Wheel of Fire

Standard means of transportation of the Taoist child-deity Nezha, who is also known by the titles Marshal of the Central Altar (fig.) and Third Lotus Prince (fig.). With this wheel, he can freely travel through the sky at great speed and it is able to carry him to whichever place he wishes to go. In iconography, the Wheel of Fire is depicted as either one or two ordinary wheels with spokes, underneath the foot or feet of Nezha (fig.). The wheel or wheels are typically depicted with some flames or even engulfed in flames, and sometimes the vehicle is represented rather as a ball of fire (fig.). The tem Wheel of Fire could perhaps also be interpreted as a symbol of the Dhamma, akin to the Wheel of Law, which by its continuous motion endlessly spreads the teachings of the Buddha, which warms the hearts of his followers like an encroaching fire. In Chinese, the Wheel of Fire is known as Feng Huo Lun, literally ‘Wind Fire Wheel’. 回