THE LOTUS

By ELEANOR CONSTEN

F/ow~r" hav~ gladdened the hwrt oJ man lI'nu ti~ im~1IWrial. and it illnot IJurpri."'l{J that ptopl~ in all tirnu and placu IJh01dd hav~ cJw8en floWUII to.•yml1oliz#J their Jeeli'lglI (md ide"". '1'h6 Eallt lla4 perJected Ifuch itymbolillm t.o anutent unknown in th~ }Vut. EtwMr C01l81en, who haIJ already interpreted t'(Irio~

(Mputa oJ the EMt to our rroderIJ in her arliclu ..Land.llca~ Painting /<;,).,t andWut" and "nMJ4h and Hand," now ducribu the role oJ the WtU4 in China. ShehM been ClAltilfted by th~ Peking photO!/rapher S~rge VargallIJoJJ. Qu'r author hastra,Ul!ated the Ch"lMe PO~mlI herIJel/ a,ld in doing IJO haIJ tried to reproduCfl theoriginal flavor without clinging to a littral tra'181al'on.

The tut iUUlltrationll are lotw moliJII taken Jrom ancienl Olli,.u#) duignII.-K.M.

OF all the flowers of the four season8which mean more to the people ofthe East than just a joy to the

eye, the lotus is probably used morethan any other flower in Chinese art anddecoration, outranking even the plumand the bamboo. This is chiefly due toits significance in Buddhist religion. Thelotus it 'elf was known in China longbefore the India.n faith migrated northand east. It is already mentioned in apoem of the Shih Ching (tt ~), China'soldest, collection of songs, as the flowergraciJlg the lowlands. But not untilBuddhist teachillg and art spread in thefirst millennium of our era did the Chineselook upon the lotus l1B 'omething morethan an admiro.ble manifestation of na­ture. Its leaves and flowers rise abovethe impure waters of stagnant pools; theydo not even float, l1B do those of thewater lily, but leave the element of theirorigin behind. They are thought togrow out of their own substn,nce, withoutnourishment from the earth I and it issaid that, at the beginning of the world,Adi Bu'ddha was manifest inthe form of a flame emanatingfrom a lotus flower.

The lotus became thesymbol of self-creation. Bud­dhist deities are seated onlotus t1uones to indicate theirdivine birth, independent ofmatter. In the hand of theBodhisa.ttva Padmapani, the"Lotus Beare~:' this flower

indioates oreative power. Even if thelotus springs from muddy water it stayspure--a befitting symbol of purity. Whenthe child Buddha first walked, lotu8flowers grew under hiB feet, marking biBearly steps.

REBORN IN A LOTUS

No Asiatic paradise is conceivablewithout its lotus pond. The first thoughta human being directs toward achieve­ment of blias in the Sukbavati Paradisewill cause a lotus flower to blossomthere; as the pious advances in sanctity,80 it unfolds its petals Imtil it emanatesrays of light. After his death the origina­tor of this flower iB reborn in it and isthus able to partake of the glories ofpara<Lise. To this day, the corpse of aChinese is dressed in shoes em broideredor cheaply painted with lotus desibrns,and the head reats on a pillow flimilarlyadorned.

Buddhist doctrine kno\\ 8 many varia­tiona of the lotus flower as symbols or

attributes; black, pink, red,white, and blue lotus, allwith their special meaning;the open lotus, for instance,may symbolize the day andthe closed the night. Theshape--often with scallopedand flamboyant petals-andthe use to which the blosaomis adapted stray far from na­ture's original intentions. Thi8

INI

xx­CENllJRY

LOTUS

THE QUEEN OF

SUMMER

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THE LOTUS 67

is especially true of the heavy,compact thrones or b&Re8 forBuddhist statues or even pago­das: huge open flowers, some­times inverted, with many styl­ized petals, on which, if theyare big enough, ornaments oreven Buddhist pictures maybe traced. This omnipresent lotus thronebecomes a handy convention f r painters,8culptors, craftsmen, and architects--theoutstanding visible evidence of Buddhistfl~ith. Often it is the only reminder of8plendor on the site of a onco prosperoustemple. So many neglected places ofworship haunt the soil of China and theimagination of the Chin~e poet in theirm lancholy decay.

LookinC at the.. Temple of Buddha'. Footstep."

On the lotus t.-hron&-tlle god's awrt.ere formOn the pine precipioo--traooll of hill wondroua

PnMI6Dce.Time dimll the trac08 of gold,Time has widened the oracks in the lltone.

woe pet/lIB drop and faU 00 atoDe atepa.The gOd'R s!tatlo'" lOlillS forward and falia over

the Aleps.We sil;h-How long would it take to change hill into vall )"1Yo~ how SOlon might we faco tho void of "lrvlUill!

(WIUli Po ... ." T'ana dynaat,., G1S-007 A. D.)

ONE SOUND A.ND MANY MEANINGS

The hinese have always Lecn veryfond of puns; and the names of the lotus,which have undergone soveral changes,oblige them in many ways. Eo (f.f) wasthf' original name of the £lowor, and itstill often appears in poetry. owadayslien (il). formerly applied to the edibleseeds ollly, is used for the whole plant.Under this pun aspect we again find thelotus in Buddhist temples, now morerealistically represented. Among a setof pictures of the Four Seasons, the onewhich stands for Summer shows the lotusin a vase flanked by peonies and morningglories. The names of these flowers,properly arranged, form the sentence:"Why must there be honors and money1"-a question befitting the Buddhist monk,who has relinquished both. Instead ofthe present name for lotua lien, an olderappella.tion has been used: ho, whichsounds like the word for "why" and thusstarts the question.

