The meaning of the lotus symbol in Buddhism. Buddha mind is like a lotus flower. Speaking of lotus flowers, first in the temple, we see a statue of Buddha sitting on a lotus. Surely you also remember when he became a Buddha, where did he sit? He sat under the Bodhi tree, on the grass. Now we let the Buddha sit on a lotus, that is not true. So what is the meaning of the lotus that all of us Buddhists cherish to serve as a platform for the Buddha to sit on? Or do pagodas, towers and even the graves of Buddhists have lotus images? Even Buddhist families use a lotus-shaped flag… Those are the things Buddhists need to understand so that when someone asks us, we know how to explain. Perfume emanating from the mud The meaning of the lotus flower that we need to understand is that it blooms from a filthy place with a pure scent... In the spirit of Theravada Buddhism:Usually the lotus comes from the mud, always grows in the pond, in the lake. That Vietnamese folk song has mentioned and you also remember, already memorized. Thus, the value of the lotus flower is from the place where the lotus emerges, rises out of the mud, comes out of the water, and blooms. At first it burrows in the mud, but when it is about to bloom, it comes out of the mud, soaks in the water, and comes out of the water to flower. It stinks when it's in the mud, but when it blooms it's fragrant. So the value of the lotus flower is that from the dirty place, it blooms with a pure scent, which is the special feature of the lotus. For example, roses, chrysanthemums, apricots we grow on the dry, fragrant flowers are also common, because they do not have anything foul. And the lotus in the mud can produce fragrant flowers, which is rare. Therefore, Buddhism uses this meaning of the lotus flower to symbolize the cultivator. According to history,Buddha in the past was the son of King Tinh San San, he lived in a royal state full of five senses, i.e., color, sound, scent, taste, and contact excess. He lived in the five senses, immersed in the five desires, but it was from within the five desires that he later awakened, he got out of the five senses and went to practice. When he went to practice, he lived an austere life until the day of perfect enlightenment, becoming a wise and enlightened Buddha, just like the lotus flower that emerges from the mud, emerges from the water, and then blooms. That's why the Buddha said: Before my mind was loose, I chased after sensual pleasures, Now I'm mastering it, Like a hook for an elephant. (Dharma Sutra 326) The Buddha recounted: In the past, when he was in the Crown Prince's palace, his mind indulged in craving, enjoying sensual pleasures, but today, when he went to practice, he overpowered it like the jockey (the elephant herder) uses hooks to tame the elephants. The lotus is lying on the ground,The lotus flower is to represent a metaphor for each of us, we all have Buddha nature. So the value of the lotus flower is from the filthy place that blooms with a pure scent, that's why the lotus is often used as a symbol of the Buddha. So you see from the mud of the five senses, he escaped. out and become a liberated enlightened being. The Buddha did not come down from any heaven, but was a person who fully enjoyed the worldly pleasures, then tamed himself, got rid of the five desires, and became an enlightened being. When he was in the king's palace enjoying sensual pleasures, for example, the lotus flower was still in the mud; when he passed the renunciation, he was no longer in the world of sensual pleasures, for example, the lotus rose out of the mud but was still in the water; when he tried to practice until he reached full enlightenment, like a lotus that transcends water,Bloom. Thus, from the moment the lotus blooms until it blooms, it goes through many stages: the first stage is in the mud, the second stage is out of the mud in the water, the third stage is out of the water, and the fourth stage is in bloom. fragrant flowers. Likewise, the life of the Buddha has many stages: the first stage is to indulge in worldly pleasures, the second stage is to break through the monastic life, the third stage is when he cultivates diligently until he attains the precepts. purified, tamed the mind, stage four is full enlightenment. So later on, the Patriarchs used lotus flowers to symbolize the Buddha's practice, the image of the Buddha sitting on a lotus platform is such a meaning. After enlightenment, the Buddha also used the lotus flower to teach his disciples and the Buddha's disciples also followed his example. As in the middle of a pile of filthy garbage Thrown beside the lagoon, There the lotus blooms, fragrant clean and pleasing to people. Likewise among the multitudes of births,Contaminated with worldly blindness, Disciple of the Perfectly Enlightened One, Shining with wisdom. (The Dhammapada 58-59). Through this verse we see that the Buddha taught his disciples to be like a lotus, like in what way? Like when entering the city, we see a few stinky garbage trucks, people bring to fill the valleys, the lagoons. That's where the lotus grows, when the lotus blooms, does the flower smell of garbage or a pure fragrance? - Lotus blooms have a pure fragrance. It is the Buddha using the image of a lotus as an example. He continued: "In the same way, among the unclean, blind, and worldly beings," that is, among the people around us, who are the unclean, the blind, the worldly, the disciples of the Perfectly Enlightened One must how? Disciples of the Buddha must strive to be "bright with wisdom", that is, in the dark and unclean places we must always nurture our wisdom