import, mean dependence. Samutpada means
arising. Hence the meaning ofPratityasamutpada is that which arises in dependence upon conditions,
in reliance upon conditions, through the force of conditions. On a subtle level, it is explained as the
main reason why phenomena are empty of inherent existence.
In order to reflect on the fact that things are empty of inherent existence because dependently arisen,
it is necessary to identify the subjects of this reflection: the phenomena that produce pleasure and
pain, help and harm and so forth. If one does not understand cause and effect well, it is extremely
di cult to realize that these phenomena are empty of inherent existence due to being dependently
arisen. One must develop an understanding of cause and effect- that certain causes he]p and harm in
certain ways. Hence the Buddha set forth a presentation of depending-arising in connection with the
cause and effect of actions in the process of life in cyclic existence so that penetrating understanding
of the process of cause and effect could be gained.

Animal Segment

Buddha Dasa Bikkhu;

It was in the year 500, in Sri Lanka, that Buddhagosha wrote a comprehensive reinterpretation of
the Theravada doctrine, the Visuddhimagga. In this text he has changed Buddha's interpretation of
"Dependent Origination". In the old texts Buddha is using the word "birth" as a reference to the
arising ofthe mistaken idea of"I", "Myself'. It does not refer to physical birth, as generally supposed.
The mistaken assumption that this word "birth" refers to physical birth is a major obstacle to
comprehend the Buddha's teachings.
"Birth" should be interpreted as the psychological arising of the deluded sense of selthood, not as
denoting literal birth or rebirth.
The "I" is born, endures for a moment, then ceases; is born again, endures for a moment and then
again ceases-which is why the process is referred to as the cycle ofSamsara.

Even in a single day there can be many cycles ofbirth .and ext~nction ... _. and eac~ time (that mental
birth) i suffering. For this reason the dhammic doctnnes wh1ch mention suffenng denote mental

suffering.
Some passages in the Suttapitaka suggest that the Buddha did not sanction belief in rebirth or an
emphasis on afterlife. For example, in the Potthapada Sutra Buddha says, "Behold Potthapada,
these points we cannot determine, whether beings after death either continue to exist or do not
continue to exist' .
When pushed on why this could not be determined Buddha replied, "Behold, Potthapada, because
that is not meaningful, is unrelated to the Dhamma, it is not the start ofBrahmacariya, does not
proceed for the tiredness (ofworldliness), for extinction (ofsuffering), for peace, for higher knowledge
for realization for Nibbana. Thus for these reasons we can not determine (this matter)''.
In this interpretation of the Wheel ofDependent Origination I will not go into how the Wheel

was later explained to stretch over three life times, in keeping with the teachings above.

YAMA
The "ugly creature" that is holding the "mirror" in which we can see our lives is called Yama.
He personifies time, impermanence and death. Our lives are depicted trapped in his claws and teeth.
Yama is dressed in tiger skin and wears a lot ofjewelry to show us his importance since h represents
the main influences in our lives, impermanence and death: we are literally caught in the claws oftime.

.
wn whatever and whoever come together, will separate.
Whatever we bmld wtll fall do ' f. th .1we will die at the end of our life. There are no exceptions.
The only thing that we can be sure o ts a .
. dom or title can make you hve forever.
omoneywts
.

The Rolling Stones sing

Time waits for no one
o favours has he
Time waits for no one
And it won't wait for me.
"WHO AM I?"
The terrifying demon, Yama, is seen in this picture with a frightening ornament in his hair. five human
sculls. They represent the Five Aggregates, five "places" to look for an independent "I", "me" or
self.
These human sculls represent absence or emptiness, also known as "the Void", Sunyata, Annata.
The Five Aggregates are:
1. The body and the six senses
2. Emotions and feelings as a result of a contact between senses and objects. This includes mental
objects.
3. Discrimination, the ability to compare things, differentiate, think in a reflective way and ponder
over how to do something or what to do next.
4. Personality, character, tendencies, "the way we are", how we do things.
5. Awareness of all the above. Being aware that you hear, touch, taste see smell,
knowing that you reflect or think and have feelings.
This a list of what we are we are a body, and we experienc all that is mentioned abo
only this and no more. So ifthere exists an independent ''I" it should be in one ofthe e fi
12

Let' ee if we can find an independent "I" in an f h

~ tb. .
b d ' b
Y o t em
1. W say 1 IS my o y ut we have very littl .

.
.
e control over It At' 1.
make us suffer or even d1e. The body gets sick wh
Iny 1ttle bacteria is enough to

en we don'tw t
h
an It to. It gets tired at moments
,\ben we would like to be energetic. It gets old eve th
.
n oug we do 't
we don t want to. And eventually, the body dies wth
ki
n want It to. We feel pain when
, 1 outas ng.

So it seems that something else controls our bodies and that we can only do so much to keep it
?ealthy. We can say "my arm hurts", but, in respect ofthe ann, nobody says: ' This arm is 'I". The '~I''
18
not."living" in a particular part of the body. "I'' and the body are two different things. Yetwe
expenence the "1" as the owner of our body and mind. It is 'that" that knows that you have a body
and a mind. And "that", we cannot find in the body or the mind.

Th fi t

ull or aggr gate al

include the ix enses. The senses too stop functioning wh n the

body di .
1ob.~ ects, that ts,
seeing,
fth body that make contact with menta1and phystca
They are th parts o
.
.
ddhi h
hearing smelling tasting touching and the siXth sense which m Bu
sm ts t e awareness ofmental
processes like thoughts feelings, emo~ons, memo~, _et~.
",
. . .
Blind or deafpeople still seem to expenence an undiminished sense of I , functtomng like the r~st of
people wanting things thinking they are somebody. T~erefore we cannot say that there ts an
independent I to be found in the senses, any more than m the rest of the body.
We have to conclude that the first aggregate does not contain an independent "I".
2. The second scull represents feelings and emotions. Those are caused by contacts between the
senses and external or internal (memories, thoughts, emotions) objects. To say that "I" is situated in
the feeling that we have, would mean that when there is no contact, there is no "I". Yet feelings and
emotions are volatile come and go with every contact we have between senses and objects. It is not
possible to maintain a feeling for any length oftime.
Still you will keep saying: "I feel neutral", "I feel good" or "I feel bad", as is our habit. You could say
like mesh Balsekar does; "this body and mind mechanism" is experiencing a good or bad feeling.
Therefore, as feelings depend on object and senses, they cannot contain an independent "I".
3. The third scull represents our thoughts and in particular the way we perceive. We are able to have
ideas, think things through, and understand something. We can say "I" am thinking something
perceiving something, but it happens often in a way we cannot control. When trying not to think, we
always fmd that some thoughts come up of their own accord. Those who meditate will know how
the mind jumps uncontrollably from one object to the next. And sometimes you might find some
"peace of mind" when there is no object, or something pleasant, to be aware of, but this is also out
of your control.

