By Chun Ock-bae
Contributing writer
The lotus is a plant of the water lily family. It is one of the most common motifs in Buddhist temples. Indeed, depictions of the flowers are found almost everywhere, from paintings and statues of the Buddha and bodhisattvas on lotus thrones, to altars and ceilings of the main shrine rooms, to pagodas, and even on roof tiles. To the lay observers, the lotus may appear as a mere adornment, but the flower has profound symbolism in the Buddhist world.
In Buddhism the lotus is a symbol of the true nature of beings, which remains unstained by the mud of the world and is realized through enlightenment. Traditionally the lotus (``padma'') is a very important symbol in India and for Buddhism. The lotus has been ascribed with special meaning since the time of ancient Indian mythology.
The lotus flower grows in muddy water and rises above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty. The flower closes and sinks underwater at night, to rise and open again at dawn. Untouched by impurity, the lotus symbolizes the purity of heart and mind.
Especially, in such Mahayana Buddhist texts as the Lotus Sutra, the lotus flower is emphasized as a symbol of the bodhisattva. The bodhisattva is the model practitioner in the Mahayana tradition that dedicates his or her life entirely to the salvation of other beings.
Just as lotus plants are rooted in the bottom of shallow, murky ponds, but their beautiful blossoms rise above the water, the bodhisattva likewise forgoes nirvana to remain in the muck of samsara (the cycle of birth and death) for the sake of saving living beings. They remain pure in mind and free from suffering because they realize the Sunyata (emptiness) of all Dharmas (phenomena) and thus remain unattached to them.
The lotus flower is an apt metaphor for our own spiritual path and the action of a bodhisattva. The lotus represents the fact that even if we are ignorant, we should have hope and perseverance in our practice to become a bodhisattva and, eventually realize that we are already Buddhas _ though we don't know it.
The lotus refers to the complete purification of body, speech and mind, and the blossoming of wholesome deeds. The white blossom represents purity, the stem stands for the practice of Buddhist teachings which raises the mind above worldly existence, and gives rise to purity of mind. An open blossom signifies full enlightenment; a closed blossom signifies the potential for enlightenment.