Flower: Pink Lotus
Sacred Symbol: Wheel of Dharma (Dharmachakra)
Mantra/Phrase: The Mani Mantra
Om Mani Padme Hum
(Praise to the Jewel in the Lotus)
The lotus flower is an auspicious symbol of Buddhism. As the
lotus grows from a muddy environment into a beautiful flower that rises
above the water, Buddha personified our ability to evolve beyond material
attachment and physical desires, into enlightened beings.
“As a lotus flower is born in water, grows in water and rises out of water to stand
above it unsoiled, so I, born in the world, raised in the world having overcome
the world, live unsoiled by the world.” Gautama Buddha, Tripitika, Anguttara
Nikaya 4.36.
In Buddhist iconography, the pink lotus is supremely honoured, as it
is a symbol of the Buddha himself (563-483 BCE) and the history and
succession of all Buddhas, portrayed as either seated or standing on an
open lotus flower. A budding pink lotus symbolises the person whose
awareness is beginning to expand; a fully opened pink lotus flower
symbolises the attainment of enlightenment (nirvana).
The sacred symbol in the middle of the painting is the
‘Dharma Wheel’ (Dharmachakra). The wheel’s circular shape represents
the perfection of the Buddha’s teachings (Dharma), and its motion is a
metaphor for the rapid spiritual change engendered by the teachings.
The wheel is made up of three parts: the rim, the hub, and the spokes:
(i) The rim represents meditative concentration and mindfulness, which
hold the practice together;
(ii) The hub represents moral discipline, with the three swirls inside the
hub representing the three ‘jewels’ of Buddhism: the teacher (Buddha),
the teachings (Dharma), and the community of monks/nuns (Sangha); and
(iii) The spokes signify different concepts, depending on their number. An
8 spoked wheel represents the eight-fold noble path.
Surrounding the lotus is a popular Tibetan Buddhist
mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, commonly translated as ‘Praise to the Jewel
in the Lotus’.
It is said all the teachings of Buddha are contained in this mantra, and
that to know the phrase is to know enlightenment. The mantra can be
repeated to invoke the loving and unconditional qualities of compassion.