can be understood to operate in every moment of existence in an interdependent manner. On this level, the twelve links can be applied to show the effects of one particular action. By contemplating on the twelve links, one gains greater insight into the workings of karma; this insight enables us to begin to unravel our habitual way of thinking and reacting. The twelve causal links, paired with their corresponding symbols, are: Avidyā lack of knowledgea blind person, often walking, or a person peering out Saṃskāra constructive volitional activitya potter shaping a vessel or vessels Vijñāna consciousnessa man or a monkey grasping a fruit Nāmarūpa name and form (constituent elements of mental and physical existence)two men afloat in a boat Ṣaḍāyatana six senses (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind)a dwelling with six windows Sparśa contactlovers consorting, kissing, or entwined Vedanā feelingan arrow to the eye Tṛṣṇa thirsta drinker receiving drink Upādāna graspinga man or a monkey picking fruit Bhava coming to bea couple engaged in intercourse, a standing, leaping, or reflective person Jāti being bornwoman giving birth Jarāmaraṇa old age and deathcorpse being carried The figure holding the wheel: impermanence The wheel is being held by a fearsome figure who represents impermanence. This figure is often interpreted as being Mara, the demon who tried to tempt the Buddha, or as Yama, the lord of death. Regardless of the figure depicted, the inner meaning remains the same–that the entire process of cyclic existence (samsara) is transient; everything within this wheel is constantly changing. Yama has the following attributes: He wears a crown of five skulls that symbolize the impermanence of the five aggregates. (The skulls are also said to symbolize the five poisons.) He has a third eye that symbolizes the wisdom of understanding impermanence. He is sometimes shown adorned with a tiger skin, which symbolizes fearfulness. (The tiger skin is typically seen hanging beneath the wheel.) His four limbs (that are clutching the wheel) symbolize the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death. The moon: liberation Above the wheel is an image of the moon; the moon represents liberation from the sufferings of samsara. Some drawings may show an image of a "pure land" to indicate liberation, rather than a moon. The Buddha pointing to the white circle: the path to liberation The upper part of the drawing also shows an image of the Buddha pointing toward the moon;