Episode 31 – Rooster, Snake, Pig

A traditional image in Tibetan Buddhism is called the wheel of life; it pictures our life as a wheel that rolls along, and that we keep pushing along • the wheel of life is held within the jaws of a demon called Yama, which represents death; so the imagery depicts a deadly approach to things • at the hub of the wheel are three animals: a rooster, which represents passion; a pig, which represents ignorance; and a snake, which represents aggression • these three energies are very much connected with how we try to mold our world to our personal satisfaction • we have an agenda, and the agenda is to perpetuate the fundamental error at the heart of things: our idea of being separate and alienated • these three tendencies — to hold on, to push away, and to ignore—perpetuate the sense of struggle, leaving no room for a sense of ease, peace, or well-being