The Wheel of Life is a common subject for paintings in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Such paintings follow a fairly strict iconography, as in this example from Bhutan, wherein the outermost circular section depicts “The Twelve Causes from the Circle of Becoming,” in order, beginning at the top of the circle:

1-The Blind Man – ignorance of the world’s true nature
2-The Potter – the shaping of destiny through karma

3-The Monkey – the mind wandering aimlessly and out of control
4-In a Boat on the River of Life – consciousness giving rise to name and form
5-The Doors and Windows of an Empty House – developing the six senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch, and thought)
6-Lovers Embracing – intimate contact between the world and the mind
7-Man with an Arrow in His Eye – strong sensations that obscure truth
8-Attachment to Pleasant Experiences – susceptibility to love (or wine)
9-Picking Fruit – desire/attachment, even unto death
10-Couple Making Love – procreation
11-Woman Giving Birth – birth into the human realm
12-Old Man Bearing a Burden – aging and death

Recorded by James Winn, piano

Tanglewood Productions

This work incorporates a promenade idea inspired by Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition.’