Few flowers play so central a role in the great spiritual traditions as the lotus. From the Egypt of the pharaohs to the India of the Vedas, and on to the Buddhism of East Asia, this water flower became an image of creation, rebirth and inner purity. Its symbolic secret lies in a natural fact: it sinks its roots in mud, rises through murky water and opens, spotless, to the light.
Two flowers under one name
When we speak of the "lotus" we actually mean different plants. In Egypt the sacred flowers were water lilies, especially the blue and the white water lily, which float on the water. In India and East Asia the true lotus is Nelumbo, whose leaves and flowers rise above the surface. The symbolism is similar, but the details change.
The Egyptian lotus and the sun
The blue water lily behaves in a way the Egyptians observed closely: the flower opens in the morning and closes in the evening, as if following the course of the sun. Hence its link with the daily birth of light.
Egyptian cosmogonies tell that, at the beginning of time, a lotus flower rose from the primordial waters, and from it the sun emerged. The god Nefertem, a young deity of fragrance, is shown with a lotus flower on his head and was associated with precisely this dawn moment.
The lotus was also one of the symbols of Upper Egypt, while papyrus represented Lower Egypt. In depictions of the union of the Two Lands, the two plants are knotted around a central sign: the unity of the kingdom expressed in a plant language.
The lotus and rebirth
Since the flower dies every evening and is reborn every morning, the lotus also became an image of rebirth after death. Tombs often show banquet scenes in which the dead hold or smell a lotus flower: a gesture recalling the wish to rise again like the sun.
The lotus of India
In the Hindu tradition the lotus is tied to the very origin of the cosmos. According to a widespread account, from the navel of the god Vishnu, lying on the cosmic waters, a lotus flower sprouts, and from its cup Brahma, the creator, is born. The goddess Lakshmi, symbol of prosperity and beauty, is often depicted sitting or standing on a lotus.
The Bhagavad Gita uses a famous image: whoever acts without attachment, offering his actions to the divine, is not touched by evil, just as the lotus leaf is not wetted by water. The natural observation is precise: Nelumbo leaves repel water, which slides over them in drops.
The lotuses of the subtle body
In tantric and yogic traditions the chakras, the centres of the subtle body, are described as lotus flowers with differing numbers of petals. The highest centre, at the crown of the head, is called the thousand-petalled lotus. The image suggests a path of blossoming: consciousness opens gradually, petal by petal.
The lotus in Buddhism
Buddhism made the lotus one of its main symbols. The Buddha is depicted seated on a lotus, and the cross-legged meditation posture is called the "lotus position". The lotus expresses the possibility of living in the world, with its impurities, without being tainted by them.
The Tibetan mantra Om mani padme hum contains the word padma, "lotus", and is often rendered as an invocation of the "jewel in the lotus". One of the most important texts of Mahayana Buddhism is known as the Lotus Sutra.
Symbolic reading
Studio Esoterico Cornelio reads the lotus as the image of a three-stage path: the roots in the mud, that is, the conditions we start from; the stem in the water, the path of transformation; the flower open to the light, fulfilment.
| Part of the lotus | Symbolic meaning |
|---|---|
| Roots in the mud | Origin, matter, starting conditions |
| Stem in the water | Path, transformation, perseverance |
| Flower in the light | Awakening, purity, fulfilment |
| Water-repelling leaf | Detachment, inner freedom |
In short
- The name "lotus" covers both Egyptian water lilies and Asian Nelumbo.
- In Egypt the flower that opens at dawn was linked to the birth of the sun.
- In Hinduism Brahma is born from a lotus sprouting from Vishnu's navel.
- The Bhagavad Gita uses the lotus leaf as an image of detachment.
- In Buddhism the lotus represents an awakening that arises from the world without being tainted by it.