With ut an obj ct, m ntal or phy ical th

.
. .
.
ere I no thtnking But th "I" .
th ghts f4 .

u
r mstance m deep sleep. A you wake u t . " , e still eXIsts even when there are
mn :or out r that you becom aware of. Most like] ~
I reap~rs along with the first object,

t:e

ontlnu to be the same person that went to 1 1 y . ought, fee1mg or a memory. And you will
What we call I also exist when there a s ehep ast ntght.
.
.
re no t oughts We ca
t
cannot extst Without objects Those are thr

nno control thoughts and thoughts

, .

ee reasons thoughts alo

. '
I since they depend on contacts betwe
b'
ne cannotcontatn an independent
en o ~ects and senses.
..
.
4. The fourth scull represents our character our d.
am lts~ostt't'ol'~ and illlpulses. This is where we might
'
ovmg,
am a bad team player B t
h
as
come
about
as
the
result,
or
series
of
reactions
t
:b
1'
d
.
.
u
.ourc
h r
D
d
.
.
' o ee mgs an emotions. And tn turnaracter
those
ee mgs an emotions are a dtrect reaction to contacts made betw

Character is not something independent. It is ever changing and deen odur SIX sensels and obJects.

think the I'' is situated. I'' am out-going

"I"

epen s on menta processes that

e P a~e as a result of expenences. Therefore it is not possible for an independent 'I " to be
Situate~ m what we call our character, since ultimately, character depends on contact between senses
and obJects.
5. The fifth and last possible hiding place for an independent "I" could be in the scull that represents
awareness.
Here, "awareness" means the awareness of one of the six senses making contact with an object plus
the result of this contact: a cumulative awareness of the initial stimulus the feelings and emotions
provoked, the perception we have of it, and the reaction triggered.
When there is no object, there is no "I" that is aware. It is like fire: when there is no fuel there can be
no fire. When there is no sound, smell or mental object we hear, smell or experience nothing.
Awareness only works when there is an object like a sound a smell a thought an emotion. If I
was the same as awareness, then this "I" would not exist when there is nothing to be a are of.

We have investigated all the possible places where the thing that we call ' I ' could exi t. owh re in
what we call our body or in our mental faculties can we find thi my teriou thing that we call I .
Still it seems to exist somehow. But not as a pennanent un-chang -abl or ind pendent thing li g

' our body or mental parts.

inside

e Dalai Lama;
In this way, both body and mind are things that belong to the I, and the I is the owner but
from mind and body, there is no separate, independent entity of I. There is every indication that
I exists; yet, under investigation, it cannot be found. For example the Dalai Lama s I mu t be lv"'(JLI.'-''-l
within the confines of this area circumscribed by my body; there is no other place it could po ibly
found. This is certain. However, if one investigates within this area what the true Dalai Lama the
Tenzin Gyatso, is, besides this body and mind, the I does not have its own substance. Still th Da
Lama is a fact, a man, a monk, a Tibetan, someone who can speak, who can drink, who can 1 p
who can enjoy life; is it not so? This is sufficient to prove that omething e i ts ev n though it can not
be found.
This means that among the basis of the imputation of the I th re is nothing t b found that i an
illustration of the I or that is the I. Does this mean that th I do n t i t? o, it d
n t m an thi .
the I definitely does exist. But when it till can not be found am ng it ba
f imputati nth t
constitute the place where it must exi t, on ha to ay that it i tabli h d n t und r it wn p
r
but through the force of other conditi n . It can not b po it d any th r y.
Among the conditions in dep ndence up n which th I i t , on fth n1 r imp rt nt t t
1
UJ.l'"""'

16

the n cptu lity th td i nat' it. hu it i s id th tthe 1 nd th

h
.
Tn thi w y, d p nd nt- ri ing c me t
r p e~ ~;n~ ext. t thr ugh the
po cr f n ptuality.
.. ,
,.
.
mean n tju an en 1n dependence
nd ndttJ n
r tmput d tndepend n up n bt f '
tat. , b
.
U n au c
tmpu 1 n uta1so 'an sen
. .
r imput dIll d P n.d n up n ..n f,tu I n i u n that imput the bject."

Thu in th the t nn d P nd nt- n 10 g, d P. ~d nt ' mean d p nding, r rei ying, on other factors.
n ,. th bj t d
nd n m thing l It 1 dev id fbeing und r 1t wn
t d
'd

findcp nd n N
ffi t n
If nd
d p nd ntly. Du t
thcr wn P w r.

v rth 1

th. r - II

.
It?

bJ ct

0~

.
an

10

power - 1 ts evot
.
r h nee up n c ndition . G d and bad cause and

r . tabli

d in r Liane upon other factors; they arise

b
d P
ntl~ n n bJ ct are d v id of the xtreme ofbeing under
I b
u
In th 1 c nt xt f d P ndence help and harm arise and exist
bj
d n tnt xi t-th irp r nnanc ffuncti n i feasibl .lnthisway,thecausesandeffec~
fa ti n r fi ibl a i th I that i th ba i ofth m. Wh none under tands this one is released
fr m th tr m vi w f n n- i t nc nihili m.
Jnthi way i tingind p nd nc up nc nc ptualityi al oam aningofdependent-arising-the
m t ubtl m anin
waday phy ici t xplain that ph nomena do not exi t merely objectively
in and fth rn lv but xi tint rm f r in th context of involvement with a perceiver an
ob rv r.
J ~ that th t pi
f th r lati n b tw n matt r and con ciou ness i a place where Eastern
phil phy-p rti ularly Buddhi t phil ophy- and W tern ci nee could meet. I think that this would
b a happy marri g with n divorc ! pag 65' M aning flife
10

Buddhada a Bikkhu:
M nt J mptin i a t t in which Jl th bj t fth phy ical w_ rld ar pre nt (and being
pcrcciv d) a u u 1butn n fth m i gra p d rb ing lun t a mtn
t It'
t
id' f nt nt. ll obj
Thu hit wang ( " d Mind ] i n t v u u m nta1 ta 1 n
. th ay of
.
u ual but th y ar not gotng
:w th r a u u I nd th thinkingpr
g mg n
. ddh d
)
gra ping and clinging with th id f 'I and min (p 1 Bu
a

Hui-H i ; (Z n)
IV

y ur wn n tur ; with ut it th r w uld b n p r pti n. p I

In th

PI a
K nd
K .
. ay but ith th am m aning. metime th yare en biting
a Jr 1 In th r P inting th n k and th c ck em to come out

Th PI

r pr nt ign ran
fwh w r ally ar . ot under tanding our true nature we act
ak ~d think. a~ ult
~ ri nc t~g w d n t understand. Why i thi or that happening
t In . ~r. fi rm unh althy hab1t wrong Vl ws and uperstitious belief . egative emotion and
fiu trati n m a a r ult of thi la k of under tanding of who we really are.
\ 11 n u all m b dy a pig it den te a per on who might not be very intelligent makes a me s
fhi en ir nment and lea it for other to clean up. Eating like a pig is another way of saying that
ape on ha bad eating habit .
The r ult of this ignorance is shown in the wheel in two forms. One is represented by a snake and
the other by a cock.
The
AKE represents hatred aggression poisons, sometimes expressed with violence. e all
understand thee pression to call someone a snake'.
Aggres i e people manipulate the less aggressive ones. They grab all the power they can. e can
see it e erywhere in world affairs in our workplaces and in our families. We see ignorance in
politicians world leaders in school bullies in abusive family members or manipulators of all kind.
Those people might be mean and clever but most are not intelligent. As are ult of their hortsightedness we end up with dysfunctional families poor countrie war genocide.
And the strangest thing is that most of these aggressors are religiou . E ry r ligion h
a first and
most important rule no killing and no violence. R c nt tati tic how that in th la t 100 ars 120
million p ople have b en killed in the name of god.
Bob Dylan: When will we ever l am ? With God on our id '
ting: History teache nothing

tim

nm
or a h u
in hool .It i

,
gre iv oci ty. WI have to become aggre ive to get a jo
.
f pa
w 1tv tn a ag
.. .
ha t fight to d fend our mo t ba ic rights. We sta~ youn.gh: combp~tttlo 1 pro.mote
hard to b diffi rent, to go a diffi r nt way and urvtve wtt out etng aggre stve.

c.
egat1ve desire greed attachment, and clinging to wrong views an
The COCK tand h r 1 or n
'
.
.
.

