Padme – The Spiritual Bloom
“Just like the lotus we too have the ability to rise from the mud, bloom out of the darkness and radiate into the world.”
The lotus is one of the most revered and sacred symbols of Buddhism. It is this holy symbol that is the subject of today’s artwork tilted, “Padme – The Spiritual Bloom.”
The lotus represents spiritual awakening, purity, and rebirth as the act of emerging from muddy water symbolizes rising above the challenges and adversities of life and moving towards the light of wisdom. It also represents nonattachment, as it is rooted in mud (attachment and desire) but its flowers blossom on long stalks untarnished by the mud below (detachment).
Another important aspect of the lotus is that when it blossoms, it simultaneously plants a seed, representing the Buddhist concept of cause and effect, whereby the flower is symbolic of the cause and the seed-pod the effect.
The lotus serves as a reminder that all beings can attain enlightenment. Just as the blossom rises from the depths of murky ponds and lakes to bloom immaculately above the water’s surface, so can the human mind develop the virtues of the Buddha and transcend desire and attachment to reveal its essentially pure nature. It symbolizes the blooming of the soul from the filth of the physical world, eventually flourishing in the bright sunshine of enlightenment and attaining nirvana.
There are a variety of colors of the lotus associated with Buddhism. The pink lotus is the supreme one and is the true lotus of Buddha. It is for this reason that the Buddha in this artwork is depicted seated on a pink lotus, which indicates His enlightened and divine status.
All symbolism associated with the lotus points towards finding spiritual meaning in life. We all are like lotus blooms in the universal pond, striving to realize our true potential.
The Art Dungeon 