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 blossoming. Each day of our life, we are so bogged down by the difficult and the hard that we fail to see the potential beauty we are trying to reach. Just like the lotus, we are confronted with harsh living conditions before we bloom, and we are constantly presented with setbacks that will test our growth. But instead of running away from our issues, an authentic acknowledgement and engagement of these allows the opportunity for growth. This mindset may take time and discipline to master. Pain is a part of life’s process, and we have to be willing to orient our perspectives about it if we want to see and feel change. And I have been letting this thought play in my mind as my mantra: No mud, no lotus.

When I am struggling to find a balance between the different aspects of my life - no mud, no lotus.

When I am feeling frustrated with a situation - no mud, no lotus.

When I cannot find the motivation to do a certain task - no mud, no lotus.

When I am grappling with impatience, anger and exasperation, - no mud, no lotus.

When I am trying to control things that are inevitable - no mud, no lotus.

When I am reeling from a bad news, recovering from failure, and facing hard times - no mud, no lotus. 

And in this change of perspective, I also gained new realizations. It led to an increased sense of self-awareness, being able to let go of the unnecessary, and the ability to sense the need to stop rumination. 

Whatever suffering comes your way, I advise you to not run away from it. Embrace your issues and do something about it. Jump into your mud is what I say, because the hard fosters the beauty and the bliss.