The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (641 page)

 
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Dhammabha
g
rika
(chief disciple of Buddha)
:

see
NANDA (1)
.

 
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(P
l
, Skt.). ‘The Wheel of the Doctrine’. The motif of the many-spoked wheel is the distinctive symbol of Buddhism. It originally signified the Buddha's act of proclaiming his doctrine (
dharma
) to the world (see
FIRST SERMON
). The dhamma-cakka has come to signify Buddhist teaching and doctrine generally.
In earliest
iconography
(
c.
2nd cent. BCE), the dhamma-cakka features as an aniconic symbol for the Buddha. When eight spokes are depicted, this signifies the Eightfold Path (
a
angika-m
rga
) or the cardinal points of the compass.