Buddhism’s Guide to Reality: The Bhavacakra | Great Maps Explained

This video is about the Buddhist Wheel of Becoming, the Bhavacakra. This image is a diagram, cosmographic map, and painting that shows the Buddhist understanding of the universe and existence. It details the workings of karma, cause and effect, passion and greed and ignorance, and also shows us that we can escape from samsara and into nirvana -- we can escape suffering and become enlightened, if we follow the path of the Buddha. We can get out of illusion, craving, and suffering, and become something truly free in nirvana. The Wheel of Samsara, or Wheel of Becoming, is painted on the walls of Tibetan monasteries and in many other forms of Buddhism serves as a teaching tool and helpful diagram to illustrate Buddhist philosophies and beliefs. It is interesting to look at it from the perspective of being a great map. But it is a map, because its purpose is to help us navigate and get out of the world it depicts. In this video we'll look at this cosmographic depiction from the perspective of a map to understand how it functions and what it can teach us about ourselves, the world, and human history. #buddhism #maps #history #religion #philosophy