the lotus project
part one
what is a lotus flower?
The lotus plant is a perennial, aquatic plant that thrives in nutrient-rich, murky conditions. Found across India, east Africa, southeast Asia, and Australia, this plant enjoys an active and interesting daily life cycle. Lotuses root themselves in the mud, their lengthy stems reaching upward to find the top of the water. There, the lush blossoms grow, and as the lotus blooms, the blossoms unfold one by one. Petal by petal, each one emerges pristine from the mucky water thanks to a protective outer coating that repels dirt and water. These day-blooming plants submerge and close up at night, and reawaken above the water every morning. The petals last for just a handful of days before shedding.
The lotus flower meaning varies from culture to culture. In general, however, the lotus commonly serves as a sacred for purity, rebirth, and strength. Because lotuses rise from the mud without stains, they are often viewed as a symbol of purity. Since they return to the murky water each evening and open their blooms at the break of day, lotus flowers are also symbols of strength, resilience, and rebirth. Still another lotus flower meaning is transcendence: the lotus represents the transcending of man’s spirit over worldly matter since it blooms from the underworld into the light.
why is the lotus flower important?
The answer is found in what the lotus is and how it grows. The lotus is unusual among flowers in part for how steadily perfect the blooms tend to be. The blooms are showy and striking, even more so because they stand high above the muddy water that they naturally grow in.
It is this last part that may matter most. The lotus is a symbol of purity and perfect beauty in many Asian cultures and faiths, but it is somewhat more than that. It symbolizes purity or beauty that holds itself above the mud and water that is variously interpreted as imperfection, sin, attachment, or Earthly desires. In Buddhism, the Lotus is used as an allegory for how a soul is born into a life of desire and attachment, but can rise above all of this to become pure and unattached, the process of Enlightenment.
