The lotus is an amazing flower. Not only is it a symbol of wisdom and purity, it has a range of spiritual overtones that serve as popular aids to learning.
The lotus, emerging from the water and standing above it - undrenched and unsullied - has come to be accepted as a symbol of enlightenment and purity of mind in Buddhist and Hindu thought. Not only is the lotus in bloom a pretty sight, it evokes positive thoughts in one who links it with his own journey on the spiritual path.
The image of the flower has profound connotations and can be so easily used to interpret and explain the Buddha's transcendence, the non-attachment concept of the Bhagavad Gita, and the evolution of our consciousness, the cause and effect theory of karma, and a host of other teachings.
The lotus is closely linked to the sun. It opens when the sun rises and closes when the sun sets. The eight petals of the flower could be taken to signify the eight noble paths. The white coloured lotus stands for mental purity and spiritual perfection, the red for purity of heart, love and compassion, the blue for wisdom and the pink lotus is often considered as the supreme lotus reserved for the most exalted deity.
In each one of us, the lotus can be visualised seated on the crown in a subtle form of a thousand petals opening upwards to receive divine cosmic energy. A closed lotus indicates an innate potential for enlightenment and an open blossom signifies an evolved consciousness. In paintings and sculptures, Buddha - the enlightened one - is often shown seated on a fully blossomed lotus for this reason.
The sacred lotus can be found in depictions of many Hindu gods and goddesses, too. Lakshmi, Saraswati, even Ganesh sometimes, are shown seated on the sacred lotus. Brahma the creator is depicted as seated on a fully opened lotus flower. The four faces of Brahma represent the four Vedas.
The lotus has the power to self-exist and self-regenerate and this shows the continuity of birth and rebirth. In the Statham Brahmna, the lotus is a symbol of the womb. Hence the flower is a symbol of life and fertility.
The karma principle can be explained easily with the help of the lotus. The flower signifies human life as being governed by cause and effect. Every cause produces an imprint leading to an effect that can be experienced during the doer's lifetime or in his future life.
The Buddhist mantra 'Om Mani Padme Hum' refers to the lotus. Here it signifies wisdom. In the Bhagavad Gita, non-attachment to the objects of sense perception is compared to a lotus or padma. "Any person who dedicates all his karma to the Supreme, and carries them out without clinging to the result, remains unblemished by karmas just as the lotus is untouched and undrenched by water."
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