Today, I am all set to post about the Indian National flower "Lotus". What this signifies? Lotus is the only flower that blossoms in dirty mud. Mud is the symbolic representation of impurity and unclean. The flower Lotus symbolises Purity.
Thus, it is the symbol of Purity in midst of impurity. As lotus is Pure in mud, the soul or spirit is pure and spotless even though its inside the world. Lotus has its roots deep inside the mud, however its petals are pious. This is detachment. It does not take the impurity from the mud, however, takes the valuable nutrient to feed itself and blossom. In same way, we need to detach our self from all the wrong deeds and material life by being in midst of it.
Detachment can not be obtained by running away from this world, but by acquiring the essential ingredients that life can teach us. Lotus never turns mud into anything else. Mud is mud. Yet, mud has nutrients that can feed the plant. Similarly, when we are in same kind of situation that is mud, we can not move from there. We have to take the essential learning's from that situation to blossom. May be that is the secured place for that particular time.
Take for example, we want to free our self from some person, but the relationship has caught hold of us. The Peron attached to us could be the best teacher if we could see that part of them. May be we are restricting our self not to see the whole picture of the person. Detachment is removing slants and bias like this. It means seeing the whole picture.
The human tendency is to seek detachment when we fail, as we are subjected to criticism. However, accepting that the task will complete in its own time and way will help us attain freedom from that feeling of criticism.
Lotus thus tells to stand next to our enemies, and responding to them sincerely and seeing that how they fade and disappear. Detachment is a very great virtue which gives the emotional safety and freedom. It makes others feel that they can come and go without any fuss. However, the moment you stop loving life, detachment is impossible as you tend to seek help and attach yourself in things that help.
Detachment is best learnt from Lotus flower, which touches mud but never looses its beauty. Beauty means to keep growing.
In Hinduism and Buddhism the Lotus flower is considered as sacred flower. Particularly, in Hinduism it is associated with Goddess MahaLakshmi. She sits on a fully blossomed lotus flower, symbolising purity, beauty and everything that is good. Mahalakshmi brings prosperity,purity,chastity and generosity.
The thousand petals of lotus symbolises spiritual enlightenment. The Buddhist mantra "Ohm! Mani Padma Hum" refers to the "Jewels of Lotus". It signifies not only the jewel of man's divinity living within the lotus(the cosmos) but also the jewel of cosmos divinity living within the lotus(man). In other words the mantra can be interpreted as "I am in you and you are in me".
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