11 d'
ky' 1s another way of saying that a person ts arrogant brash egotlsttcal
obJ cts. Betng ca e coc
ain or imply overconfident.
..
.
.
Gr ed i what makes some people rich and most ofthe planet poor.lt.ts a negattve destre ~or ~ore
regardless of the effects on other people the environment or the survtval of our planet. Cltngmg t
wrong iews has caused many problems and will continue to be the cause of many more problem

created on all levels.

Greed and attachment to wrong objects can make us "blind". We no longer see the truth. W
misunderstand the world around us and if we do not become aggressive to others we might sta
hurting ourselves blatantly or on a very subtle level. We may not be able to see a way out and as
r sult become lazy or apathetic. Alcohol, drugs and other addictive behaviour might become wron
objects to get attached to. Those habits will make it more difficult to see the way out of ignorance

The core of the Wheel shows the two ways inner peace is disturbed just out of ignorance.
This is the starting point of a chain ofbehaviours that will lead to more inner and outer disturbance .
Not understanding the consequences of ignorance can lead to extreme frustration. Fru trationmight
get expressed in two ways, either by hurting yourself, or hurting others. Frustration can be drown d
in some drugs, alcohol, or any other way to forget about it for some time or it can b tak n out on
others.
We experience attachment or hatred every day and might mi und r tand th cau of it.
Greed is the main reason behind selfish action. The gr dy one oft n di tort th truth to g t h t
they want. Anger might come as a result of exp riencing thi n gativ b havi ur.

vh n

b m a vi tim, ur fru trati n g t w r e and the id a of"getting back to them' with

m re ggrc ion nd lie might be urfir t idea. We might wantto hurt them like they did us. That
ill t th wh lin 1noti n t reat mor uffering.

Th t i n t a Iuti n. N gativ b haviour and vi lence will not olv any problem. We are all
uffi ring fr n1 tht; am ~. di - a
ignorance, and the only "r m dy" is a mixture of compa ion and
i dotn which will di p 1ignoran , and bring back inner peac .
EYEFORAN Y
Mahatma Gandhi.

WILLMAKETHEWORLDGOBLIND

In the days when the Wheel of Life was first painted, reading and writing was confined to the palac
of the rich and powerful and to monasteries, where it was reserved to some learnt monk . A uch,
they were the only educated people around. The majority of the Teachings were pa ed on by oral
transmission, and texts memorised. Once they had memorised the texts some monk would learn to
carve them in wood blocks for printing.
owadays, we are all taught how to study encounter difficult subject in cho 1 r c 11 g , and can
understand explanations and grasp concepts. In the day when th Wh 1 painting a u ed a a
teaching aid it was not possible to reach people with word only. They had n t I amed ho to
understand complicated psychological processe . [[[[For u , th explanati n fth ring r und the

22

ntr i
Yt und r tand. But try t . i~agine what it mu t have been like for tho e students more
th n.a.th u andY r ag )J~]
patnttng fth Wheel fLife was used to teach the uneducated
and tlht rat D p nd nt ngtnatt n.

T?e

"a paintin can ay m r than a thou and word ".

r und th inn r c r fthe painting, there are people going round in a circle. This circle is half
hit halfbJa k. It d picts the ri e-and-fall motion that takes place in life.
Th p pie in th whit half are shown going up, enjoying better status, better clothes, higher spiritual
attainm nt and knowl dge. The people in the black half are going down, and appear to be losing
th ir dignity their humanity and their clothes as they regress.
W go through positive and negative times in our lives. This traditional painting shows how you

b come a b tt r p r on as a result of getting more insights and developing positive qualities. The
p opl on the white half have found the cause of their suffering and through their wisdom their
life tyle has changed. They are less ignorant and more compassionate. The quality of their lives has
prov d.
Th black half of the circle is there to alert you that it is also possible to do the right thing for the
wrong reason . If, out of ignorance someone uses their status knowledge or position to a negative
nd th y provok their own downfall.
If uch pow r ar mi u ed for instance to gain more power over others, or in re. enge. ~r to
manipulat people into wrong-doing or for getting a high r position in ociety or tn a ptntual
organi ation, oner or ]at r it will result in orne kind of regre ion.
A thi pr c i d pict d a a cycl it i alway po sible to tart again by u ing the knowledge
gain din th Ia t r und. Only ign ranc provoke ad wnfall. Ev ry n ~ativ .thought, rd or
action will hav an gativ r ult. nd v ry po itiv th ught w rd r a t1 n Will ha a P iti
rc ult.

THE SIX SEGMENTS

The next part of the wheel is divided up into six segments called realms or scenes that represent
states of mind. During the course of our lives we experience various states ofmind lengthy or short.
For some, a state of mind might last an entire lifetime.
The realms depict states ofmind re ulting from negative b haviour. In each gment th rei a diffi rent
form of Buddha holding an object r presenting th way to tran c nd that particular tat of mind.
ive ofthe realms how form of extreme physical and mental uffering. Th y d mon trat how ur
"little elfish me' cause negativ tate of mind when, utofign ranc , we foiJow detrimental train

ofthought.

24

Some ofthese scenes are ugly and depict suffering in horrific images rather like the worst nnnrn':l~ad
come true. These scenes are similar to sculptures found on the outside of old Christian cath...................,
':h~e you can also contemplate what happens to you if you are sent to Chri tian hell forever. Th
Simllarity is striking. But Christians did not know the Tibetan 'Cold Hell'' of living at high altitude

THE HELL REALM (OF PHYSICAL PAIN)

The realm of physical pain is ituated in the bottom egm nt. It i call d hell' but diffi r fr m
Chri tian hell. Christian hell i a place with no way out, where you g t nt for ll t mity. Buddhi t
hell i a place where you stay~ r a peri d ftim , 1 ng or hort, until you ha 1 am d h t y u h d
to from enduring that painful exp ri nee. But j ust lik in the hri tian traditi n y u ar
nt th re
b cau e ofy ur bad behaviour.

26

Th b ing are in he11 becaus they have u ed violence to express their hatred, anger or greed. They
ha inflicted physical pain on other and now they they are getting a taste of their own medicine.
1nong t the culpture on Chri tian churches, you can see the judge holding scales to weigh up
peopl good and bad d eds at the end of their life. In paintings of the Wheel, judgement is taking
place in e ery moment every time you think or say "I". In the Wheel, there are either scales or a
mirror in which you ee your own life, so that you can see the outcome of your own verdict. Mirror
or scales are held up by Yama, the same ugly monster that is holding the Wheel in his claws of
impennanence or time.

Hell i divided into TORTURE HELL, HOT HELL and COLD HELL.
The pain endured under extreme cold is a well known exp rience for the Tib ~ns. They live in a old
highland desert, on a plateau that i frozen over for most of they ~r. Son1e hve ally r r und at an
altitude of4000 metres, and higher in the Summer. People hav acctdent nth l ng and dang r u
~ otpath between villag s and .fre ze to death, ~r get fr ~t bite . Many ~ap d th
hin
occupation ofth ir country ver htgh pa
of the Htmalaya mt Nepal and lnd1a. On th \V th

In the painting you can see naked beings in the COLD HELL. The temperature is far below zero and

frozen winds are blowing. They have sores and blisters on their bodies that burst open time and time
again and get frozen over again. Each time the wounds get deeper, and larger. The pain is terrible.
Eventually the whole body bursts open and the intestines fall out. They slowly freeze to death.
Others get trapped in frozen water and die that way. Long, sharp bits of ice come tumbling down
and cut deep into bodies till they die. The victims return unharmed after each death to die again in a
different way.
In the TORTURE department people are being boiled to death or hacked up alive in to mall pieces.
Bodies are stretched on the rack to die in extreme pain. Other victitns get their tongue stretched to
the size of a field and ploughed by an ox. Some people have to fight to death and get killed n1any
times over in battle. Others are cut up to pieces with a saw, or are lowly disappearing in quick and
while being stung by bees.