to be bright in order to be worthy of being a disciple of the Perfectly Enlightened One.Thus you see that the Buddha used the lotus flower to remind his disciples to live in accordance with the spirit of the lotus, from mundane contamination to enlightenment with bright wisdom. The meaning of the saying: 'Only self is unique' The lotus is in the furnace Although lying in the mud for many days, the lotus is still waiting for the day to rise above the water to bloom and then show off its blooming, fragrant scent fragrant all over the world. Next we talk about the lotus symbolism in the spirit of Mahayana Buddhism or developed Buddhism, it's a bit different. Most of the Buddhists here are probably chanting the Lotus Sutra, what is the Dharma Flower? The Dharma is the Wonderful Law, the Flower is the Lotus Flower, for short, the Dharma Flower, enough said is the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. Lotus is the lotus, the Dharma is like a lotus, so it's called the Lotus Flower Sutra.Thus, the Lotus Sutra is a sutra that speaks to the meaning of the Wonderful Dharma, like a lotus flower. What is the Dharma? That is, the Buddha's knowledge. The Lotus Sutra says: "Buddhas were born because they taught all sentient beings to enter the Buddha's knowledge and understanding", that is, they only teach us to realize the Buddha's knowledge and understanding, that is, our own view and knowledge of the Buddha. So where is my seeing and knowing Buddha? - In this filthy impermanent body. The Buddha's knowledge is the pure, clear, and wonderful Dharma, the Dharma that is available to us. This unclean body is like a pile of mud. The Buddha taught that our bodies are filthy and unclean, but in the filth, there is clarity and clarity, so we lure the Tri to see the Buddha like a lotus flower. We skillfully apply and practice according to the Buddha's teachings in the Lotus Sutra, we will be enlightened, see the Buddha's knowledge and understanding. How do Zen masters talk about the lotus? As a Zen master of the Ly dynasty,Mr. Dao Hue has a verse: The body is ugly, the body is ugly, and there is no separation. Farewell to the weak and weak, Lo is the most loyal. I translate: Form body with Magical body, Not in harmony and not separated. If you need to distinguish, In the oven a flower branch. The flower branch is the lotus branch. Zen masters no longer say that the lotus is in the mud, but that the lotus is in the furnace. The lotus in the mud is easy to understand, but the lotus in the furnace is beyond our imagination. I will explain what this means. The furnace of fire refers to the impermanent body, in the Lotus Sutra there is also an example that is "Three realms of insecurity like a fire", which means that the three realms are not safe, like in a house of fire. Our impermanent body is burned, it dries up, it dies every minute, every second, but there is something in it that has never been burned, always intact and bright, according to the Lotus Sutra, that is Tri. see Buddha,According to this verse, it is the Noble Body. The furnace of fire for the body, the flower branch for the Magical body. The flower branch is a symbol of our inherent wisdom, which the Buddhists call Buddha nature or True Mind. That wisdom is available in this impermanent body like a lotus in a furnace. Our bodies are destroyed by the fire of impermanence, but our lotus, our awareness, never withers. So how many times has one body passed away, but awareness has not increased, decreased, or changed, for example, the lotus flower in a furnace is still fresh. In the second position, also in the Ly dynasty, Zen master Ngo An said a little differently: Dieu nature is invincible, Void mind is enlightened. Jade part of the upper part of the mountain is usually quick, while Lien Phat has a low taste of can. I roughly translate: Magical emptiness can't be vin, Emptiness has no mind to believe things that are easy to believe. Freshly imbued with jewels in the burning mountains,The lotus flower stove blooms beautifully. In this discourse the Zen master also said that the lotus flower is in the furnace. "The magical nature of emptiness cannot be vindicated" means that each of us has a mysterious nature ie awareness, it is empty so we cannot follow it, cannot grasp it. "Empty mind is not easy to believe" is if when our mind is empty and no longer attached, then we can believe it. "Freshly colored jade in the burning mountain" means that in the burning mountain, the pearl is still fresh, not dry, not burned nor cracked... The lotus flower is still blooming beautifully. So the lotus flower in the furnace is to say that our impermanent birth and death body still has the essence or the wonderful nature that is always fresh, always beautiful and not withered,perish while all are consumed by the fire of impermanence. Buddhism, the symbol of the lotus So you can see that in the body of impermanence there is something that is not impermanent, which is called the Magical nature (according to Mr. Ngo An) or the Wonderful body (according to Mr. Dao Hue). for that truth. Another monk asked the Venerable To in Tri Mon: What happens to the lotus flower before it comes out of the water? He replied: Lotus. - What happens after you get out of the country? - Lotus leaf. Is the answer easy to understand? The answer was as if there was no answer, could not understand anything. But later, a Japanese national teacher, Mr. Vien Thong Dai Ung, did a recitation so that we could clearly see that meaning. He chanted: Lotus flowers, Diep Ly Ne Thuy, Out of position at the perfect moment who. Unlimited bar of unwittingly