Lotus is a famous traditional flower in China. The flowers and leaves are delicate and fragrant, which hides people's hearts. There is a kind of temperament that is not afraid of the hot sun and does not touch the body under the mud and sand. Therefore, in people's minds, lotus is the embodiment of truth, goodness and beauty, a sign of good fortune and prosperity, a sacred and clean name in Buddhism, and a seed of friendship.
In the classic literary masterpiece A Dream of Red Mansions, it is said that Qingwen became a lotus fairy after her death. Jia Baoyu said to Qingwen in the obituary "Daughter of Lotus": "If you talk about quality, it is not worth mentioning; If it is sex, no ice and snow means clean; If it is a god, neither the stars nor the sun can describe its essence; If it is a look, then flowers and months are not enough to describe its color. " Although later redology experts thought that this was not the author's praise of Daiyu's purity in the name of chanting Qingwen, lotus flowers were always associated with the purity of a daughter.
Because "lotus" and "pity" are homonyms, there are many poems about lotus in ancient poetry to express love. For example, "Xizhou Qu" by Yuefu in the Southern Dynasties: "Lotus is picked in autumn in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and the lotus is over the head; Bow your head to get lotus seeds, which are as green as water. " "Lotus seed" means "Reiko Kobayakawa" and "green" means "clear". There are both real and imaginary here, which means pun. The rhetorical device of homophonic pun is used to express a woman's deep yearning for the man she loves and the purity of love. Thirty-five songs in Jin's "Forty-two Midnight Songs": "The fog reveals the lotus, but the lotus is unclear." The dew in the fog hides the true face of the lotus, but the lotus leaf is not very clear. This is also a way of homophonic pun, writing about a woman who vaguely feels that the man loves her.
Buddhist connotation
Lotus is the national flower of India. Because India is the birthplace of Buddhism, lotus is inextricably linked with Buddhism in India. Whether painting or shaping a Buddha statue, the Buddha seat must be a lotus seat. Why does the Buddha sit on the lotus? According to the Buddhist scriptures, Buddhism is mainly solemn and wonderful, while lotus flowers are soft and clean, big and fragrant, so "Lotus Table, Yan Jingxiang Miao can sit."
Lotus has become one of the four auspicious flowers in Buddhism (Youtan Flower, Datura, Lotus and Magnolia Officinalis), and it is also one of the eight treasures, also known as Ba Ruixiang, Ba Jixiang (Falun, Bao Umbrella, Ji Xiang Jie (also known as Pan Chang), right-handed snail, lotus, house bottle (also known as jar), goldfish and Bao Gai).
Buddha Sakyamuni sits on the lotus throne in Daxiong Hall, with kind eyes and drooping lotus eyes. Amitabha, the head of the "Three Sages of the West", and Avalokitesvara, the compassionate bodhisattva, also sat on the lotus. Some of the other bodhisattvas hold lotus flowers, some step on them, or make lotus gestures, or throw lotus flowers (such as heavenly daughters) to the world. Temple walls, algae wells, railings, sacred tents, tables, sachets and worship mats are also carved, painted or sewn with various lotus patterns everywhere. It can be seen how close the relationship between lotus and Buddhism is.
There is also a wonderful story of "Mrs. Lotus" in Buddhist scriptures. A deer gave birth to a beautiful woman, and the fairy raised her. Wherever she goes, the lotus will grow. This is the origin of the word "step by step lotus", which is now used to describe the glory of experience.