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Lotus Flowers in World Cultures and Religions Dinodia Photo - Getty Images The lotus is a central symbol in many Eastern cultures, which consider it to be one of the most sacred plants in the world.
Lotus Flower Meaning in Religion and Spirituality As mentioned before, the lotus flower is a spiritually significant symbol across Hinduism, Buddhism and some practices of ancient Egyptian religions.
The boy Buddha appearing within a lotus. Crimson and gilded wood, Trần-Hồ dynasty, Vietnam, 14th–15th century. In the Aṅguttara Nikāya, the Buddha compares himself to a lotus (padma in Sanskrit, in Pali, paduma), [3] saying that the lotus flower rises from the muddy water unstained, as he rises from this world, free from the defilements taught in the specific sutta.
The lotus symbolizes purity and renunciation. Although the lotus has its roots in the mud at the bottom of a pond, its flower lies immaculate above the water. The Buddhist lotus bloom has 4, 8, 16, 24, 32, 64, 100, or 1,000 petals. The same figures can refer to the body's 'internal lotuses', that is to say, its energy centres . [6] [7]
The uḍumbara flower of the Ficus racemosa tree appears in chapters 2 and 27 of the 3rd century Lotus Sutra, an important Mahayana Buddhist text. The symbolic nature of the uḍumbara is used in the Lotus Sutra to compare the unique occurrence of its bloom with the uncommon appearance of the Buddha and its doctrine in the world: [1]
The vast majority of lotus thrones just depict an isolated flower or a group of flowers under different figures. But some images depict more of the plant. A famous relief of Gaja-Laxmi in Cave 16 at Ellora shows a pond of lotus leaves and budding flowers as a vertical panel below the throne. [17] Burmese wood and lacquer Buddha, 11th century
The Lotus flower is the symbol of goddess Anahita Taq-e Bostan high-relief of the investiture of Khosrow II (r. 590 to 628). The king (center) receives the ring of kingship from Mithra (right). On the left, apparently sanctifying the investiture, stands a female figure generally assumed to be Anahita (but see remark , below).
Very often the proper left hand holds a lotus flower, and the right foot may rest on another one. The dangling foot often rests on something, whether a lotus flower, or the figure's vahana or "vehicle", the animal that is also an identifying attribute, or a vase. As the pose emphasizes the royal aspect of the figure, they will very often wear a ...