// Mandala: the Buddhist Wheel of Life // 03.01.19
The Mandala revolves through six realms. Each realm is populated by characters representing aspects of human existence - our various ways of being.
In the Beast Realm we are driven by basic survival instincts and appetites, such as physical hunger and sexuality, what Freud called the id.
The denizens of the Hell Realm are trapped in states of unbearable rage and anxiety.
In the God Realm we transcend our troubles and our egos through sensual, aesthetic or religious experience, but only temporarily and in ignorance of spiritual truth. Even this enviable state is tinged with loss and suffering.
The inhabitants of the Hungry Ghost Realm are depicted as creatures with scrawny necks, small mouths, emaciated limbs and large, bloated, empty bellies. This is the domain of addiction, where we constantly seek something outside ourselves to curb an insatiable yearning for relief or fulfillment. The aching emptiness is perpetual because the substances, objects or pursuits we hope will soothe it are not what we really need.
The Mandala revolves through six realms. Each realm is populated by characters representing aspects of human existence - our various ways of being.
In the Beast Realm we are driven by basic survival instincts and appetites, such as physical hunger and sexuality, what Freud called the id.
The denizens of the Hell Realm are trapped in states of unbearable rage and anxiety.
In the God Realm we transcend our troubles and our egos through sensual, aesthetic or religious experience, but only temporarily and in ignorance of spiritual truth. Even this enviable state is tinged with loss and suffering.
The inhabitants of the Hungry Ghost Realm are depicted as creatures with scrawny necks, small mouths, emaciated limbs and large, bloated, empty bellies. This is the domain of addiction, where we constantly seek something outside ourselves to curb an insatiable yearning for relief or fulfillment. The aching emptiness is perpetual because the substances, objects or pursuits we hope will soothe it are not what we really need.
