Why did Guanyin choose to sit on the lotus?

Lotus is closely related to Buddhism. It can be said that "Lotus" is a symbol of "Buddha".

Walking into the Buddhist temple, you can see the image of lotus everywhere. Buddha Sakyamuni sits on the lotus throne in Daxiong Hall, with kind eyes and drooping lotus eyes. Amitabha, the head of the "Three Sages of the West", and Avalokitesvara, the compassionate bodhisattva, also sat on the lotus. Some of the other bodhisattvas hold lotus flowers, some step on them, or make lotus gestures, or throw lotus flowers (such as heavenly daughters) to the world. Temple walls, algae wells, railings, sacred tents, tables, sachets and worship mats are also carved, painted or sewn with various lotus patterns everywhere. It can be seen how close the relationship between lotus and Buddhism is.

The close relationship between lotus and Buddhism is also manifested in the metaphor of many beautiful and sacred things in Buddhism, represented by lotus. In Buddhist stories, the mother of Buddha Sakyamuni has a pair of lotus-like beautiful and clear eyes. When the Buddha was born, there were eight auspicious signs in the palace. The most important one was that Bai Lianhua suddenly grew as big as a wheel in the pool. When the Buddha was born, thousands of golden lights were emitted from the root of his tongue, and each golden light turned into a white lotus in Chiba. In every lotus flower, there is a little bodhisattva cross-legged.

There are countless Buddhist sayings that use lotus as a metaphor. Buddha is called "Lotus" or "Lotus"; Stumbling posture, that is, the posture with legs crossed, feet on opposite thighs and feet up, is called lotus sitting posture; The western paradise advocated by Buddhism is likened to the realm of pure lotus, so it is called "Lianbang"; The Buddhist scene described in Amitabha Sutra is: "There are seven treasure pools in Elysium, Ba Ding Shui ... the lotus in the pool is as big as a wheel." Therefore, it is called "the country of lotus"; Buddhist temples are called "Lotus Temple". "brake" is Sanskrit, that is, the pure land of the west, and lotus is entrusted by previous lives, so it is called "lotus brake"; People who recite Buddhism are called "lotus fetuses", that is, they live in lotus, as in their mother's womb; The Buddha's eye is called "lotus eye", and utpala is used to compare the beauty of the Buddha's eye; The lotus with eight leaves on its chest is called "Lotus Palace", that is, the lotus-like realm in its heart; Sakyamuni's hand is called "Lotus Hand"; Monks and nuns are called "Lotus Ring"; Monks and nuns are called "lotus clothes", which means purity and purity; The wonderful observation wisdom among the five intelligences is called "lotus wisdom"; Call people who are good at saying things "lotus on the tip of the tongue"; It is said that it is asceticism and joy is "returning to the house to have a lotus"; The Buddhist sutra "The Lotus Sutra" is called "Hokkekyo" for short, which is a metaphor of lotus and symbolizes the purity and elegance of teachings. The earliest Buddhist association in China, founded by Hui Yuan of Tuolin Temple in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, is called "Lotus Society". The pure land Sect of Buddhism advocates reaching the pure land of lotus in the west through practice, so it is also called "Lotus Sect". In a word, lotus has an indissoluble bond with Buddhism, and many places are represented by lotus. It can be said that lotus is Buddha and Buddha is lotus.

Why does Buddhism admire lotus so much? There are two main reasons for this: first, Buddhism originated in India, where the climate is hot. Lotus flowers bloom in summer, bringing people cool and beautiful enjoyment. People naturally like this beautiful flower blooming in the hot summer, so in Indian literature, especially in folk literature, lotus is a symbol of beauty, kindness, holiness and tolerance. There are many such stories, which have far-reaching influence. For example, the story of Prince Lotus compares a good national flower with noble character, kindness and integrity, and abiding by the ten laws of kings (giving, observing precepts, generosity, integrity, kindness, self-control, avoiding anger, killing, tolerance and generosity) to lotus. The story of "The King of the Netherlands" tells that in order to save the people from famine, the king of the Netherlands jumped into the Ganges and became a big red fish, asking the people to cut off his meat and eat it. After his flesh was cut off, he was born again. This lasted for twelve years, and he used his own meat to feed the people of the whole country and spent twelve years of famine. The story of "Mrs. Deer Mother Lotus" says that every step taken by Mrs. Deer Mother Lotus immediately reveals a beautiful lotus flower under her feet. She gave birth to 500 boys in one breath, all handsome Hercules and heroes who defended the country. Therefore, Mrs. Deer Mother Lotus became a symbol of having more beautiful boy.

Sakyamuni founded Buddhism and advocated the abolition of the hierarchical system in ancient India and the implementation of caste equality, compassion and universal life. In order to promote Buddhism and make the broad masses understand and accept Buddhist teachings, they preach by speaking. It caters to the people's love for lotus and compares lotus to Buddha, which makes Buddhism spread rapidly and has a wide range of believers.

On the other hand, the main reason why Buddhism refers to the Buddha as lotus is that the character and characteristics of lotus are consistent with Buddhist teachings. Buddhism is a religion that focuses on seeking to get rid of the suffering of life. It regards life as an ocean of suffering and hopes that people can get rid of it. The way to get rid of it is: this shore (the bitter sea of life)-crossing (learning Buddhism)-the other shore (the pure land of bliss). That is, from the secular to the clean world, from evil to perfection, from vulgarity to Buddhism. This is the same as lotus grows in muddy water and is extraordinary, not contaminated by sludge, and finally produces extremely delicious flowers.

One of the important tenets of Buddhism is to love giving widely. Be merciful to all beings. The so-called compassion refers to the hope and help others get rid of suffering and get happiness. Kindness is to hope others are happy, and kindness is to help others be happy; Compassion is to hope that others will relieve their pain, and compassion is to help others relieve their pain. Buddhism requires compassion for all living people, whether good or evil, whether human or animal. We should forgive all kinds of evil deeds, help them with compassion, influence them to be good, become good people and bear good results. But it is forbidden to go with the flow, stay in a dirty world without being polluted by it, and keep yourself clean and pure. The best way to express this idea is lotus.

Lotus peanuts are in the mud, just like living in a world of mud and dust. It is natural to get along with filth and be disturbed by many evil and filthy things. Buddhism calls these evil forces "demons". Buddhism requires people not to be disturbed and influenced by the evil and filth in the world (that is, demons). Lotus "emerges from the mud without dyeing" and produces beautiful flowers, which is indeed the best symbol. Therefore, lotus plumule and Buddha nature are often compared in Buddhist scriptures. "On Great Wisdom Explain the First Lotus" says: "Lotus, for example, comes from sludge. Although its color is fresh and good, its source is unclean. " "From Chapter 42" says: "I am a Samana, and I am in a troubled world. I want to be like a lotus without being polluted. " So the Brahma King who saved the world was born sitting on the golden lotus in Chiba. Sakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva all sit on the lotus, or hold the lotus in their hands, indicating that the Buddha came from the world, pure and flawless.