Jn th H

tn

lithe

n burnt ali v'-= in n1 t I

ut p n al n 1) n line. ith h t knivc . lt n m tali ur d
' I int ' n I kc fl iqu1d ulphur. P plc n: en l ked in burn1n

rc tanding in fire and fi htin

1 \

ith eadl

'eap n .

ay o dyin 1 h. pp n 111 ny time ada de ~odin

r c< ntinu' II 24 h ur a L. .
rd in tlan1c

ur 1gn ran . It

tnb I fw i d n1. ~ i

n1 i

uld

r l if h II but with\ i donl u cttl t n ~ ffil th

1 rath r th n
in do n in ' r

n~ tant hy i alp in und rstanding y urtrue nature- the Right View, under tanding
P ndcnt n cau c nd cond1t1
n wt'II hcJp y u c pe wtt
h
pain in
i i dcp
. phy 1cal
1
t h t I1 \ y u
. . l
d' .
d
d
ur life right now. It can be helpful t d an analytt_c~ me 1tat1 n to un. er ~n y~ur true nature:
b. crv h w y u ar th rc ult
au and condJ_tJOn >and_ how _you J?entlfy w1th the body as
b ing y u. Thi identifi ati n with the b dy lead to JdentJficatJOn w1th pam. You, and the b dy, are
n t th . mnc thing. om thing i aware fthc b dy' uffering. This omething is you. If you identify
with the tn thing and n t th b dy, the m thing i n t uffering, even though the body is.
F r th

10 <.:

F r rn ofu~ it i n t clear why we experience evere phy icaJ pain. Some of us get born in pain
r with ad tl ct or di ea c r might get caught in a traffic accident or a war caused by someon
el ~ ign ranc . Th reas n why y u have t go through thi extreme suffering might become clearer
lat r in li~ . It can make y u grow, and you may use that experience in a very profound way for
y ur If r Dr ther .

THE REALM OF THE PRETAS

This realm or state ofmind is about extreme desires and cravings that can never be fulfilled. People
have become enslaved to the object of their desire. The most common pretas ar addicts. They ill
do anything to get the substance they crave. Addiction has turned them into different being , they
become unreliable, tell lies, steel, or get involved in criminal or obscure activities to try to satisfy their
habits. Often they are no longer able to keep a job or support their family. Relationships become
hard to maintain.

Th d tructiv habit range from gambling, sex spending and c:edit ~~rd excesses, computer
and gaming addi tion tor ligiou extremism cults, or even expensive spmtually driven excesses.
We all know what uch behaviour can do to someone who was a normal healthy person.

In th painting we see hungry ghosts", strange lo~ki~g, na~ed beings that look like h~mans. Their
necks are very small and their bellies swollen. Therr bps shrivelled up. We see them trying to satisfy
their desires. They cling to some substance but cannot find any lasting relief in it. They have become
restless spirits living in a world of imaginary objects that they desire. Obsessed by the objects oftheir
desires they have lost their inner balance, and contact with the real world.
In the painting the pretas cannot swallow anything as their throats are to narrow. Anything that finds

its way into their stomach turns to fire. You can see it coming out of their mouths. They have to suffer
and are never satisfied. Whatever action is taken to try and quench this thirst is making things worse.
It is like trying to put out a fire by pouring petrol over it. The nature of such desires is that they can
never be satisfied.

Hungry ghosts are outcasts, criminals, or dysfunctional in every possible way. Their behaviour is no
longer human. Here is where the word PRETA comes in: "hungry ghosts" describes what they have
become. They are lost in their addictive habits and are not interested in finding a way out. They
refuse any help. They do not want to pause to look for the cause of their problem. There must have
been a reason in the past why they started their habit.
In this.realm, Buddha brings the Pretas "Amrit" his teachings in a liquid form. It is easy to swallow
and w1ll not turn to fire. It will transform their desire for sensual objects into a desire to find the true

nature of their problems and their own selves. Buddha is seen here in his most compassionate fonn
as Avalokiteshvara.

32

J-f R ALM

TH ANIMAL

Animal ar driven by h ir unc ntr liable instinct . Th y liv in con tant ar ofb ing kill d and
aten. Th ir ign r nc i
y t mak u c of. They ar a y t contr I nd conditi n. W k p th m
a pet in ur h c , inc ge and qu rium . W train th m t w rk n r u . H
d nk
muJ , x nan
m Is do work fl r human in many c untri . th r anim l r br d fi rm
top~ uc ani al produc , milk, c ,.g \ fur, r ub tan
fj r m di , I and indu tri 1u

..
p lov demonstrated in his famous experiments. For instance
.
.
to condition a av
.
d.k
d h .
'
An1mal ar ea Y
. h
ount of eggs hens are locked 1n the ar , an t e hght gets
t produce twice t e am
'
.
.
nowadays 0
d . a period of24 hours. As a result, they will lay an egg twtce a day.
.
.t h donandofftwtce uring
h
.
WJ c e
.
c.
~ective
conditioning
are
food
and
fear,
hence
t
e
express
ton,
carrot and
The two main too 1s !Or ell
.
. .
1
Th' . h
. Food
.
.
d
ward ' and
on .tnsttnctua
responses. IS 1s ow
stick
IS use as are
. fear as a threat, play1ng
.
.
edto doJobs or perform in a circus. Wtth the nght batt, you can catch almost any
. are tram
anunals

animal.

:e

J. t like animals humans can also blindly follow their instincts regardless of the results.

see it all around us. Governments and the money making machine make use ofhow easy it is to
condition us into certain behaviours to obtain power and money, and to keep it.
By exploiting our fears and desires, they make us do things that are not good for us and our planet.
They send soldiers to other countries to kill innocent people. Force people in poor countries to wor
for next to nothing. Take away precious resources and waste them in useless experiments.
The fear ofpunishment, to be put in jail, to lose your job, causes our society to accept being condition
by a minority of rich and powerful people. Fear makes us work for them and keep quiet, just lik
animals. The same conditioning is happening on a family level, in school, at work and in any othe
organisation. Religion is no exception.
Fear makes us do things that are harmful to us and others. Once we are conditioned, we convenient!
forget that we're not doing the right thing. In time, we do it over and over again and become numb.
Every day the media show us things that we should not accept, over and over again. In the end, w
don't care any more. Our mind has become numb. We do things because it is easier to do them than
to question why we do them. The same happens in our day to day lives. We accept manipulation.
Just like in the animal world we are dominated by the strongest, but unlike in the animal world, th
powerful are not protecting us but destroying our resources, food, water and nest: our planet.
We have many expressions in our language about humans behaving like animals, weather pig, cock,
weasel, snake, snake, fox or slug. All are negative forms ofbehaviour. When we behave like aniritals,
conditi~ned, acting out of fear, we will experience the result of this behaviour. Right now mo t ofth
planet ts unhappy because of it.
In the painting, B~dha is holding up a book. He is showing us that the way out i to tudy
for the cause ofthis problem. By thinking, study and talking with Iik -minded fri nds, th

ut fth f1 rth t m ak . u d ':hatw don'twant.t d?. Or metime it may bene essaryto

k pr fl i nal h lp w1th P c1fic pr??ler:n and 1tuat1ons. There are ways to understand, and
k ith y ur fl ar to undo th cond1t1on1ng y u ar stuck in. Wisdom can help you to find the
a~ ut f thi tat f mind.

