Dharmacakra
From Lostpedia
The Dharmacakra is an 8-spoked wheel. It is a Buddhist symbol for teaching the path to enlightenment.
Contents |
In Religion
According to the teachings of Buddha, the hub stands for the stability of discipline. The rim of the wheel symbolizes the state of consciousness which holds everything together.
Each spoke represents one of the 8 paths to enlightened thought:
- 1. Right understanding
- 2. Right thought
- 3. Right speech
- 4. Right action
- 5. Right livelihood
- 6. Right effort
- 7. Right mindfulness
- 8. Right concentration
According to Buddhism, reaching a state of dharma through the turnings of the wheel can rescue you if you are spiritually lost.
On Lost
- An eight-sided, radial design resembling the dharmacakra appears on the ceiling at Susan and Brian Porter's house in "Special".
- The dharmacakra also appears on Isaac's wall (on two identical green cards), in "S.O.S.".
- Ben turns an eight-spoked Frozen Wheel to move the Island in "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3"
- Locke later turns the same wheel to stop the Island moving through time, and leave it, in "This Place Is Death"
In the Lost Experience
- It made its first appearance on the June 16 Life Extension Project update as one of the images which flashes by just before the Hanso Foundation website shuts down.
- It made its second appearance on the June 19 Psychology Test Orientation Video as one of the images that flashes by (image #18 in montage).
- It made a third appearance in Glyph 57 in a few stills.
Trivia
- Though the dharmacakra is similar in appearance to the 8-sided DHARMA logo, the logo originates from the bagua (a Taoist symbol), whereas the wheel is a Buddhist symbol. However, most religious scholars agree that many of the Eastern religions do share quite a bit of common etiology when traced back, and this is reflected in some common elements of language and symbology.
- The Dharmacakra has a similar apperence to The Symbol of Chaos[1] in Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion series.
- Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma - Whenever the Dharma (i.e., a Buddha's teaching or a code of ethics) is lost or forgotten, a new Buddha comes to "turn the wheel". Depending on the exact Buddhist tradition, some believe the wheel to have turned up to three times. Whenever the wheel is turned, it signifies a milestone in Buddhist history, such as the first teachings of the Four Noble Truths. On Lost, Locke has assumed status as the Others new leader and the Island has moved.
- The Wheel of Fortune is a Roman and Medieval symbol often represented in art and Western literature as eight-spoked. The goddess Fortuna, as fate, controlled the four stages of life and spun the wheel as she pleased. She was also known to favor the bold.
External links
| ||||||||
