The Buddha was a historical figure, a prince who was born in Lumbini in what is now the borderlands of Nepal, who saw through the trappings of his luxurious life and aged 29 left his palace in search of the truth. After many years of austere practices left that discipline to follow his own way,  achieving enlightenment seated under a tree in Bodhgaya aged 35. At the request of five of his former companions he first taught, (turned the wheel of Dharma), at Saranath, a Deer Park on the outskirts of Varanasi, and he continued teaching and accepting disciples for 45 years until his passing away, (Parinirvana) aged 80 in Lumbini, India in approx. 486bc. He established a casteless community of homeless monks and nuns (the Sangha) who kept his teachings alive through an oral tradition that was first written down at the Fourth Buddhist Council that took place in Sri Lanka in the 1st century bc, approximately three hundred years after the passing of Sakyamuni.

One of the first teachings of the Buddha to remember is his advice for everyone not to blindly trust what he or anyone says, but to think for themselves. One should instead listen, think, examine and meditate upon what one is told and then if one can accept it then to do so wholeheartedly.

The Four Thoughts 1. Precious Human Life - we have the rare opportunity of possessing a human life, a situation that offers us the greatest potential of all, 2. Impermanence - everything is impermanent and as such we can lose our human birth at any moment, 3. Karma, Cause and Effect. All of our thoughts and actions have a consequence. Good actions have good results, bad actions bad results. 4. The Sufferings of Existence - not as a lamentation, but as a basis of fact from which to grow,

The Six Perfections: The perfection of: 1.Generosity, 2.Morality, 3. Patience, 4.Diligence, 5.Meditative Concentration, 6.Wisdom Awareness.

The Path of a Bodhisattva. A Bodhisattva is one who, through great compassion, has generated 'bodhicitta', which is the wish to attain Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings.

Mahamudra is an expression of the nature of reality. It is impossible to describe in words because words would limit what is unlimited. The word 'mahamudra' can be translated as The Great Seal, (or Great Symbol), as in the seal that represents all things. It can only be fully realised through direct experience and there are a set series of practices and meditations that lead to that insight.