VIII. THE LOTUS. 



THE lotus is pre-eminently the flower of Buddhism. 

 It is "said to be the king of flowers in India, and is 

 consequently entitled to precedence on the toko-no-ma. It 

 is often called Hotoke no liana, or the 'Flower of the Bud- 

 dhist Spirits/ and on account of its religious character is 

 disliked for occasions of rejoicing." It is the emblem of 

 purity, because "it grows unsullied out of the mud" ; it 

 "forms the resting-place of Buddha"; and "the fortunate 

 entrance to Paradise is seated" upon it. When two lovers 

 used to commit suicide together their motto was as fol- 

 lows 1 : "Hasu no hana no ue ni oite matan." "On the 

 lotus-blossoms of paradise they shall rest together." 



The popular conceptions of the lotus are further illus- 

 trated by the following quotations 1 : 



"Though growing in the foulest slime, the flower re- 

 mains pure and undented. And the soul of him who re- 

 mains ever pure in the midst of temptation is likened unto 

 the lotus. 2 Therefore is the lotus carven or painted upon 

 the furniture of temples, therefore also does it appear in all 

 the representations of our Lord Buddha. In Paradise the 

 Blessed shall sit upon the cups of golden lotus-flowers." 



In Tokyo the pond near Uyeno is famous for its lotus ; 

 but one of the largest and loveliest ponds in Japan is said 

 to be at Hikone on Lake Biwa. This was visited by Mr. 



1 Hearn's Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan. 



*"Like a lotus-flower growing in the mud" is a common Japanese pro- 

 verb. Other sayings refer to "a pure and beautiful woman in a haunt of 

 vice" and "a man of stainless honor in a wicked world." 



