This mandala ‘The Rising and the Falling’ emerged from a dream that I had several years ago. I saw the vast expanse of the ocean arose as a huge white wave, which rose up to the sky, and then fell down. The voice of one of my friends (who was also a spiritual mentor and an ardent scholar of Buddhism), who transitioned a couple of years after I had this dream, then told me from the background that this is 'the truth of life'...... 
 
For a long time I couldn’t understand the meaning of this symbolic dream – till I started drawing this mandala specifically for his memorial. As I was starting to draw, I set the intention that I will receive a 'message' from him, on what he wishes to convey to the audience, through the mandala. I started to draw the mandala when after a while, I suddenly remembered the above dream, and in that very moment, I realized what the dream meant – the rising and the falling equating to the impermanence of life and all there is.... and I realized, that's what I was instinctively drawing within the mandala.
 
When you observe closely, you will notice the following in the mandala:
The recurring triangular shape indicates the rising and falling. This also includes the shape of the 'dagaba' (a dome-shaped shrine containing relics of the Buddha) around the perimeter of the circle. 
There are 6 prominent triangles in the middle which equates to the 6 ‘doors’ – the 5 ‘sense doors’ (sight, sound, taste, smell, touch) and the most powerful ‘door of the mind’, through which we absorb information, create desires and form attachments and aversions. 
In the centre you can see what is known in Sacred Geometry as the 'fruit of life' which indicates the result of 'life' or the illusion of ‘self’ that is constructed through our desire – the ‘forbidden fruit’ – and the ensuing attachments. 
The eyes you see between the 6 triangles are the potential for us to 'see' the 'truth of life', its impermanent nature, the rise and the fall. It signifies our consciousness, the limitless awareness we call the ‘observer’. 
 
Overall, the mandala showcases the continuous cycle of the climbing and the tumbling throughout the journey of life. This was the message that my friend wanted to convey to the world, from the other side of the veil – spend time to see, understand and realize the 'truth of life', and the illusion that it is…