No Mud, No Lotus
"No mud, no lotus." ~Thich Naht Hanh There are many things that may come easy and wonderful for us, but the vast majority of victories and achievements involves first sitting on a mud. The story of the lotus flower has been stuck on my mind lately. Its story closely mirrors our experiences in life. No matter how beautiful it looks, the beginning of its growth is not as beautiful as one can imagine. A lotus starts off as a seedling under water, surrounded by mud, muck and all other dirty conditions. As the lotus continues to grow, it finds its way up into the surface, pushing through its murky surroundings making way towards the clearer surface of the water. In time, the pod surfaces above the water, freeing itself from the filth and each petal slowly blooms to expose its beauty. The story of the lotus is the perfect metaphor for life. What is the value we find in suffering? We can find happiness through suffering. Suffering is to mud, as happiness is to bl