Digital Dictionary of Buddhism

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轉輪

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: to turn (a wheel)

Senses:

  • Spin, revolve, rotate. Transmigration (Skt. saṃsāra, cakra) = 輪廻. [Charles Muller; source(s): Ui, Nakamura, Hirakawa]
  • A reference to the 'turning of the wheel of the dharma"—spreading the Buddhist teachings 轉法輪.' [Charles Muller]
  • A reference to the 'wheel-turning sage king'  轉輪聖王. A cakravartin, ' a ruler, the wheels of whose chariot roll everywhere without hindrance.' (M-W) Revolving wheels; to turn a wheel: also 轉輪王, 輪王; 轉輪聖帝. The symbol is the cakra or disc, which is of four kinds indicating the rank, i.e. gold, silver, copper, or iron, the iron cakravartī ruling over one continent, the south; the copper, over two, east and south: the silver, over three, east, west, and south; the golden being supreme over all the four continents. The term is also applied to the gods over a universe, and to a buddha as universal spiritual king, and as preacher of the supreme doctrine. Only a cakravartin possesses the 七寶 saptaratna and 1, 000 sons. The cakra, or discus, is also a missile used by a cakravartī for overthrowing his enemies. Its origin is probably the sun with its myriad rays. [Charles Muller; source(s): Soothill]
  • 〔四分律 T 1428.22.579c4, 首楞嚴經 T 945.19.106b15, 入楞伽經 T 671.16.519c15〕 [Charles Muller]
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bukkyō jiten (Ui) 762

    Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura) 991a

    Ding Fubao

    Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary (Hirakawa) 1138

    Bukkyō daijiten (Oda) 1259-1

    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: 2018-07-28