Digital Dictionary of Buddhism

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法輪

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: wheel of the Dharma

Senses:

  • The term translated as 'wheel' —cakra, was a kind of weapon in ancient India. Therefore, the dharmacakra is a weapon that is able to crush all evil and all opposition, overcoming the mistaken beliefs of non-Buddhists. Like Indraʼs wheel, it rolls on from man to man, place to place, age to age.—the teachings of the Buddha. It is turned by the Wheel Turning Sage Kings 轉輪聖王. (Pāli dhammacakka; Tib. chos 'khor) 〔法華經, T 262.9.41b〕 [Charles Muller; source(s): Ui, Nakamura,Soothill, Hirakawa, JEBD,Yokoi,Iwanami]
  • To turn, or roll along the Dharma-wheel, i.e. to preach Buddha-truth 轉法輪 (Skt. śāsana, netrī, dharmamayam...cakram, cakra-vara, cakra). [Charles Muller; source(s): Soothill]
  • The wheel of the Doctrine. Dharma means the truth, wisdom or knowledge; cakra means a wheel or establishment. Dharmacakra, the compound word means the Doctrine or the Dharma established by Gautama Buddha. The doctrine alludes to the Four Noble Truths. The perfect one, the fully enlightened one, set rolling the unsurpassed wheel of the Dharma in the Deer Park at Isipatana also known as Sarnath near Vārāṇasī. [Charles Muller; source(s): buddhanusmrti]
  • The wheel of doctrine is a common iconographic element adorning Buddhist structures throughout the world. In Tibet, it is an eight-spoked wheel, generally gold in color, with a round rim and a central hub. Two deer generally are placed on either side of it. [John Powers; source(s): HDT]
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  • Cf. Karashima (Lokakṣema Glossary): view / hide
      
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bukkyō jiten (Ui) 961

    Bulgyo sajeon 272a

    Zengaku daijiten (Komazawa U.) 1145d

    Iwanami bukkyō jiten 732

    Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary (Daitō shuppansha) 118a/129

    Japanese-English Zen Buddhist Dictionary (Yokoi) 239

    Zen Dust (Sasaki) 321

    Zengo jiten (Iriya and Koga) 6-P194

    Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura) 1239a

    Fo Guang Dictionary 3423

    Ding Fubao

    Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary (Hirakawa) 0718

    Bukkyō daijiten (Mochizuki) (v.1-6)1660a,3820c, (v.9-10)300b,969b

    Bukkyō daijiten (Oda) 858-3-6*1616-2*1641-3-24

    Sanskrit-Tibetan Index for the Yogâcārabhūmi-śāstra (Yokoyama and Hirosawa)

    Lokakṣemaʼs Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā (Karashima) 155

    Copyright provisions

    The rights to textual segments (nodes) of the DDB are owned by the author indicated in the brackets next to each segment. For rights regarding the compilation as a whole, please contact Charles Muller. Please do not reproduce without permission. And please do not copy into Wikipedia without proper citation!

    Entry created: 1997-09-15

    Updated: 2020-05-26