Siddhartha Gotama was born into a royal

family in Lumbini, now located in Nepal, in

563 BC. At 29, he realised that wealth and
luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he
explored the different teachings religions and
philosophies of the day, to find the key to
human happiness. After six years of study and
meditation he finally found 'the middle path'
and was enlightened. After enlightenment,
the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching
the principles of Buddhism called the

the Noble 8-fold Path is being moral (through what we say, do

and our livelihood), focussing the mind on being fully aware
of our thoughts and actions, and developing wisdom by
understanding the Four Noble Truths and by developing
compassion for others.

The mandala represents an imaginary

palace that is contemplated during
meditation. Each object in the palace has
significance, representing an aspect of
wisdom or reminding the meditator of a
guiding principle. The mandala's purpose
is to help transform ordinary minds into
enlightened ones and to assist with
healing.

The Four Noble Truths contain the essence

of the Buddha's teachings. It was these four
principles that the Buddha came to
understand during his meditation under the
bodhi tree. The Four Noble Truths; state;
that life brings suffering, that suffering is
part of living, that suffering can be ended
and that there is a path that leads to the end
of suffering.