Himalayan Art Resources

Wheel of Life: Two Verses & Purity of Nirvana

Wheel of Life: Components

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Two Verses
- Purity of Nirvana

The two verses (below) are to be written at the upper right and left of the mural composition. A white disc is described to represent the purity of nirvana. Most painting examples have a white moon with the image of a rabbit rather than a plain white disc. Often a standing Buddha figure is placed in the top right corner with the arm outstretched and a finger pointing towards either the verses, a white disc, a full moon, a Dharma wheel or a palace possibly representing a pureland or heaven.

Jeff Watt 6-2022


Source Text: Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya Vibhanga: (translated from the Chinese version of the Sanskrit text)

'To the two sides of the demon's head write two gathas [verses]:

You should seek renunciation
And apply yourself to the practice of the Buddha's teaching.
Conquer the army of life and death
As an elephant smashes a thatched hut.

Within the Law [Dharma] and the Discipline [Vinaya]
Constantly practice - don't give up,
And you will be able to exhaust the sea of afflictions
And arrive at the point where suffering ends.

Next, above the Great Demon of Impermanence, you should make a round, white alter, in order to symbolize the perfection and purity of nirvana. [Thus] as I have instructed, you should make a wheel of birth and death beneath the room at the gate.'

(Reinventing the Wheel. Paintings of Rebirth in Medieval Buddhist Temples. Stephen F. Teiser. University of Washington Press, Seattle & London. 2006. Page 56).

(The images below are only a selection of examples of paintings with verses).