Welcome back! Today, we're going to chat about a pretty flower. First, let's take a look at some, so for today's video, we take you to the exotic land of Memphis, Tennessee, to watch the lotus taking in the sunlight...
More after the flip (and no, this isn't one of those "cheerful-sounding subjects with doom under the flip moments").
Background
Life is busy for me right now, so let's share a light and pleasant moment today. In particular, let's talk about the role of something in particular that pervades Buddhism at all levels, the lotus.
Lotus refers to a genus of aquatic plants, Nelumbo, and Buddhist references to it are inspired by the Asian variety, N. nucifera, though the American variety N. lutea (from the video above), is similar enough in any respects I care about right now.
Lotus is somewhat like the waterlily, but not quite the same. The biggest differences are they rise up above the water, both blossoms and leaves, and they have a striking lumpy structure in the center of the blossom that, when mature, becomes a seed cup. Lotuses also tend to be more delicately colored.
So let's chat for a moment on how the lotus is used in Buddhism.
Dharma Chat — Lotus Blossoms
Let's begin with the plant itself. Lotus is a relatively common plant along the edges of ponds and wetlands in the Ganges valley where Buddhism arose. It was also surely cultivated in gardens of the day, both for its beautiful blossom and for food.
Have you ever stepped into the water along the edge of a still pond, one that hasn't been maintained for human use? The bottom is often a slimy muck, frequently evoking reactions of "eeeew" and "gross" when someone touches it without expecting it. That slimy muck of wet decayed organic matter, that's what the lotus loves to grow in.
From this muck, grow leaves, broad and deep green, to soak up the sunlight. The sun soaked leaves, after appropriate effort, would then have the strength to shoot up a blossom, which slowly emerges, offering color and literal warmth in the morning air to the beetles and bees that share pollen among the blossoms. The pollinated blossom dries into a seed pod, which floats slowly along the water, dropping seeds into the muck and starting the process anew.
This isn't just a botany lesson, this is a metaphor for enlightenment.
Dharma Chat — The Lotus Throne
So, in Buddhist iconography, we frequently find Buddha, Bodhisattvas, sometime Arhats and other notable figures, depicted as sitting, standing or walking on a lotus throne. The lotus throne is a stylized depiction of a lotus blossom.
The lotus throne's presence in the image or statue is there to signify that not only is the figure greatly enlightened, but the throne is a seat from which they share that enlightenment with others. Perhaps we can help the throne pollinate, perhaps a seed might take root in the muck we've gathered in our untended minds...
Dharma Chat — The Flower Sermon
In Ch'an/Zen Buddhism we add another layer of lotussy goodness. I have heard a story, here's one telling of it, snagged from the internet:
Toward the end of his life, the Buddha took his disciples to a quiet pond for instruction. As they had done so many times before, the Buddha's followers sat in a small circle around him, and waited for the teaching.
But this time the Buddha had no words. He reached into the muck and pulled up a lotus flower. And he held it silently before them, its roots dripping mud and water.
The disciples were greatly confused. Buddha quietly displayed the lotus to each of them. In turn, the disciples did their best to expound upon the meaning of the flower: what it symbolized, and how it fit into the body of Buddha's teaching.
When at last the Buddha came to his follower Mahākassapa, the disciple suddenly understood. He smiled and began to laugh. Buddha handed the lotus to Mahākassapa and began to speak.
"What can be said I have said to you," smiled the Buddha, "and what cannot be said, I have given to Mahākassapa."
Mahākassapa became Buddha's successor from that day forward.
The story serves at least two purposes, it's there to give strength and legitimacy to the Ch'an lineage (which, of course, traces back to Mahākassapa, written Makakashô in my Zen school's lineage document), and it's there to justify some of the quirks of Ch'an Buddhism, like its focus on experience and practice rather than on text and words.
It's almost certainly ahistorical, Ch'an Buddhism in China sprung from the lineage of Yogacara Buddhism in India, which means that, if the story is true, this was the story of the founding of the Yogacara lineage, and would thus be important to all Yogacara schools. However, to my knowledge, none of the other Yogacara schools teach it. Like so much in Buddhism, whether or not the story is technically true has no bearing on the importance of the tale.
Dharma Chat — Consuming the Lotus
Did I say "food" way up there? Indeed I did. Lotus (both Asian and American) is quite tasty, and it's a traditional food for Buddhist monks as well as a symbolic flower.
The seeds are excellent, raw or cooked. They are often crushed and mixed with sugar to make fillings for festival treats, especially Moon Cakes during the autumn festivals.
The root (lotus root is sometimes called lotus stem in Indian cuisine) is also excellent, I love to use it in stir-fries. It's also very popular simply sliced and simmered in dashi (a clear bonito and seaweed broth). Argh, this diary is making me hungry.
Cooking with lotus isn't even just an Asian thing, Native Americans also have traditionally used lotus seeds and roots in their cooking, the American and Asian lotus are quite similar.
The lotus leaves are often used to wrap steamed food. Also, in oryoki, formal Zen meals, the tableware is wrapped with a knot designed to be reminiscent of the lotus leaf.
[ PS: The lotus-eaters in Homer's Odyssey are not eating these lotus, but rather some unidentified variety of a different category of plant sharing the same name. Homer mentions lotus trees, and Nelumbo lotuses aren't going to offer a tree any time soon ]
So, that's just a little wandering through the religious life of this beautiful and tasty flower. How about you, any especially meaningful flowers in your life? Other questions, concerns, comments, recipes?