collected incense, Hoa Phong zone, full of maintenance. I can roughly translate: Lotus leaves branches and leaves off the mud and water, I have not come out with bare spots yet.Infinite autumn fragrance does not end, According to the wind and rain, the pond is full of flowers. To say that we are out of the water or have not yet come out of the water, say that it is a lotus flower, a lotus branch or a lotus leaf, that way of saying it is so that we are not bound by emotions. The monk asked, "How is the lotus before coming out of the water" is the implicit question when our Buddha nature is still mixed in this mundane mind or in this deluded mind? He immediately replied: Lotus. Ask again: What happens after getting out of the water? It should have bloomed after coming out of the water, just as our mind when freed from afflictions would be bright, but he replied, "lotus leaf". So the answer is a lotus flower, is a lotus leaf, that answer is not for us to understand but for us to see. If when we don't start thinking discriminantly - a professional term in Zen Buddhism called not starting to understand - then "out of and out, there's no point in the ceiling".that is, there is not a single thought to make it dirty. If we don't have a single impure thought, then "infinite fragrance can't be collected", then the fragrance is all over, even if we want to collect it, it won't go away. "Following the rain and the wind, the ponds will bloom" is to follow the rain and follow the wind, and the pond will be full of lotus flowers. In summary, the point of this chant is to say that when one comes to the point where the mind no longer chases after externals or does not generate wandering emotions, then the mind is pure and free of a speck of dirt, then Where the lotus flowers are blooming, where the fragrant scent of the lotus flower is, there is no longer any stench or filth. That is the meaning of the lotus flower.If we don't have a single impure thought, then "infinite fragrance can't be collected", then the fragrance is all over, even if we want to collect it, it won't go away. "Following the rain and the wind, the ponds will bloom" is to follow the rain and follow the wind, and the pond will be full of lotus flowers. In summary, the point of this chant is to say that when one comes to the point where the mind no longer chases after externals or does not generate wandering emotions, then the mind is pure and free of a speck of dirt, then Where the lotus flowers are in full bloom, where the fragrant scent of the lotus flower is present, there is no longer any stench or filth. That is the meaning of the lotus flower.If we don't have a single impure thought, then "infinite fragrance can't be collected", then the fragrance is all over, even if we want to collect it, it won't go away. "Following the rain and the wind, the ponds will bloom" is to follow the rain and follow the wind, and the pond will be full of lotus flowers. In summary, the point of this chant is to say that when one comes to the point where the mind no longer chases after externals or does not generate wandering emotions, then the mind is pure and free of a speck of dirt, then Where the lotus flowers are in full bloom, where the fragrant scent of the lotus flower is present, there is no longer any stench or filth. That is the meaning of the lotus flower..At that time, the fragrance is overflowing, even if we want to collect it, it will not be exhausted. "Following the rain and the wind, the ponds will bloom" is to follow the rain and follow the wind, and the pond will be full of lotus flowers. In summary, the point of this chant is to say that when one comes to the point where the mind no longer chases after externals or does not generate wandering emotions, then the mind is pure and free of a speck of dirt, then Where the lotus flowers are in full bloom, where the fragrant scent of the lotus flower is present, there is no longer any stench or filth. That is the meaning of the lotus flower.At that time, the fragrance is overflowing, even if we want to collect it, it will not be exhausted. "Following the rain and the wind, the ponds will bloom" is to follow the rain and follow the wind, and the pond will be full of lotus flowers. In summary, the point of this chant is to say that when one comes to the point where the mind no longer chases after externals or does not generate wandering emotions, then the mind is pure and free of a speck of dirt, then Where the lotus flowers are in full bloom, where the fragrant scent of the lotus flower is present, there is no longer any stench or filth. That is the meaning of the lotus flower.In summary, the point of this chant is to say that when one comes to the point where the mind no longer chases after externals or does not generate wandering emotions, then the mind is pure and free of a speck of dirt, then Where the lotus flowers are blooming, where the fragrant scent of the lotus flower is, there is no longer any stench or filth. That is the meaning of the lotus flower.In summary, the point of this chant is to say that when one comes to the point where the mind no longer chases after externals or does not generate wandering emotions, then the mind is pure and free of a speck of dirt, then Where the lotus flowers are blooming, where the fragrant scent of the lotus flower is, there is no longer any stench or filth. That is the meaning of the lotus flower.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=BUDDHIST DHARMA WHEEL GOLDEN MONASTRY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.10/12/2022.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH.