In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus told of the Lotus-eaters, the Lotophagi race who lived on an island off the coast of Tunisia. On this island were full of lotus trees. “Whosoever of them ate of the honey-sweet fruit of the lotus, had no longer any wish to bring back word or to return, but there they were fain to abide among the Lotus-eaters, feeding on the lotus, and forgetful of their homeward way.” Ever since, the term “lotus-eaters” have come to describe those who pass their days indulging in pleasure and luxury.
In Asia, the lotus is to denote the Indian lotus, which is the modern-day definition of the flower lotus. It has a wide native distribution, ranging from central and northern India to northern Indochina and East Asia. It is often confused with the waterlily, perhaps because of similar appearances and that both thrive in flood plains. Like the Greek lotos, every part of the lotus plant is edible, to be made into food, tea, or as food packaging. Lotus silk was first conceived nearly a century ago by a woman named Daw Sa Oo in Myanmar. Upon picking a lotus flower from Inle lake to offer at a Buddhist temple, she recognized the filament coming out from its stem and had the idea to weave them into textile. She offered her lotus robe to a monk from Golden Peacock Hill, Northwest of Inle lake. Since then she made her living from lotus robe weaving.
The lotus is most well-known for its association with the Buddha, the reason often attributed to its astounding beauty rising out of muddy stagnant waters, a symbol for reaching enlightenment. The Buddha is often depicted on a lotus flower, meditating in a sitting position called the lotus position. Among the most influential and venerated Buddhist scriptures is the Lotus Sūtra, of which principles established prominent schools of Buddhism in East Asia. What makes it “a radical re-vision of both the Buddhist path and of the person of the Buddha” is the concept that Buddha’s knowledge is inherent in every living being. Through persistent practice, Buddha’s knowledge – the eternal purity deep within – will gradually surface. From this arises the revolutionary revelation that any being can attain Buddhahood and become Buddha.
Among the Buddhist schools of East Asia, the story of the Flower Sermon is considered the origin of Zen Buddhism. Once, on Vulture Peak in India, amidst a vast assembly of beings, the Buddha held up a lotus flower and said no word. No one understood the Flower Sermon except Mahākāśyapa, who smiled. The Buddha, who, I imagined, was kind-hearted and funny with a touch a sarcasm, then said, “I possess the true Dharma eye, the marvelous mind of Nirvana, the true form of the formless, the subtle dharma gate that does not rest on words or letters but is a special transmission outside of the scriptures. This I entrust to Mahākāśyapa.” One must imagine that the throngs of people visiting daily hoping to hear new wisdoms and insights from the Buddha would become a dull sight. After all, one does not attain enlightenment by repeatedly attending lectures and listening to speeches. It is through meditation practice, which Zen Buddhism emphasizes, that one may gain direct insight into their own Buddha-nature.
Interestingly the lotus is also featured in Buddhist literature on the hell realms. The Buddha told of a great sea encompassing the 8000 continents surrounding the four continents. There is, moreover, a great diamond mountain range encircling that great sea. Beyond this great diamond mountain range is yet another great diamond mountain range. Unreachable by the sun and moon light, between these two mountain ranges lies darkness. In that darkness lie eight major hells and sixteen minor hells. The sixteenth minor hell is called Cold and Ice, where resident sinners are tormented with unbearable cold. Within this realm lies the hell of the Blue Lotus, where intense cold turns the skin blue. The blue lotus mentioned is actually the blue waterlily, as lotus hues do not come in blue. There is the hell of the Crimson Lotus, where blizzards rage to crack open frozen skin, leaving one raw and bloody. Then there is the hell of the Great Crimson Lotus, where one’s flesh separates into petals, resembling a crimson lotus.
In reflection, the lotus itself does not particularly symbolize good or evil, but only mirrors the state of being, whether in hell or in enlightenment. When we look into this astoundingly beautiful flower, we see only ourselves – who we are, what we have become. When the Buddha held up the lotus in the Flower Sermon, his disciple looked into the flower and gained insight into their own Buddha-nature, which was their authentic self. And until we can see into our authentic selves, no heavenly words coming from the Buddha can elevate our state of being.
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