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An appeal to the Buddhist world

by A.G.S.Kariyawasam

In this our island, the celebrated home of Theravada Buddhism, a great injustice has been perpetrated on the Dharma - cakra, the sacred symbol of the Buddha's teaching, by portraying it with its spokes protruding out of its rim, thereby making it immobilised.

The original Dharma - Cakra

This defeats the very purpose for which it was intended by the Buddha Himself by victoriously declaring that He had "set arolling the Dhamma-cakka irreversible and unchallengeable by anyone in the world" (Pavattitam dhammacakkam appativeltiyam samanena vaa... kenaci vaa lokasmin). He meant it to be ever moving forward, overcoming all impediments. The moment its spokes start jutting out it becomes immovable and ceases to be a "wheel in motion" as was intended by the Buddha best merely a "stuck in" wheel, something like the steering wheel of a ship in appearance.

This mutilation of the Dharma-cakra has been setting in through a gradual process in Sri Lanka, because its early portrayals are free from this defect. This seems to have been the outcome of its inconsiderate handling by the local artists who think of only beautifying and decorating it as they are unaware of its true significance.

Unfortunately though any knowledgeable person has so far failed to intervene and rectify the error, before it deteriorated to the present extent. Such an initial correction could have prevented the present deplorable situation when all our media, except occasionally, continue to portray the disfigured and anti-Buddhist Dharma-cakra, as it was done during the recent Vesak season. Is not there anyone in these media institutions, both print and electronic, who is knowledgable enough to rectify the error?

The ultimate outcome of this prolonged neglect appears to have resulted in the mutilated and anti-Buddhist Dharma-cakra gradually becoming established as the standard version in this "Home of Theravada Buddhism". This is a major violation of the Buddha's teaching as will be clarified in the sequel.

Strangest of, our very state emblem, with its central stylized lion, the surrounding lotus pattern, with sun and moon on either side, is topped with this very same anti-Buddhist version of the Dharma-cakra! No wonder that others follow suit by elongating the projections further by various other meaningless decorations. It was extremely annoying to see such a monstrous version being frequently shown full-screen in a particular electronic media during the recent Vesak season.

The original wheel in motion introduced by the Buddha has been reduced to a monstrosity as it were. Our state symbol, created and accepted perhaps during the Republic process has come to stay with this major detect in fact. No wonder Buddhism itself is becoming misinterpreted as a set of ostentatious celebrations catering to the superficial emotional level satisfaction of the "maddening crowd". This was quite obvious during the Vesak season when the Noble Teaching of the Buddha was treated as a highly commercialised article of faith only. Its core values are dropped on the way.

What is Dharma-cakra?

The Dharma-cakra symbol in Buddhism is one of its central concepts and in fact it was the very first symbol chosen by the Buddha Himself to identify His teaching. After deciding that He should preach His first sermon after enlightenment to the Pancavaggiya ascetics at Baranasi, the Buddha set out to Baranasi from Buddhagaya.

The disfigured Dharma - Cakra

The wandering ascetic Upaka met Him on the way and questioned Him about His identity as to who He was whose pupil He was etc. In response the Buddha, after introducing Himself as a Buddha, said that He was on his way to Baranasi, the city of the Kasis, where He would "set arolling the Dhamma-wheel (Dhammacakkam pavattatum gacchami kashinam puram). Hence the wheel is to be set a rolling, where lies its significance in Buddhism.

The Buddha's selection of the wheel as a of His newly discovered teaching indicates that His intention was to see that His Dhamma should spread for and wide unchallenged like a rolling wheel which in classical Indian symbolism represented the conquering progress and the expanding sovereignty of the world-rulers (Cakkavatti) cakka-vatana, the gem of the conquering wheel, which is one of the seven treasures He inherits.

His name itself Chakkavatti - means "the possessor of the conquering wheel". Here the king invites the wheel to precede him and proceed forward so that in whatever place it stops He establishes His authority and righteousness. Thus He achieves his righteous rulership over the world with the help of the Cakka-vatang.

Accordingly the Buddha's choice of the wheel was based on this Cakka-vatana concept of the world-ruler. The Buddha's Dharma-cakra also would travel over territories and bring them under the righteousness of the Dhamma. Thus when the Buddha claimed that He was "setting the Dharma-cakra rolling" (Dhamma-cakkam pavatteti) it implied the wide-spread diffusion of the Dhamma worldwide. Accordingly, this Pali phrase, with its dynamic implications, is repeatedly used in the Pali texts leading to its becoming standardised as the phrase expressing the territorial expansion of the Dhamma.

The subsequent phrase Appativattiya only confirms its firm establishment, not capable of being dislodged by anyone (kena in) in the world because it is so firmly set a rolling by the Buddha at Isipatana in Benares (Baranasiyam Isipatane Anuttaram Dhammaracckkam Pavattitam).

Thus the significance of the wheel symbol in Buddhism is its implication of progressive forward movement. What has been said so far would clarify the fact that it is the wheel's function of rolling on leading to both temporal and spatial advance and extension that comes to the fore in the context under discussion. This assures the infallible fulfilment of the function of promoting and disseminating the Dhamma.

In the Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta this phrase is repeatedly used thereby standardizing the usage (Saniyutta, V, 420 ff; Vinaya, I, 10 ff; PTS). Even the deities inhabiting all the planes of existence celebrate the event by repeating the same phrase. Thus the diffusion and the firm establishment of the Sasana shall remain unchallenged (Appativattiya) everywhere and at all times.

In the Pavarana Sutta of the Sanyutta Nikaya the Buddha admits that Venerable Sariputta, as His faithful disciple, has contributed immensely in the task of "rolling the Dhammacakka" in the following words: "So do you Sariputta, properly keep in motion the incomparable (Anuttara) Dhammacakka set a rolling by Me."

Let it be emphasised that the Buddha-Dhamma in the role of the Dhammacakka becomes meaningful only in its dynamic forward movement as originally set a rolling by the Buddha. In the absence of this idea of motion it has no validity in Buddhism as a simile for the Dhamma.

The foregoing discussion would show that this graphic symbol selected by the Buddha to portray the dynamic, progressive and live nature of His teaching has become subjected to a gradual mutilation and disfiguration at the hands of the local artist. Does the unopposed acceptance of this anti-Buddhist symbol by the Buddhist public mean the tacit acceptance of the fate of Buddhism in contemporary Sri Lanka?

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