Lotus Seed is a collection of sayings, quotes & musings of fellow travelers who have shared some profound wisdom and insights. Although the blog has a substantial collection from the Buddhist ideology, however it is just a personal inclination and not intended to present or argue it as superior over other religions or philosophies. An ancient Sanskrit couplet by Adi Shankaracharya elucidates it as

आकाषात् पतितं तोयं यथा गच्छति सागरम् |

सर्व देव नमस्कारः केशवं प्रति गच्छति ||

AkAshAt patitam tOyam yathA gacchati sAgaram 

sarva dEva namaskArah kEshavam pratigacchati

‘As all the raindrops falling from the sky ultimately meet their end in the ocean, similarly all spiritual endeavors & approaches are paths to the same goal of spiritual ascension

Lotus Seed Symbol

The Lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. But it will only grow in the mud. In order to grow and gain wisdom, first you must have the mud- the obstacles of life and its suffering. The mud speaks of the common ground that humans share, no matter what our stations in life. Whether we have it all or we have nothing, we are all faced with the same obstacles: sadness, loss, illness, dying, and death. If we are to strive as human beings to gain more wisdom, more kindness, and more compassion, we must have the intention to grow as a lotus and open each petal one by one – Goldie Hawn

The Centre Dot is the starting point and represents the seed of inherent greatness which lies embedded in all beings. Just as butter is inherent in milk and oil is inherent in a sesame seed, the seeds of intrinsic goodness is present in all of us

Inner Wheel, represents the medium through which an individual lives and interacts with rest of the existence. It is ‘Samsara’; the never ending cycle of attachments, desires, actions and consequences; the total pattern of worldly life experienced by an individual

The Twelve Petal Lotus represents Heart Chakra or ‘Anahata’ in Sanskrit meaning “unhurt”, implying that beneath all the pain & suffering experienced while going through Samsara a person is still capable of boundless love, compassion & courage. Like a lotus seed that breaks through the mud to blossom in free air and sunlight, similarly the seed of greatness within can ripen to break through and flower

The Outer Incomplete Circle is ‘Enso’ a Zen symbol of enlightenment and totality as it represents both the visible & missing, known & unknown, the yin & yang – the opening in the circle represents dissolved duality and the fundamental interconnectedness of all. The circle opening to merge with what lies outside depicts liberation from the cycles of automatic living & ‘Samsara’

Lotus Seed symbol therefore reminds us that the potentiality for greatness exists in all beings, and that we all have the strength and capability to rise above fears, self imposed limitations & personal stories of hurt & brokenness to blossom into a more empowered & fulfilling life.  As Tibetan master Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro said “Getting butter from milk is only possible because milk already contains cream. No one ever made butter by churning water. The prospector looks for gold in rocks and not in wood chips. Likewise, the quest for perfect enlightenment only makes sense because Buddha-Nature is already present in every being”

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