ABSTRACT
The twelvefold set of conditions of the arising of duhkha came to be symbolically portrayed as the wheel of becoming. On the rim of wheel are the conditions that give rise to duhkha listed in the twelvefold formula: ignorance, volition, consciousness, body-mind, the six senses, contact, feeling, thirst, grasping, becoming forces, birth, and suffering. Shortly after his enlightenment, the Buddha explained to his followers the way of self-transformation that he had discovered, saying: There is a most wonderful way to help living beings realize purification, overcome directly grief and sorrow, end pain and anxiety, travel the right path and realize nirvana. This way is the fourfold establishment of mindfulness. There are a total of thirty-eight Perfection of Wisdom texts, composed between 200 bce and 600 ce. Two of these, the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra, have been especially important in the development of Mahayana Buddhism.
