The Wheel of Life symbolizes samsara or cyclic existence. The Buddha designed it to help people understand Buddhist teachings. It is also known as the Wheel of Cyclic Existence or Becoming.

This wheel depicts the Buddhist concept of samsara (the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth). It shows the path from suffering (represented by the three poisons and karma) through the realms of samsara and the twelve links of dependent origination, ultimately towards liberation (represented by the moon) which is attainable (indicated by the Buddha).