By SitesReady Values: immortality, life, perfection, fertility, purity
Today the lotus is one of the most famous, universal, generally recognized symbols of the East and its culture. Lotus is a flower of perfection, it means life and death, rebirth and striving for truth, purity and eternity, spiritual growth and development, purity and fertility, divinity and immortality, peace and tranquility, struggle and happiness… The meaning of a lotus tattoo is very rich and diverse. Each culture was able to see in it some special unique meaning, impregnated this symbol with its national spirit.
For many centuries, the lotus amazed and delighted people not only with its beauty, but also with its incredible ability to maintain its purity even in the dirtiest lakes and swamps. This is the originality and attractiveness of this pure and delicate flower that grows through the mud and silt, and opens towards the sun.
The lotus, as the most important religious and cultural symbol, has been present for a long time in almost all Asian countries. So in Hinduism and Buddhism, the lotus – awakening and striving for real spiritual life… This can be explained by the fact that the lotus flower begins to grow at the very bottom of the lake among the mud and filth, it grows slowly, gradually heading towards the sunlight. It begins to bloom as soon as it reaches the surface of the water. According to legend, Buddha himself was born from a lotus. This flower often serves as a throne for meditation in the images of Buddhist holy monks and White Tara. Therefore, he often symbolizes some kind of divinity, the combination of opposites, exalts light over darkness, good over evil, love over hate. The meaning of the lotus tattoo in India is defined as a symbol of femininity and fertility, and is depicted in the form of a bowl.
In Ancient Egypt, the lotus was depicted along with the sun gods and meant “the fire of the intellect” and immortality, was the emblem of the Upper Nile. In the Phoenician, Assyrian and Hittite cultures, the lotus had an important funerary meaning, symbolizing death, rebirth and life after death.
Lotus is one of the Eight Treasures and Auspicious Signs in Chinese tradition.… In Greco-Roman culture and mythology, he is associated with Aphrodite (Venus). In Iran, it has become an impeccable symbol of the sun. In the ancient Mayan culture, he meant the manifested universe – the Earth itself. For the Taoists, this solar flower became the cosmic wheel of life and a symbol of the human heart. In Tibet, the delicate lotus flower was considered a guardian and a symbol of an unknown secret, in Japan – a sign of chastity.
The meaning of a lotus tattoo also differs depending on its color. So white lotus is a state of spiritual perfection, red is a sign of a pure heart, love and passion, blue lotus means wisdom and knowledge, pink is divinity.
In the East, the meaning of the lotus tattoo is roughly the same as the meaning of the rose and lily in the West.