THEREALMO THE HEAVENS

.P opl reachh a na
i all d HE
. . la
h re om
.
f mind r r a1m . . h a n~ ht h t a p
ind
The upp r s gm nt ofth lX tat
d Unlik th hn ~an
. . at nlp rary tat fm .
01

goodd

ddh
th
con equenc of perfonntng
.. .
lat lib Bu 1
end up for ver a a r ward "'1 ran tmm cu

have immense power and wealth. The

Th

1 c. ofpleasur ey
'ft d h h
. . d . t b ing wh ltv a lle
.
1pleasures They are gt e wtt p ystc

Th patnnng pt
. . d 1 ng 1n ensua

.
.
. . .h
d pend all th tr ttme tn u gt.
Th
have
armies
at
therr
servtce
to fight o
h e tn nc an
.
h t uffenng.
Y a1s0

b auty a long and h althy hfe wtt. ou

n hinting at the temporary nature ofthts state.
.
1 ttempting to take ov r thetr heave ,
b ring fruits for heaven dwellers to enJoy.
p op a
.
. the top of a kalpataru tree, ea
In a com r of th tmage lS
. s good luck and live a blissful life. You a
0 pleasure, h apptnes ,
. .
.
In hea en you only expenence J Y
~
d all your time enjoy1ng sensual pleasures a
rich and ha e the power to do as you please. ou spen
ha e nothing to worry about.
te of mind could be compared to falling in love. It makes you forget reality. All day Ion~ y
Thi~ sta .
. v
. d lged in this feeling that you no longer care about the suffenng
are tntoxtcated by 1t. I ou are so m u
lf

v
h
t'me to help them Life is too easy and the reasons to do se -enqutry,
others I ou ave no 1

d
something more positive for yourself or others se~m to ~a~e ~an~she~. You become lazy an st
looking into ways to accomplish more with your hfe. Gammg mstght mto your true nature and r
ere tive living has come to a full stop.
.

Living with too much money, comfort and luxury make you feel like a god, a hero that will ne
suffer or die. You might think that you are better than the others around you and think nothing c
happen to you. Meanwhile, your attachment to this lifestyle is growing and you will fmd out h
much you are attached to it on the day that it will all change for the worse. You won't be prepared
this sudden suffering. The day you loose all your sensual objects, good health and peace of min
will be such a contrast that it will feel like hell. ("how does it feel' -like rolling stone- Bob Dyl
In this realm Buddha appears with a Tibetan music tring instrument. He is tries to reach you throu
your sensual pleasures. He is using music and poetry to make you see your ignorance. He offers y
a chance to wake you up from the dream you are living singing to you that you are only i
temporary state. It is only one of the six state you can find yourself in in this life. You ha bee
proud and arrogant because of your good luck. In your ignoranc you hav forgott nth
impermanentnatureofthings.Andgreedha stopp dyoufromb ingcompa ionat.

Ill
Nl: ttoth r altnotblis isth r 11tnofth
Ul
. lnth l intin(
'\rt 1i s of the o is fi ,htin) forth ~~rruits ofth kalr nt ru tr ~,

Th asuras are jealou their tate of min? dro~ed in an obsession with power. They want the gods'
power and bli s. Th yare victims oftherr own Jealousy. They want the same power and pleasures~
the god and use violence in an attempt to get th~m.
The asuras represent people who use force and dtshonest ways to get what they want. Cheating d
'b
h

h
an
lying cleverly they get the position, the power, the JO , ort e posses~tons t. ey w~nt. In our ~mpetitive,
materially driven world you have seen everywhere people ustng dtrty tncks to ga1n power or
pos essions. The asuras represent this trait.
Asuras spend much oftheir time thinking of ways to outsmart others. They are ignorant ofthe results
of their behaviour. Their own state of mind is far from peaceful, and they create lots of"bad blood'
around themselves through their actions. Not many people like them. They cannot trust anyone,
e en friends. They can only keep their position as long as they have the power to dominate the ones
below themselves. It means that they are always fighting someone, to get power or to stay in power.
They are tormented by their jealousy, trapped in a never ending cycle of suffering.
In this realm Buddha is painted cutting away the darkness of ignorance with his "sword of wisdom
'
so that their true nature will shine again.

in t

tin g 't n h
t tnind Jnd tin ~ p

b
t

~rv

th

nd 1n, n th ir in1p nn n n . Thi

lcndn1 ~ dtt.ti n.
t11l ht
t nd th tit i

t f I a . ur

lrts

tn
h

u
'll

Uli

un

rin .

I u i lll't i h r n h 't

nh \' r. on

\\

1' ~\n t rin.

111 >nk , .n1 n

ht h

t tint

t in It in

f urtin1 .

In th

i r aim w ha

nth diffi r nt tat of mind we can get tuck in for a lon f

a
r main ign rant and r fu e to 1 ok for the cau e of our suffering.
g tme, as long
Inthec ntr ofth Wh lw have eenignorance:wedonotunderstandwhow
. h
.
Th re u It IS
t at w th'nk
I
we are on1y thts
body and mind. We think we are 0 e are. .
.
.
.
.
.
ur emotions and
fc ling . We tdenhf)r with them a we do With our anger and greed As a result we get tu k
of mind that we do not like.

s c mstate
We have only this moment in time, now, to work out and understand the things that happen to us. We
cannot change the past and the future has not yet happened. We only live now and can do somethin
now in this moment. That is why Buddha, in the Mahanidana Sutta, takes this moment and splits ft
into twelve parts to show what happens in every moment, in everybody's life.
Things seem to "happen" to us. We are plunged into a "state" before we even have realised what has
happened. It is a fast process and we might have never taken the time to look at it.
What does really happen in every split second in our life?
It all happens so fast that Buddha has cut it up into twelve parts. This helps us see how we get
' reborn" in each moment, each time we say or think "I" in this life. I am so good I feel bad I am ba~,
I am so sad, I am miserable, I want to be rich, I do not like you I love you. Anew I' gets reborn
eachtime.
.
Buddha spent his entire life explaining to us that this is the only cause of all our suffenng.
.
h
t you There are no gho t' ,
From moment to moment you are responsible for what ts appentng 0
. t

c.
taken ideas ofhow you e 1
"gods", "God", "spirits" or other beings to blame, 10r your m1s

'ght into what 1. gotng

on 10 your own mind.
You are the only one that can take action upon gatnmg tns~
1
can learn to that you
.

th
e expenenced peop e, you
Bywayofselfenquuyanddtscusstonswt mor
'd
d orne ilenttim mighth 1
are different from what you always believed to be. Goo~ gm a~~;n again.
you to see this all confinned, from moment to moment, time an

u r th n givin thing y u p ri n

n m r a 1 bel [t gh h
W w fi t wtth ur judgm nt . m tim w
h
mt t av been th wr ng label
.
..
c pt w 1w 'fe I' t b
.
.
and nd up With up r tltt u b li -5 . Pr yin t tatu d . .
. tru Wtth ute mination,
d nation t t mpl pri t will n t h lp y u t find th
tng ntual In fr n~ fthem, acrifice and
for
rything y u hav cau d v nt t happ n in cau .c allY ur uffenng. ~ u arere pon ible
.
.
. .
Y ur 111 e andy u are the 1
h
on Y n t at can do
m thtng ab ut Jt. Blamtng tt on m thing r m b d . b . .
fr m m m nt to mom nt.
y 1 eing tgn rant fhow you really exi t,

