Lotus Purity

"Birthing from the muddy corruption yet it's purity is untouched" - the courageous choice of a Lotus. ©Bahman Farzad / lotusflowerimages.com

A lotus flower begins its journey underneath layers of pond.  Its insignificant birth has been covered with darkness, impurity and hardship.  The flower bud was soaked in layers of marshy, mucky, dirty, sometimes smelling mud.  As the bud comes closer and closer to the surface of the pond and begins to open, it blooms layer by layer – shedding away the old, opening to the new, while presenting its true self.  Unafraid, this beauty reveals the purity of self, its spotless clarity, and its innermost essence.

Just like the lotus flower, our environment can sometimes seem extremely difficult, toxic and filled with darkness.  It does not always seem ideal to make us into the beautiful, pure, confident beings we are meant to be.  Yet somehow we can not escape from the mud we bathe in…  We ask ourselves what is the purpose of all this hardship and what is the purpose of our pain?  Can our “toxic” muddy water really supply us the nutrients that we need?  Is it possible that we are growing stronger and brighter because of our “toxic” environment?

The lotus flower grows from the muddy water of impurities and draws nutrient from its “toxic” environment.  Day after day, it finds courage within when greeted by darkness with-out.  Day after day, it finds the strength within to make the choice to keep on growing with-out…  When the flower finally opens, it touches us with its gentleness, beauty and love…  Simply miraculous indeed!  Looking back, the lotus flower took on the muddy water as a contrast of its untouchable beauty after seemingly endless struggle and doubt – yet it prevails with such stunning purity and inspiring awe…

“The lotus flower resides on top of a muddy pond yet its beauty is uncorrupted and its calmness undisturbed,” mother smiled tenderly, “isn’t that a rare flower?”