Lotus.
The lotus is a flower that is as important in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia as the rose and lily in Europe. This name is given to various plant species: in Egypt, it is white lotus (Nymphaea lotus, Nymphaea lotus) and blue lotus (Nymphaea cedula, Nymphaca cerula), in India it is a plant with white and reddish flowers (Nelumbium nelumbo, Neolumbium nelumbo and Nelumbium Nucifera, Neolumbium Nucifera). The white lake rose of Central America, Nymphaca, and nymphaea (in Mayan: Nahab or nite ha) is also called a lotus in some books.
In ancient Egypt, the lotus flower is found in the myth of the creation of the world. It originated from pristine silt and the divine creator of the world "as a lovely boy" jumped out of his cup. The flowers opening at sunrise and closing at night, in the representation of people, have been connected with the god of the Sun and clearing of light from silt and mud in mythical prehistoric times.
The wall paintings, found in a large number of tombs in Teban (Greece), depict the lotus ponds, on which the deceased sails in a boat of reeds, and the columns in the form of beams of lotus belong to the great works of Egyptian architecture. Wreaths of lotus flowers were placed on the graves of the dead. Papyrus and lotus together symbolized the unification of parts of the kingdom. The book of symbols. Blue lotus sweet-smelling blue lotus flower was valued more than white. It was an attribute of Nefertema, the young god Memphis, "Lord of fragrances", and was called "beautiful" (nen-never, hence the Frenchman Nenuphar, nenuphar, lily).
The Indian lotus flower is the most important symbol of this space for art and the spiritual world. His goddess Padma is of pre-Aryan origin and is linked to the conceptual field of water and fertility. In the Aryan era, her name is linked to Jaakshmi, wife of Vishnu, and Brahma. According to Hindu mythology, the creator of the world, Brahma, was born from a lotus blossom that grew out of Vishnu's navel sleeping on the water. In Buddhist space, the lotus is given even more attention. Gautama Buddha had eyes - lotus, legs - lotus and hips - lotus. The teacher (guru) who brought Buddhism to Tibet (8th century A.D.) bears the name of Padmasambhava (the "lotus-born one"). The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, in one of its manifestations, acts under the name of Padmapani: "The lotus holding in his hands", and the flower, in this case, is a symbol of compassion. The book of symbols.
Red lotus. In another form of manifestation, it is called Padmanartezvara, "The Master of Dance with the Lotus", and carries a red lotus flower in his hands. The lotus is also a great symbol of knowledge, which leads to nirvana through the cycle of rebirths.
The Tibetan formula of the Om mani Padme hum prayer is translated as "Om, the pearl in the lotus, amen", and the interpretation of tantrism has a "psychoanalytic" effect and encourages the spiritually considered sexual connection of the female flower with the male energy. In yoga systems, the highest intellectual knowledge of the energy rising in the lotus body is compared to the feeling that a lotus flower has blossomed on a human's body, just as
In China, lotus symbolism is also associated with Buddhism. The lotus, which is rooted in mud but appears pure and fragrant, reveals the flower and looks up, is an image of pure aspiration and along with it, jewellery or treasures in both Buddhism and Taoism, being at the same time an attribute of the "Immortal" Hi-Hin-Ku (Eight Immortals). The syllable "ho" (lotus) in male names used to express a connection with Buddhist teaching.
The blue lotus flower (Hin) is related to the concept of purity, which is denoted in Chinese by the same word. The other name of the lotus, lingo, sounds the same as "connected" and "humble", which again gives reason to encrypt this expression in the form of a rebus with the desire for happiness. So, for example, a boy with a lotus flower depicts a wish: "Let you always have everything in abundance. The legs of Chinese women from noble families, mutilated because they were tied together, were called "bent lotus" and supposedly provided an opportunity to move gracefully when walking and dancing. This cruel custom was officially banned at the end of the 19th century.
The Yucatan Maya had a lotus-like white lily called "rose of water" and was often depicted on clay vessels and as a relief. It is possible that it was mixed with narcotic drinks, for example, as an additive to the honey drink "Bale-Met" containing the bark of a longhocarpus, to bring the ecstasy of the Jaguar priests