THE 12 LINKS
Th twel pictur in the ut r circl of th Wh lfonn an endle cycle. ach picture show the
re ult of what happ n d in th on ( b for .
Eery plit econdbeginswithwhatwebringalongintothatmoment.The eb com ftxedcondition
at that point where the moment starts. It creates a scenario forth beginning moment. The e factors
are represented in the frrst five links. The actual moment tarts from the ixth picture.
Going round clockwise and starting from the top, here are th image and what they repre ent:
-a blind women walking to a aby .
-a potter making clay pot
-a monkey
-a boat with a man
-a h u e with wind w
-a c upl having x
-a man with an arr w in hi Y
-a man drinking ale h 1
-a man r w men picking fruit
.
-a oupl at th tim fth c nc ptt n fth ir baby
_ w m n giving birth
_ c rp b ing arri d t th
m t ry

1. IG ORANCE

2. MENTAL 'CONCOCTING'
3. CO SCIOUSNESS

4. MIND/BODY
5. SE SE BASIS
6. CONTACT
7. F LING
8. RAVING
9. ATTA HM NT
10. B COMING
11. BIRTH
12. D AD
.

.thy u t

fi t five egment d pict what y u bnng WI

v ry m m nt.

I. I JJr ~ BLIND Wf>MAN .. I iN()f{;\N( h

Jn pc in in S of 11 Wh eJ, i 'flO 'ttl is always d pi kd :ts a llllld wo11Wtl.
1

o1n

li111 . sh

1.

\alkin

to a d cp hy~s. Sot tin s sh is ~~uid d b :1 youn , ho t1 in , lot II h t n ll to , l that " '

I) rkncs~, orb in~, blind, is us d ts u1 an~tlogy f(H i nor' Ill . ( >nl
i:d( Ill au tak thi c.i'u kr s
, W'

y.

Buddha tri d to plain to u th cau of al1 our ffi . ~ .

f

u enng Is the ign

i h v ry mom nt o our hfe tart . It begins with a certai
orance ofhow we exist. This

ign ran that

ha e brought with u from the moment bef:r:~ount of accumulated wis om or

Blind db ignoranc we cannot see the cause of our 8 ffi

Ji ing ith delud d ideas formed as a direct result ~ er;ng, ?r the ~e nature ofthings. We start
entually create an unreal world.
no seeing thts. Based on those ideas, we

\ e do not understand what is happening to us. All day long we are actin

..

that w ha e created in our imagination. Small wonder that

. g like that ~ctit10us person
.d
we get Into trouble w1th these wrong
I ea.

e do anything to live out wh.at we think we are. All day long we try to get what we want and avoid
h~t we do not want, pre~end1ng that we are somebody. And every night we are so exhausted from
actln~ out the one we th1nk we are, that we need to switch off and sleep to recover. And in the
mo~g we get up and and go on doing the same thing all over. We pick up the mask and put it on
agam.

We call people friends when they confrrm our image and when they do not, we do not call them
friends. When we loose good friends, that image is in question and we might find ourselves in mental
stress. We need friends to confmn our self-created image. We are even capable of changing country
job, relationships or religion just to fmd people that do confirm it.

The "I ' or image we have created does not exist but in our minds. It also depends on causes and
conditions that change all the time. When we loose partners, jobs or loved ones we feel that we are
no longer the same person.
We do not like unexpected changes, impermanence. We might conveniently adapt our image to suit
a new situation, but the moment might come when we will need to change it again. When our world
suddenly collapses, we need professional help from a psychotherapist to come to tenus with the real
nature of things.
orne degree of ignorance of and wisdom about who you really are i on ofth factors you bring
ery moment in your life.

2. THE POTTER-ACTION
Th c nd image is of a man making clay pots. With his knowledge and e p rience h is giving form
t th clay.

arc gi ing _form to our live using the amounts of wisdom or ignorance, which we brought with us
from th pr vtou moments. And the end result is visible in what we have created until now in our
pr ci e ituation in life and our understanding of it, just like the quality ofthe clay pots reflect
' how
aood
the
potter
is.
0
We can ee by the outcome of our thoughts, words and actions how wise, or ignorant, we are.
Ev rything we think do or say, leaves a trace behind. You can remember a thought you had. Someone
might repeat your words. You and others will recognise something you have made or done, as
"yours . Your way of doing things. Once you have said or done something it is impossible to take it
back or to reverse a situation. You might not have realised the impact of your thoughts, words or
deeds and you have already entered the next moment.
A more or less developed skill in thinking, speaking and acting, is what we take to the next moment.

3. CONSCIOUSNESS
.
in frombranchtobranchinatree,orjumpingaboutinahous.
In the picture we ee a monkey JUIDP g

that ur con ci u ne s also jump from one thing to another. It needs a obiect

c uld ay
.
d h h
.
b.
J
, 10r
, ithout it, w ar not con cious. It i only activate w en t ere ~s an o ~ect to be conscious of
through our i sen e : hearing to~ch, ~ight, tast~, s~ell and consciousness of mental processes.
w can try t con entrate on one thing like breathing m and out. As much as we try to stay with it w
find that we ha e no control it. Our consciousness seems to jwnp from one thing to the next. It c~ul~

uddenly hift from your breathing to a sound or a feeling, for instance.

The dictionary defmes consciousness as:
'Being alert aware, deliberate intentional, apprehension, awareness, knowledge, realisation
recognition sensibility".
'
Consciousness is also subject to conditioning, and what we use to look at who or what we think we
are.
Consciousness is another factor we take with us to the next moment.

4.

B?D: AND MIND, or' NAME AND FORM"

In thts picture we see a man rowing and t .

.
the body.
s eenng his boat. The man represents th mind and th boat

h f\

tr
n , unit
d ... n . -tntn t
h ni m. h
urb di
nd ith ut th b d th r i n pt

ytnb li

ntn

ti n t

urlivc

nd

pl in th

fLifl

nmrup = nJn

n
nn
_ indi idu 1ity r individual

Hu
Kh ndh
r fn rna nd rup i . .. m ntality and phy i ality . pa

nti I and

mp

d fth fi

. 1 P t r J k n Buddh d

dy and mind i what w think w

, but rli r w h
find th ~~1 in an fi
p rt . her i b dy nd mind m hani tn th t w
ll "'our ''. ut b th d and mind d n t d
wh t th ' wn ( want th tnt d . Th b dy t ld, i k and ugl . Th min k p d in nd
w ntin thing that w d n t lik u h a lin ing t thin , ha ing ini n b in an
r d. It
n n ( bj t. h mor w l k at ur b
an min d. th n1 r it b m

p nd hou k cpin it h pp and n f rt

nd frorn h 'ttin tJ1 hous r bu in 'l. < n11tt

mpar d t all thi w d n t tak much n tice f th mind.

w g to 1 pat night to witch it ff o it can recover from a day of activity. But even while we rest
th mind w might hav dreams or nightmares that disturb it.
Some might hav found ways to r lax the mind with mental exercises. Some might have looked into
h w it behav or worked with a therapist to understand processes that take place in their own
mind. We can read study, and do games to keep the mind fit. The mind is the only tool we have to
understand in an intellectual way who we really are.
When you call yourself the owner of this body and mind, who is it, that is perceiving? Who, or what,
is this consciousness using this body and this mind to watch the world around us?
We take body and mind with us into the moment about to begin, as every moment starts with having
a body and a mind.

5. TH SIX S NS S
In the picture we se a hou e with door and wind w . Th h u

mpty.

