chakra [輪宝・輪] (; rimbō or rin): Also, chakra treasure or wheel treasure. One of the seven treasures that a wheel-turning king ( chakravarti-rāja) is said to possess. A wheel-turning king was a wise and benevolent ruler, an ideal king in Indian mythology. The Sanskrit word chakra means the wheel of a carriage. The seven treasures of a wheel-turning king are a chakra, elephants, horses, jewels, jewel-like women, excellent ministers of financial affairs, and generals. A chakra, or wheel, is of four kinds: gold, silver, copper, and iron.
A wheel-turning king possesses one or another of these four kinds of wheels, an indication of his rank. Turning his chakra, a wheel-turning king advances without hindrance, overthrows his enemies, establishes peace, and rules with justice and benevolence wherever he goes. In Buddhism, a chakra is regarded as a symbol of the Buddha’s teachings, which vanquish earthly desires and illusions. The word dharma-chakra, or the wheel of the Law, is often used to describe the teachings. The Buddha’s preaching is expressed as “the turning of the wheel of the Law.” In the history of Buddhism, before images of the Buddha appeared, the Buddha was depicted in carvings symbolically as a wheel, a bodhi tree, and other images. A chakra was originally a wheel- or disk-shaped weapon in ancient India that was hurled as a missile at enemies.