The White Lotus Ode

[friendly]

By Hui Yuan (found in chapter on Buddhist doctrine in "The World's Great Religions", 1957 Life-Book Trade Publications, Simon & Shuster) Thanks to one of my students for bringing this to my attention:

What words can picture the beauty and breadth

Of that pure and glistening land?

Where the golden gates gleam like purest water...

The land where there are none but fragrant bowers,

Where the Utpala lotus unfolds itself freely.

O hear the sweet tones from hillside and grove

The All-Father's praise from the throats of the birds!

And the ages fly by in an endless chain,

Never broken by summer's or winter's change.

The burning sun can never more frighten.

The icy storm's power long ago is subdued.

The clouds full of light and the green mantled forests

Now cradle all things in their endless peace.

Now the soul is set free from the haunts of darkness

And rests secure in the dwelling of truth.

See, all that was dim and beclouded on earth

Here is revealed, appropriated, secured.

There ne'er was a country so brightened with gladness

As the Land of the Pure there far off to the west.

There stands Amitabha with shining adornments,

He makes all things ready for the Eternal Feast.

He draws every burdened soul up from the depths

And lifts them up into his peaceful abode.

The great transformation is accomplished for the worm

Who is freed form the body's oppressive sorrows.

It receives as a gift a spiritual body,

A body which shines in the sea of spirits.

And who indeed is it with grace in his tones,

Who sends his smile out to the dwellings of the suffering,

And who indeed is it whose glance is like the sun

Who shows his compassion on life and is victor?

Yes, it is God himslef, who sits on the throne

And by his law, redeems all from need.

With gold-adorned arm, with crown of bright jewels,

With power over sin, over grief, over death.

None other is like to our God in his greatness,

And none can requite his compassion's great power!

The two middle verses seem especially applicable to Lotus inebriation.

I had another very long and involved Blue Lily dream two nights ago, the gist of which seemed to be that I should start trying much larger doses next time.

I'll let you know how it works out.

The "Treasures of Tutankhamun" book (1976, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York)from the traveling exhibiton of artifacts from King Tut's tomb contains photos of some amazing alabaster blue and white lily vessels and an incredible wood sculpture of King Tut's head rising out of a blue lily.

All the gods of Egypt were depicted as being born of the Blue Lily flower, and this depiction of King Tut empahsizes the connection between the gods ands pharoahs.

[ 12. March 2004, 06:24: Message edited by: friendly ]

[nabraxas]

Padmasambhava- is the name given to the monk who brought buddhism to Tibet, it means "lotus born"

[friendly]

Nice linkage between the two, Nabraxas. I had forgotten about that. Lotus born. Huh.

This picture gets larger every time I look.

More pieces keep falling into place....

[nabraxas]

""Behold! The jewel in the lotus!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This phrase is often seen as a translation of the mantra. However, although some mantras are translatable, more or less, the Mani is not one of them; but while the phrase is incorrect as a translation, it does suggest an interesting way to think about the mantra, by considering the meanings of the individual words.

H.H. The Dalai Lama has provided just such an analysis, in a Web page The Meaning of Om Mani Padme Hum.(the web page is 'unavailable'-Nabraxas)

He concludes his discussion with this synopsis: "Thus the six syllables, Om Mani Padme Hum, mean that in dependence on the practice which is in indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech and mind into the pure body, speech, and mind of a Buddha." "

http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/meanin...-padme-hung.htm

[ 16. March 2004, 04:35: Message edited by: nabraxas ]

[theobromos]

I think the Utpala lotus is the blue-flowered Nymphaea stellata. One of several sacred nymphaeas in India.

[friendly]

Wow. Thanks (as always) Theo. This just keeps getting better and better.

The pieces are really falling into place.

I will be visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Saturday to tour their Egyptian galleries and take photos of the Blue Lily representations and contexts for inclusion into the slide show that goes with my Blue Lily lectures.

I had to come to the east coast for a business trip anyway , so I wouldn't dream of missing out on this opportunity.

I expect to come away with many, many amazing digital photos (I got permission from the curators). I will (attempt to) upload some of the best to this site. (what's with all these parentheses? Must be something I ingested...)

If I don't have a life-changing mystical experience at the museum I will be amazed; I can feel it coming already.

The biggest ones I usually feel coming from several days away.

I will be back home on Monday at my own computer to upload the photos.

Please stay tuned.

omtao.

[friendly]

My world view has been dissolved.

I found not only Blue Lily images from the early dynasties of Egypt, but also from an amphora from Cyprus dating to the 7-8th century BCE.

And a Mesopotamian representation of a king holding Blue Lily in a similar manner to Egyptian temple paintings.--8th century BCE.

Shiva with his son and wife, Uma, who is holding a partially opened water lily. Shiva being the god of death....11th Century BCE.

White water lily on Egyptian coffins.

And that's just the beginning. It will take weeks to go through all the photos.

Over 300 digital photos were taken and the ones mentioned above and others will be uploaded when I get home.

[nabraxas]

Lotuses are symbols of purity and 'spontaneous' generation and hence symbolize divine birth. The lotus does not grow in Tibet and so Tibetan art has only stylized versions of it. Nevertheless, it is one of Buddhism's best recognized motifs since every important deity is associated in some manner with the lotus, either being seated upon it or holding one in their hands.

The roots of a lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water, and the heavily scented flower lies above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment. Though there are other water plants that bloom above the water, it is only the lotus which, owing to the strength of its stem, regularly rises eight to twelve inches above the surface.

Thus says the Lalitavistara, 'the spirit of the best of men is spotless, like the lotus in the muddy water which does not adhere to it.' According to another scholar, 'in esoteric Buddhism, the heart of the beings is like an unopened lotus: when the virtues of the Buddha develop therein, the lotus blossoms; that is why the Buddha sits on a lotus bloom.'

Significantly, the color of the lotus too has an important bearing on the symbology associated with it:

1). White Lotus (Skt. pundarika; Tib. pad ma dkar po): This represents the state of spiritual perfection and total mental purity (bodhi). It is associated with the White Tara and proclaims her perfect nature, a quality which is reinforced by the color of her body.

2). Red Lotus (Skt. kamala; Tib: pad ma chu skyes): This signifies the original nature and purity of the heart (hrdya). It is the lotus of love, compassion, passion and all other qualities of the heart. It is the flower of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.

3). Blue Lotus (Skt. utpala; Tib. ut pa la): This is a symbol of the victory of the spirit over the senses, and signifies the wisdom of knowledge. Not surprisingly, it is the preferred flower of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom.

4). Pink Lotus (Skt. padma; Tib. pad ma dmar po): This the supreme lotus, generally reserved for the highest deity. Thus naturally it is associated with the Great Buddha himself.

pasted from "http://www.twilightbridge.com"

[ 22. March 2004, 04:30: Message edited by: nabraxas ]

[friendly]

The Utpala Lotus is Nymphaea stellata, a blue water lily and not a lotus.

I have photos taken in India to prove it.

Nymphaea water lilies also bloom several inches above the water, not just Nelumbo lotus flowers.

Shiva being the god of death corresponding to Osiris in Egypt, would not his son be therefore the equivalent of Horus, the son of Osiris conceived upon Isis after the death of Osiris?

Could this, then,(the son) be considered depicting the concept of life after death (ie, afterlife) in both instances?

Uma holding the lily could then seem to indicate some connection between the Lily and afterlife.

[ 23. March 2004, 02:22: Message edited by: friendly ]

[theobromos]

Wasn't there a White Lotus Rebellion in China?

[t st tantra]

wonder how friendly is going with his book?

t s t .