Th ix n ?~ga~ ar v hicle to ~a infonnation to the mind, but do not collate or interpret it.
They only I t 1t m hk a camera or nucrophone would. That's why the house is empty.
The ix en e ar what we use to stay in contact with the world around and inside us. The first five
n are hearing touch, sight, taste and smell. In Buddhism, the sixth sense is the awareness ofall
th mental proce es in our mind. The first five only relay to us plain facts and the sixth gives us the
awareness of feelings ideas, visions, interpretations, explanations, thoughts, judgements, or
compan on.
The five pictures we looked at so far depict what we bring with us into every split second, into every
new moment. You start every moment with what you have accumulated beforehand:
1. A certain amount of wisdom or ignorance
2. Habits and skills you have learned.
3. A degree of consciousness.
4. An understanding of the body and the mind.
5. ix senses that are " our masters or ours laves"
Th next picture will show us how how we start every moment.

tw 1 v

h vin , fi

t '

nta t '. It i th fi

t tim

th

tb r.

ry m m nt tart with a contact b tween one of the ix en es and a mental or physical object.

bring all what w have en in the fir t five paintings into this meeting, all our "tools", all that
ha 1 am d. But ther i not yet a. result. This
image,~shows that first of
all, a meeting takes pi ace
we
h.

betw en our i en e and an ob~ ect, not mg e1se. vv1e are not yet usmg any ofthe ignorance or
wi dom w bring with us.

7.
LI G
- In the picture we cc a lnan with an arrow in hi ey 'which he ~ trying to pull ut.

Thi might make you cringe. It is a way of demonstratin th

senses has and intense and deeply penetrating ffi t "W ~ at con~ct between an object and the
of. these contacts goes much deeper than J. ust: ec . t. e nu~t n~t reahse the imprint from ev.ery one
t ff h .
.
sensa ton or 1eelmg They actu 11
processesinourbody.Asaresultwewantmoreofthe same c.1 ee1..
a
yse
o them.
c enucal
mg. Or we try to avoid
The I .is so sensi.tive that even a very small condition will cause a great deal of feeling . 0 matter
~ha~ kind of feelmg we hav~, pleasurable or painful, we cannot stay still with it- it is vety effective,
It dnv~s us. Pleasurable feelmg generates a strong drive for more, and pain generates a strong drive
toavo1d".
Dalai Lama, p58, meaning oflife
Feelings are defined as good, bad or neutral. Feelings come automatically with every contact we
make, we cannot stop them. We experience them day and night. Even in our dreams.
After contact, when a feeling arises, it is the first time in each moment that all the wisdom or ignorance
we brought along to this point, come into action. It is our amount or wisdom or ignorance that
determine the label we stick on that feeling, good or bad or neutral.
We have already learned some basic things about feelings in our own live . W< kn w that w do not
want to be total slaves of our feelings, like addicts, junkie or lik alcoholics.

)r

n1pl

p n

h tis h t
nt

I mt fr m ur ~ lin 1 in th m m nt b
it.

v r
in p rh p with in r
pit. v; u n v rr h th nd it.
kin ~ r.

nd we tak thi wi d mtothe

m
ann v r tv

Fe lin 1

w rid i p nt n fc lin

All th
(Ry ...., . .,...., ........

ubtlcw' ys fc lin Y ' 'till rul urliv . fru -.trati n n

n t lik . h y, r n t lw y
, r
nta t twc nth ~ en '
nd n bj
find it, th r r p< sitiv w~ly.; fw rkin , with th m. n h

r,
yt
t. h rc i
nth au

will. t( p.
>nly rc' I, I stin, fitlfilnl ntis f >und in dis >
t thin

, thtt h pp s in v ry n or

nt, fl r

n n

'l

t lin

tn

g.'"( Ill R ~rl

In this pi tur , at 1an is b 'in 'scr t: I al ~ 1hol. s 1r ult o1'1t lin' h~ had h d 'lil
J() to a drit kin' pl'l
' and ll'lV a h ink ofak )hOI. II 'lS thir t f r tlrtt r lin ~ h

it 't ,ain.

,lnt

i h, hl

t thi p int nly in

ry m m nt acti n b gin a a reacti n to a feeling.

Hefi i on p1ac in thi circl of d p ndent origination where we can u e our wisdom or
. preVIous
.
. s l aves to feelings.
common
en e accumulated m
moments to avo1'dbecom1ng

In e ery moment, there is a point ~here you start doing something because of a feeling you just h
ad.
You might think say or do something as a consequence of that feeling.
That feeling came as a result of a contact made by one of your senses, with an object. It could b
external stimulus or a mental object, like a memory.
ea
Feelings always come after a contact, and only then. It is a chain reaction, we have no choice in this
matter. We cannot choose to have a feeling or not, it happens automatically.
Trying to repeat a feeling is not possible. It will never be the same, because what we bring into the
moment is slightly different. The amount of ignorance and wisdom has changed. Sometimes the
feeling is better and sometimes we are disappointed.
But nevertheless we will keep trying to quench our thirst as a result of a feeling we want to have
again. This point in every moment, is where the conditioning starts.

9.A TACHM NT
1~ th next pictur . i of a man r woman picking fruit from a tr . F ur ba t are full air ad . but
t Ycann t top wanting m r . Th four ba k t ar r pr nting th fi ur fi m1 f attachm nt:

1. tta h:rnent t
n ual pi a ur .
ttachm nt t wr ng id that caus mor uffering r u or oth r .
3. ttacbn1ent to ritual and c r monial fun tion .

4. ttachm nt to the rong iew of who we are the ' I or "self'.

( jaan) Buddhadasa Bik.khu

U ually ordinary people cling to the way of morality in order to have minds that are peaceful
because of the goodness that they do. this state can last for as long as the causes and conditions of
their goodness do not change. But when those causes and conditions change or manifest their
uncertainty and selflessness (Annatta) and become dissatisfactory (Dukka , because clinging has
arisen then a knowledge of morality alone will not be able to serve as a refuge. And so it becomes
necessary to tum to the ultimate truth, such as Dependent Origination, in order to alleviate the feeling
of dissatisfaction which becomes greater and greater. That is it is necessary to have a mind which is
above the idea ofhaving a self or of anything belonging to a self, a mind which is even above the
ideas of good and bad, merit and demerit, pleasure and pain. In this way it is possible to eliminate
completely dissatisfaction or suffering. Teaching Paticcasamuppada (Pali language: dependent
origination) in such a way that there is a selfpersisting over a series of lives is contrary to the principle
ofDependent Origination. And contrary to the principles of the Buddha's teaching which teaches
people to eliminate the feeling of self, to be completely above the feeling ofbeing a self. Therefore
Dependent Origination is in no way concerned with morality, which must depend upon a theory of
etemalism, a theory that depends upon the existence of a self. [...]
One thing that we must help each other to be careful about is not to explain Dependent Origination,
the heart ofBuddhism, in terms of animism, which teaches that there is a mind or a spirit or a soul or
some such thing which is like a ghost- a "self' that is born or is in the body all the time after birth. If
we examine the original Pali scriptures, the teaching as given by the Buddha himself, we will see that
they are clearly divided into matters of morality, for those still attached to an etemalist view and
matters of ultimate truth, which are intended to eliminate both the etemalist and the annihilationi t
points of view. Later on, during the time that the commentaries were being composed, there rose a
widespread tendency to explain matters of ultimate truth in terms of the etemalist theory, including
such matters as Paticcasamuppada. Whenever the opportunity arose explanations ere gi en in
tenns ofthe same person who died. sometimes everything was explained in tenns ofgro materialism.

f r , amp I , hell wa xplained a a place beneath ~he ground and a place that a person went to
0 nl aft r d ath. No r fi r nee ~a . made to h.ell that ~n es m the flow of the Dependent Origination,
f arful kind fh II whtch 1 pr ent m thts hfe. If any reference was made to hell as arising
frrn111rc.u 1111g ac rding to th law ofDep ndent Origination, it was usually located under the earth
aft r d ath''.

