Asian Studies

Many, if not all of the Buddhist forms of art depict an image of a Buddha sitting in a cross-legged position, with a face of serenity and calmness, and often surrounded by Lotus Flowers. Be it a statue or a two-dimensional work of art, the Lotus Flower can be classified into the manner by which they are presented in a particular art. One famous image of the Lotus Flower is painted at the sides of the Buddha as decorative images, and the second presentation of the Lotus Flower is structured or sculpted in a way that serves as the foundation where the Buddha sits or stands in a particular Buddhist art. The Lotus Flower symbolizes a profound meaning in the Buddhist belief system and philosophy. Its presence in the Buddhist art signifies the truth about life and its phenomenon.
    Buddhism comes from the root word Buddha which means the enlightened one, or one who is awakened to the eternal functions of life and the universe (Hochswender, Martin  Morino 32). Shakyamuni Buddha spent his 48 years of existence in teaching the people how to attain enlightenment. To be enlightened means recognizing the fact that each one of us has the innate potential to become Buddha. In other words, all people have Buddhahood in the depths of their lives. To be enlightened also means being able to cast away the ignorance that prevent people from believing that they can become Buddhas, that they are the source of their own problems and also the solution to their own problems.
    The concept of Buddhahood is the underlying premise of the Buddhist art. As the Buddhist philosophy gently flowed from India towards the Northeast as well as the Southeast Asia, it mixed with the local practices and religious beliefs of the people. People tend to worship the Buddha, thus they built gigantic structures of the Buddha. Despite the differences of interpretation of the Buddhist belief, the Lotus Flower is always present in all forms of Buddhist art.
    The Lotus Flower is very significant in the Buddhist belief and tradition (Ikeda 12). The Buddhist concept of the simultaneity of cause and effect is represented by the blossoming and seeding of the Lotus Flower. Of all flowers in the world, it is only the Lotus Plant that flowers and seeds at the same time. In the Buddhist belief, karma is created by the causes we make, be it good or bad. The moment we created a cause (seeding), an effect is already registered or manifested (flowering) in the depths of our lives.
    The Lotus Flower also symbolizes the concept of Buddhahood (Soka Gakkai 72). As one may notice, the Lotus plant grows in muddy swamps of murky waters but it gives out a very beautiful flower. The muddy swamp according to Buddhist belief represents our society and our own human nature. We live in an age where people endure problems and encounter many difficulties in both the personal and societal level. The Lotus Flower represents a profound truth about life as it represents the existence of Buddhahood in the life of each individual amidst the stark realities of life. In other words, the Lotus Flower present in the Buddhist art signifies the presence of Buddhahood in the life of all people no matter where they come from, no matter what their realities are, no matter what nationality and country they belong to and no matter what causes they have made in their lives. It also means that Buddhahood is not a sole property of Shakyamuni, nor is only attained by monks. Buddhahood is present in the life of everyone.
    It is very enlightening to note that the Lotus Flower that seemed to be just a decorative aspect of Buddhist art, has actually profound meaning and significance in the Buddhist belief system. It represents the underlying truth of life and all its phenomena under the Buddhist faith. Just like the Lotus Flower that never seize to bloom in murky waters, people will also never give up living amidst difficulties and challenges in life. This is what Buddhist art wants to convey.
    Aside from the Lotus Flower, the image of the Buddha in paintings and sculptures also represents the calmness, wisdom and compassion that are the characteristic of a person enlightened to the law of cause and effect. Nevertheless, the statue of the Buddha is more of a representation of the Buddha that is not a common mortal, one that is different from the people, and one that people always look up to as opposed to the truth that the Lotus Flower wants to express.
    The differences in interpretation of the truth about life and phenomena in Buddhism may have come forth during the time when Buddhism travelled from India to different parts in Asia. The Buddhism that travelled to north going to China, Korea and Japan in now called the Mahayana Buddhism. And the Buddhism that travelled to the Southeast Asia is termed, Hinayana Buddhism (Ikeda  Tehranian 34).  Hinayana Buddhism emphasizes strict codes of conduct that practitioners have to follow to attain personal salvation. Other sects of Hinayana Buddhism even worship the gigantic sculptures of the Buddha for guidance and eradication of earthly desires. The Mahayana Buddhism on the other hand, espouses the need to Buddhism to be a compassionate way for people to attain enlightenment right here, right now. It is the Mahayana Buddhism that emphasized the belief that all life forms have Buddha nature in them.
    In a particular Mahayana Buddhist Sect in Japan, named Nichiren Buddhism, the Lotus Flower plays a very significant meaning in their belief system. Lotus Flower in Japanese Buddhist term is called renge (Watson, et.al 106). The two Chinese characters of renge mean cause and effect.
    In Buddhism, particularly for this Nichiren Buddhism, they do not have commandments or strict codes of conduct that would enable people to attain enlightenment. They base their daily life to the eternal and unchanging law of cause and effect. The causes a person make determine the kind of karma that he or she will have. The Lotus Flower, just like the law of cause and effect is uncompromising. When a person makes a cause, an effect is simultaneously created. Just like the Lotus Flower that seeds and blooms at the same time. This, in conclusion is the main reason of the existence and the meaning of the Lotus Flower in almost all forms of Buddhist art.