The symbol of the lotus is found prolifically throughout the east, especially in China, Egypt, Japan and India. The meanings are varied and multi-layered and its position of best loved flower rivals the rose in the west for beauty, love and purity.
The Lotus of Beauty is Not a Water Lily
The lotus, a native of Asia, is a beautiful flower. Its importance stems from its decorative beauty. It flowers in the summer, its roots deep in the mud. From a slender bud, the flower unfolds to reveal delicate elongated petals and a fertile centre. The flower blooms in two colours, white and pink. There is historical evidence of a blue lotus, but its possible that it is now extinct.
Although often mistaken for a lotus, the water lily’s leaves sits upon the water, whereas, the lotus’ leaves rise above the water level. They are both aquatic perennials, although the lotus only flowers in white and pink. The water lily blooms in a wide array of colours.
The Lotus in Religion
The lotus has been revered for thousands of years as a sign of purity, divinity, rebirth, immortality, spiritual growth and resurrection. Its been found in tombs in Greece and Egypt and honoured in ancient spiritual texts such as the Bhagavad-Gita and the Lotus Sutra.
Its opening and folding, its ability to rise out of the mud, and rise even above the water, has captivated the imagination of many writers, artists and devout seekers.
The Lotus in Hinduism
In the Bhagavad-Gita 5.10, it states "One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water."
Sacred texts from all religions often use symbolism taken from the natural world to help aspirants delve into the mysteries of the inner world with more ease. Symbols act as guiding lights on a seekers path. Anil K. Goel, in an article prepared for ‘Hinduism Today Magazine’, writes ‘within each human inhabiting the earth is the spirit of the sacred lotus. It represents eternity, purity and divinity and is widely used as a symbol of life, fertility, ever-renewing youth and to describe feminine beauty, especially the eyes.’
The deities of Hinduism are often portrayed standing upon an open lotus blossom, representing illumination and perfect self-realisation. Vishnu and Lakshmi stand upon pink lotus blossoms and Goddess Sarasvati upon a white lotus. Others such as Brahma, Siva, Parvati, Durga, Agni, Ganesha, Rama and Surya are shown sitting on the lotus, also holding a lotus flower in their hand.
The lotus symbolises the rise from instinctual responses to the height of spiritual attainment. The lotus flowers high above the murky waters, though its roots are down in the very mud it has risen from. There is not one without the other.
The lotus also sprung up from the navel of Vishnu as he rested on the waters, with Brahma atop the lotus. This is a sign not only of spiritual growth, but for what is divine or immortal in humanity.
Goel writes that ‘scripture indicates at least a 6,000-year association of the lotus with Hindu culture and religion.’ There are hundreds of references to the lotus and all of them point to it symbolising beauty, growth, divinity and purity.
The Lotus in Hatha Yoga
Padmasana, or lotus pose, is one of the ultimate positions to meditate in when seeking ultimate consciousness. Again, the lotus is used within the chakra system to symbolise unity with the supreme Godhead with a thousand petalled lotus in the crown chakra.
The Lotus in Buddhism
Buddhism originates from Hinduism in India, and the symbolism of the lotus is similar. The lotus is one of the ‘ashtamangala,’ one of the eight auspicious signs. Its symbolism indicates purity of mind, body, speech and cleanliness. By removing the obstacles to awareness, one becomes like a lotus rising from the murky waters flowering in consciousness.
The open blossom of the lotus stands for enlightenment, whereas the unopened bud is the potential for enlightenment. The stem of the lotus symbolises the practice of Buddhism that takes one out of the mud of every day toil into the potential of the full flowering of human consciousness.
In Tantric Buddhism, the stem and the blossom of the lotus form a masculine-feminine image of sexual and spiritual harmony.
- The white lotus represents a state of spiritual perfection and total mental purity.
- The red lotus signifies the original nature and purity of the heart. It is the lotus of love, compassion, passion and all other qualities of the heart.
- The blue lotus is a symbol of the victory of the spirit over the senses, and signifies the wisdom of knowledge.
- The pink lotus is the supreme lotus, generally reserved for the highest deity. Thus naturally it is associated with the Buddha himself.
The above chart is adapted from A View On Buddhism.
The lotus is a pervasive symbol of the divinity within and without. It reflects purity, beauty, evolution and creation. By contemplating its form, it is said, one can meet the very centre of creation within. A powerful and transformational symbol.
Sources:
Tresidder, Jack: 1001 Symbols, 2003, Duncan Baird Publishers, London.
Tresidder, Jack: The Complete Dictionary of Symbols in Myth, Art and Literature, 2004, Duncan Baird Publishers, London
Tiffany Jones - Born: Black Rock, Melbourne, Australia, 1971 Current Residence: Granollers, Catalonia Work: Yoga, Qigong, Meditation Instructor, ...
