The Lotus Flower

I am not a religious person, and I never was.
(although I have been baptized so technically I am a Christian).

But I learned about Buddhism in school last year, and I think the Buddhist teachings are really inspiring.

For those of you who don't know, the lotus flower is an important symbol of Buddhism and represents purity and enlightenment.

It grows at the bottom of a murky pond, covered in mud. The stem struggling to find enough sunlight to grow and reach the air. The stem reaches out, forever hoping to get to the surface.

After growing like this for a while, it suddenly breaks through the layer of water, and it has reached it's goal. It opens out into a beautiful flower, a completely pure colour. There is no mud on the flower, no stains on the petals. It is pure.

It struggled through all the growth and is now a beautiful flower.

   

I think that really gives people hope. If they're in a difficult situation they can think back to the lotus flower and realize 'I can do this'. I think that's why I like all the symbolism behind it. It is so encouraging.

Sorry about this weirdly religious random post. I will get back to the normal ones tomorrow ;)