What do lotus blossoms signify?
The lotus blossoms grow out of — but not independent of — the mire. We should never distance ourselves from suffering and ignore the world in the name of practice. Just as lotus blossoms grow in the heat of the summer, we need to turn the bothersome troubles and defilement of our lives into opportunities to further our practice and cultivation. It also signifies the purity and righteousness of our inner Buddha nature. The lotus comes from the mud and grows straight and true to rise above the water, sublime and pleasing to see, spreading the beautiful fragrance throughout the world, just as the Buddha’s teachings of compassion and wisdom also spread throughout the world.
