No Mud, No Lotus

January iii, 2021

"No mud, no lotus."

– Thich Nhat Hanh

This pen drawing of mine was inspired by the quote "No mud, no lotus" past the honey Buddhist monk and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. I have always been drawn to his teachings, and this quote in item.

I have transported his words into my therapy groups for years. Time and time again, I take witnessed a calorie-free in people'due south eyes as nosotros explore his teachings. I see the sudden understanding when my group members realize that the "mud" in their lives is not something to be ashamed of, but something to admit and maybe even capeesh.

The mud symbolizes the suffering and darkness for then many of us. We may feel alone, uncertain, and fifty-fifty hopeless at times. All the same, the lotus conveys a powerful bulletin. A lotus flower begins life enclosed in the dark muck and mire at the bottom of the h2o. In this dark space, the lotus draws in vital nutrients. Without the mud and darkness, the lotus blossom cannot begin its life.

As Thich Nhat Hanh writes in No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering:

"Most people are agape of suffering. But suffering is a kind of mud to help the lotus flower of happiness grow. There tin can exist no lotus bloom without the mud."

The muddier the bottom is, the more bright is the lotus that unfolds on the surface.

I turn Thich Nhat Hanh's words over oft  while thinking about the muck and mire that our state is trying to sift through. In that location are days when I just want to curlicue up on the couch and disengage from the daily menstruation. Every bit an empath I feel not only my pain, but the hurting of then many others. On other days I retrieve to breathe. I breathe into the pain, suffering, and incertitude. I acknowledge the pain that is present. And then I try to abound some space around the pain. I feel around until I accomplish the edge of that feeling…and so I breathe even more than securely into that space.

I visualize the lotus curled up into itself at the bottom of the water. The tender petals gradually reaching out and feeling around. The innate intelligence of the lotus (and all life) that allows this blossom to know which style is upwardly when the fourth dimension arrives.

We may not know which fashion is "up" right now. But possibly, when the darkness sets in, we can lean into our own inner knowing.

Creative Ideas

If this lotus symbol resonates with you lot, hither are a few ideas to explore.

  •  Write a poem or short story from the point of view of the lotus bloom, perhaps using the first person betoken of view. Begin the writing journey at the bottom of the water, and run into where it takes you.
  • Search for a photo of a lotus or take one yourself if you lot can find i in nature. Then cull any art materials, and let the photo inspire a slice of our own art. Try watercolor, soft colored pencils, chalk pastel, pen and ink, or collage. You may even wish to sculpt a lotus using model magic, dirt, or play-doh.
  • Go the lotus. Take inspiration from yoga postures or create your own unique movements. Begin close to the basis and so permit your torso unfold slowly into different positions equally a lotus would make its way to the surface. Children will enjoy this process as well!
  • Write and/or illustrate your own life story nigh a time you were experiencing darkness and challenging times. Explore as little or as much detail every bit feels comfortable. Peradventure reflect on whether there were hidden gifts in the darkness that yous came to run across? Then relate your path out of the darkness.

    I hope these ideas spark your interest and pb to reflection and creativity!

May we hang in there through the darkness. Breathing open up inner spaciousness. Doing our role when and where we can. Trusting our inner process to keep seeking the light as we make our way to the surface.