Lotus historical materials

After the emergence of Buddhism, Buddhists also adopted lotus as the main symbol of Buddhism. It is said that after the birth of Prince Siddhartha, who later became a Buddha, he immediately took seven steps to the ground and gave birth to lotus seeds step by step. So the lotus became a symbol of his birth. Since the first century AD, Buddha statues have often sat on the lotus platform. His sitting posture, either lotus or auspicious, has become a typical sitting posture of Buddhist monks in meditation. According to the explanation of the Great Sun Sutra, "the left foot is the upper right first, and the right foot is the upper left, which is called lotus sitting; One foot on the right is called auspicious sitting. "Buddhists believe that lotus can reflect the level of practice, and that a monk sincerely recites Buddha, then a lotus will be born in the Qibaochi in the west. If he is diligent, his flowers will grow bigger and bigger; if he is lazy, his flowers will wither. I also believe: "People in the heavens, even those who fly and climb, who go to live in the Amitabha Buddhist Temple, were born in the Lotus in Qibaochi. "

Lotus has spread to every corner of Asia with Buddhism. Pictures of lotus flowers can be seen in the Brahmaputra Buddhist altar in Java, Burj ancient city in Myanmar, temples in Sukhothai and Angkor Wat in Thailand, bell tower in Sri Lanka, Burial Blue in Bali and symbol of Tibet. In the famous six-character mantra of Tibetan Buddhism Lamaism, "Hey, it's beautiful."

Lotus has a profound cultural origin in China. After Buddhism was established as the state religion in the Tang Dynasty, lotus was deeply loved by people. The hometown of Buddha Sakyamuni is rich in lotus, so Buddhism often refers to the lotus itself. "Compendium of Materia Medica" states: "The use of application is cited as an example, and all the wonderful principles exist." Buddhism also refers to the place where lotus flowers live. Also known as "Lotus World". Buddhist scriptures are called "Lotus Sutra", Buddhists are called "Lotus Platform" or "Lotus Platform", Buddhist temples are called "Lotus Room", temples are called "Lotus Clothes" and so on. Lotus design has also become a symbol of Buddhism. Buddhist buildings, decorations and utensils also have lotus patterns.

Lotus is one of the four auspicious flowers in Buddhism, one of the eight treasures and one of the nine symbols of Buddhism.

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.