The Lotus Flower ... 2011

The clear night has given way to a beautiful dawn. The first rays of the Sun are peeping over the eastern horizon. The fog has risen from the surface of the muddy swamp. And the morning is greeted by the blooming of the lotus flower. Adorned by nothing more than the glistening dewdrops, each soaking its share of the new light of the day. Life teems around the lotus, as it spreads its vibrancy and fragrance above the muck of the swamp. Today is a special day for the lotus flower. It has taken it a lifetime of endurance to raise its head from the mud and bloom in freedom. Now is its time to enjoy its Self. Now is its time to spread joy and cheer. Now is its time to start a life – a new life.

The lotus is known for the purity of its form. Symmetry. Elegance. Color. Simplicity. Tranquility. Buddhists symbolize it for the purity of thought. They have named a way of life after it – The Lotus Sutra. The Sanskrit word for the lotus is pankaj – that which is born from the mud – an apt reference to the striking disparity between its beauty and its environs.

For every lotus shoot that blooms into a flower, there are many that succumb to the vagaries of the swamp. Many die of suffocation. Many are trampled under the hoofs of animals that stomp without concern. Many get swept away by the forces of the winds and the torrents. Many whose dreams die well before the crack of dawn.

It behooves each of us to survive the night so we can see the dawn; to look for that glimmer of light and to avail of every source of strength, inspiration, and motivation. The night is not the time to analyze the pros and cons of surviving the darkness, the credit and debit of the impact of the positivity of souls crossing your path. Positive souls do not seek a repayment of the debt - they achieve gratification in the impact they can leave on you - if you let them do so!

There will, undoubtedly, be ghost memories from the past. Thoughts of unfairness and cruelty and expectations that have been let down. One does, however, have a choice - either to shut your eyes to the morning sun and dwell in the night that has passed, or to relish the ecstasy of the New Day - like the blooming lotus.

This New Year, I am thankful for the light of day that I can see, and to the lotus that gave me the strength to overcome the night. It has been a real rebirth - one to cherish and preserve.