The Wheel of Life (Skt. bhava-cakra)—or, as it is sometimes referred to, the Wheel of Becoming, the Wheel of Existence, the Wheel of Rebirth, or the Wheel of Reincarnation—is a visual representation of the Buddhist notion of death as inseparable from that of birth, portraying in concrete from abstract metaphysical concepts. Shengsi (生死), literally, “birth and death,” the Chinese translation of the Buddhist term samsara, emphasizes the linkage of birth, death, and rebirth seen within the Wheel of Life.
Buddhist cosmology typically identifies six realms of rebirth and existence: gods, demigods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hells. The three higher realms are the realms of the gods, humans, and demigods; the three lower realms are the realms of the animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings. The Tibetan calendar is unique and lunar-based.