PTI N

f r c upl enga )" din c. ual inter ur .

h ne Iif tart ~ th
It rt.:prc ' nt < n Pti n. It i th p int at hu..:

ginnine- ot an ' , hwnan

ing.
...

on i the point in every moment, where we. have crossed

a line.
.
. . We have created cond'n1.on
Concep tJ
J::
a new habit to start. Our "I 'has found a new object to chng to, wtth the mistaken idea th . .s
lor
.
l 11 . d
.
. fy
at lt Wtll
b the solution to all our sutfenng. But as u ua , a Jt oes, IS to satts our senses, our thirst 1 .
.
h 'I
. t Wdl be
a temporary relief to forget our suffenng for a w 1 e.
ew conditioning is 'conceived" .here, in this part
every
. of the cycle. Conception takes place 1n
moment. From then on, you are gotng to start acttng out a new "I" concept.
The thirst that was triggered by a feeling has created a new attachment, which has g
.
.
f
hinkin
ki
d
.
Wh
rown
becommg a new way. o t
g, spea ng an acting.
en this happens out of ignoranee 1t
. tnto
.
wlll
produce more suffenng as a result.
'

J 1. BIRTH.

In this image ofa

. . .

woman JS giVIng birth to a baby.

The conception that took plac in the Ia t pi ture n w leads to. hirth.
What is born in every moment is a differ nt way fJ king at wh we. re, l wh t
t n'
t
1
~
f
,t w w n . vv1
born i~to d~11ere.nt states o mmd a w hav een in the ix cgmcnL~ in th middl ofth Wh 1.
Thi btrth IS a dtrect result of what we hav learned in them m nts th t c me before In v
moment there is a possibility to change to be born again.

ry
Here life is given to the ideas we conceived in th previ us pictures. New p ttems of think in ,
speaking and acting are now enacted. You might tart d ing thing in a dif crcnt w y. And a ai it
might generate more or less suffering depending n y uri gn ranee r wisdom.
Each moment gi es birth to new ideas about how y u e y urself, h w you cxio,t, who yo really

are.

~The\\ ord 'birth refers to the arising of the mistaken id a " I ', mysclf'. f docs no rc cr
ph_ cal birth, as genernlly supposed The mistaken as umption that this word birth' rcfcp, to phy il:al
inh a major obstacle to comprehending the Buddha s teaching' . ('ackson, p 1()~ I l I JJJ fA I ASA
4

B
Be
no-r-~~Y"r\.r~n~

1906-1993 SuanmokThailandJ
thi matter of the' next life '. One sma11 rr
d trine ' hat there is an eternal self or' atta
he himself ill be reborn again . P1 5, Jac
#

iiJ m kc i th a~~a ,
j c ha

hi" - the

(; Jd

d 1 tand that th w
"birth' and pas away" in the language ofDependent Orio1 .
. .
.
' "
'
cnahon
l: ifl m an in _th
n mg and p tng a~ay ofth I concept only. Don tconfusethis
withth intl t d n fth languag ofAbhidharnma ortheeverydaylanguageofordi
in b m m an i uing forth from a mother' womb and passing away m~

un

p?4

ans

lo~r " ' n 111 t r thi kind . birth fth 'I ) h r and now we will also ~e able to master the birth
th t 111
ft r
r phy 1 al d ath. So 1 t s not concern ourselves With the birth that folio
h i a! d th. In t d l t u on m ourselves seriously with the birth that happens before physi:~
d th'. Budd d
pl_O

tl i l

an 1

rry1n a d ad b d t th

tn t ry.

nything th t g

born mu t v ntually die.

ld ag i kn
nd d ath are things that are going to happen to
f
11
. 1. that you wdl
. dte
. at the end ofyour life.a 0 usattheendof r1\1
only thing thatt. . . .rtam,
till. w pr t nd 1t 1 not tru , and we lead our lives as if it will never happen to us
w d 0 t pr par our elv s for death like we do for other things in 11.c.e ,u d h .
H vve o not teac mschools
h w t d1. . It 1 a taboo, and we do not talk about it in public.

w ar

not con ious that the fear of death makes us behave in certain ways during our lives.

Wh n w are born in this way, fear and anxiety spread over anything connected with pain and
illn or d ath which will come in the future. In fact the pain, illness and death have yet to appear,
but w uffi r because we always see them as my pain, my old age and my death. We especially
uffi r wh n it app ars before us. We are afraid ofdeath all the time without knowing it. We hate old
a b au we think it will come to "me". If only we don't have the I concept, then old age, death
and o on will have no meaning".Buddhadasa p57
D pit not knowing what is going to happen to us when the body dies, we have gi~en b~ to the
id a that w are the body. There could be a next life, but there is no way to find out If tha~ Is really
tru . Buddha aid that h could not answer this question. Scientists have not found any evidence to
pro it ith r.
I k d

v ral Rimpo h

about thi ' as they claim to be reincarnations and their ans er as

Iw y th t th y c uld not pr v that f incarnation happens.

doubt about him elf being th
h D I iL m h
id in publi mor than once that he ha
.
h t p pi b li
h i . H ?uld .like to e democratic lection forth ne t
p
n th Tib tan opl tn tl .
di
r thi

but th
an ha e m ntal birth
man
I fbirth and tincti n th Dhammi d trin
hi h m

uffi ringd n t m ntal uffi ring.

In th
rd of an ld aying
ibbana i to die b fore dying' . That i the Kilesa- the cause ofth
fi lin that ther i an I r a
in - it i that that die the idea.
e
tan tim ther e i ts th id a I - ine at that time there exists birth suffering and the cycle of
am ara. Th I i born ndure for a tnoment then cease - which is why this process is referred
t a th c cle of am ara . Buddha da a Bikkhu
Only th body has death and birth and its illusion. There is in reality neither birth nor death.
There i really no reincarnation at all either now or before. or will there be. nor will there be
hereafter. This is the Truth.
E en the pre ent is mere imagination for the sense of time is purely mental. Space is similarly mental
Therefore birth and rebirth which take time and space, can not be other than imagination.
If you think you are the body...
If you are the body why do they bury the corps after death? The body must refuse to be buried!.
Forgetfulness of your true nature is the real death, remembrance of it is the true birth. It puts an end
to the successive births".
RamanaMaharishi 1879- 1950 Tiruvannamalai- India), p232,Ajati.

"Therefore, one round ofPaticcasamuppada (Wheel of Life) is nothing more than a manifestation of
stupidity which allows one kind of suffering to arise once: suffering because something satisfies or
does not satisfy, or we don't know if it satisfies or not. When there is attachment there is suffering
Buddhadasa p57

'"lli L IMA JLSABC)VE 111E WIIEhL ~

In tn t st paintings, Buddha stands abov~ the wh~ ~1 in the right -hand corner. With his ri ht ann
stretched out., he points his index lin 'CI' to the fulln1oon , whi his in till I ll corner, abo\ L th \ hLLI.
li e sttnds on two discs: the sun and th 1noon, which are placl'd insidl' a lotus flo\\'Lr.
lien; the lotus represents the desire l(>r lil~ donl fionl sun<..rin J . The Still is thL swIll hoi forth lllptillLSS
the ahsence ot an indcpcnd nt s I r or ""r'. The n1oon r pn:s nts Frc do111. \\ hich is our tnll nahn L.
Buddha tells us not to look at hint, hut at ou1 tnll' nattJJl'.