Deer symbol usually includes two parts that are deer and dharma wheel

Deer symbol usually includes two parts that are “deer” and “the dharma wheel”

Deer are a direct reference to the Buddha’s first teaching in the Deer Park, Sarnath. The “deer” is a symbol of many things, the personification of virtues and a character of legends and myths. The suggestion is that so wondrous was the Buddha’s appearance and peaceful his presence that even the animals came to listen. In the Tibetan tradition, a monastery which holds the “Kangyur” and “Tengyur” collections of texts would have this symbol of deer on both sides of the Dharma-wheel on the rooftop.

Deer Symbol Meaning

The dharma wheel, traditionally represented with eight spokes, has a variety of meanings. It initially only meant royalty, it began to be used in a Buddhist context on the Pillars of Ashoka during the 3^rd century BC. The Dharma wheel is generally seen as referring to the historical process of teaching the Buddha Dharma, the eight spokes referring to the Noble Eight-fold Path. The lotus also has several meanings, often referring to the quality of compassion and subsequently to the related notion of the inherently pure potential of the mind.