Mandarin Go | The imagery of "Lotus" in Chinese Traditional Culture

It is a symbol of purity and perfection, of strength of character (associated with a virtuous person who faces difficulties while maintaining his optimism).It's easy to bend a lotus stem, but hard to break it.
                                      

It represents the constancy of the bonds in the family or (represented then in the company of mandarin ducks) in the couple: the many fibers of its stem maintain cohesion.

Often are represented on the same drawing seeds, a button and a lotus flower, which represents the past, the present and the future, the 3 stages of existence.Seeds are symbols of prosperity and fertility.

                                          

The lotus flower is also the symbol of love.Twin lotus flowers are often mentioned to describe the unwavering fidelity, love and happiness of a well-matched couple.The lotus flower, as well as its seeds and roots, are therefore widely used at Chinese weddings.The word lotus is pronounced like the word year and the word child.The flower is then a double symbol of continuity and prosperity.The small root holes suggest fertility while the sweet taste of the lotus portends good relations between the wife and her new family.

 The emblematic flower of the Buddha

In Buddhism, the lotus flower is emblematic of the Buddha.In China, there are many paintings, sculptures and representations of the lotus flower.This is due to the unique feature of the lotus which is the only aquatic plant whose flower is above the water unlike water lilies and other cousins whose flower floats on the water.This image, connoting lightness, of the flower rising above the surface of the water joins that of the Buddha so light that he rests on a cat above the ground.

                                                     

The symbolism of the lotus in Buddhism still comes from the fact that the seed and the flower appear together, it is about the simultaneity of the cause (the seed) and the effect (the flower) in the law of causality of the universe which is one of the major concepts of Buddhist philosophy.To this we must add that the lotus draws its vital substance from the mud to flourish, in fact, above the water.Thus "the mud" represents the sufferings, the troubles, the desires, which are the very soil of our development.It is therefore possible to transform one's karma through enlightenment, the attainment of Buddhahood, through our awakening to the law of causality.