Buddha's Birthday

Two days ago many around the world celebrated the birthday of Prince Siddhartha Gautama about 2500 years ago in Nepal. Andybear and Aki made this mosaic. They include a lotus flower in the picture; in Buddhism this is a symbol of enlightenment. The lotus grows in murky, muddy water, which is symbolic of the natural state of the person, but then the flower struggles and grows and rises above, and eventually opens up into a beautiful bloom, symbolizing the enlightened soul.