This picture of the threeummer flowers, with th lotuS

in a prominent po ition in thevase, mu t not be confu ed witha somewhat similar compoaitionoften found on small articles,such as embroidered fan orspectacle-cases, or a vase with

a lotus flower and three halberds.Such little tokens of friendship andencouragement were given to candi­dates before oxaminations, the pun in­dicating the desire of the donor that thereceiver pass the three big examinations,lending to the highest official career, oneafter the other. The three halberdsstand for the cxaminations, and the lotuslenos its sound to the mea.ning of "oneby ono" (lien ~). 'j'IlO same pun makesthe lotlls a welcome decoration on woo­ding gifts, especially pictures and cush­ions. Hero the implication is that manychildren Dlay appe-ar "one after theother."

The name ho h~ led the lotus into t.herealm of Taoi m. Ho Hsien Ku, thonly woman among tho .Eight Immortals,is given the lotus for an attribute justbecause of the similarity of ounds.Thero is nothing else in her history or illthe characters of her name to supp rtsuch a choice.

In tho case of Han-shan and Shih-tewe once more have a real pun. Th ywere two exemplary friends who lived illthe T'ang dynasty. Earlier pictures pre­sent them lloB jolly men. often with it

broom. But the numerous later rep"resentations-pictures, porcelains, carv­ing, or small toys----Bhvw a pair ofhappy, laughing boys carrying a lotWI

flower and a big lotus leaf over theirshoulder. They are called ho ho erhhsien, (two living together in perfeotharmony). The sound ho has again ad­mitted the lotus to an important, non­Buddhist symbolical task. With theseboys the lotus once more appears onwedding presents, advising peaceful part­nership in married life.

Thus we soo that many of the lotuaflowers emancipated themselv08 fromBuddhist terminology. From .. Buddhist

68 THE XXth CENTURY

point of view, the name of"golden lotus" for the boundfeet of China's women wouldbe quite shocking. An anecdotetells us the reason for thischoice of name. An emperor ofthe late T'ang dynasty, inthe tenth century A.D., hada favorite concubine with exceptionallysmall and pretty feet. She danced forhim on a carpet strewn with lotus blos­soms. The fame of her little feet gaverise to the cruel practice of foot-binding,and the lady's da.nce was oommemol'a.~.ed

by embroidered lotus flowers on women'stiny shoes and the name given to theircrippled contents.

USEFl L AS WELL AS BEAUTIFUL

_ Besides its many engagements in thefield of fancy, the lotus plant makesseveral contributions to the practicalnecessities of everyday life. The rootsof the white nnd the seeds of the redvariety are good to eat, and in thevoluminous leaves the vendors wrap any­thing from a slice of pork to a live cricket.From the Boods a medicine is madewhich is suppo cd to be good for feverand shortness of breath: it "cools theheart." The lotus is thought to bealways cool, rising as it does from Utewater; hence it appears as an appropriatedecoration on ma.ts and curtains forsummer use.

The lotus flower, aloof and short-livedon its slender stem, has fired the imagina­tion of the East more than any otherchild of nature. Its color, a stroug-v.iIJedpink, is difficult to match, but to t.hisday it is one of China's favorite hue:;.Innumerable articles are fashioned inlotus shape: basketR large and Rma.Il,bowls and cups, delicate plaything' ofjade and other precious materials, remindus throughout the year of the queen ofummel' flowers.

LOTUS VS. PEONY•When the lotus first entered the field

of decomt,ive art, it was on account ofits Buddhist significance. This is thecase in the caves of Yiin Ka.pg, LungMen, and T'ien Lung Shan, which date

from the late fifth and sixthcenturies A.D. They are purelyBuddhist, and the lotus is

- widely used in their decorativescheme. Stylization has alreadygot holel of the flower, anda queer thing has happenedto the leaves: the characteristic

and unmistakable round leaf, which aloneis botanically correct, has d.isa.ppeared,and in its place we tind a kind of Greekacanthus leaf, which traveled many milesand many centuries until it finally joinedthe flower of the East. The fact thatblue-and-white Ming porcelain is oftendecorated with a mixture of lotus andpeony motives is explained by thisstylized lotus flower with its foreign leaf,slit and cusped, with winding tendrils.It is really closer to the peony than tothe lotus; yet it is called "joined lotuspattern" on account of the thin stems inregular scrolls. A misinterpretation ofthis motive was godfather to the "onionpattern" of Dresden china. fame.

The T'ang dynasty artisans, who fash­ioned silver cups in lotus shape or inciscdlotus leaves or blossoms on potteryplates, must have been aware of using asacred symbol. In the Sung dynasty thelotus was already detached and loved forits own sake. But being simply a beauti­ful flower a.nd no more, it now had toface competition, notably of the peony,which had become popular during theT'ang dynasty. A Sung dynasty writer,Chou Tun-i (JAJ $.l:.ff1i, 1017-1073), has leftus n. little essay:

Loving tbe LotusThero aro mllny floWOTa on shrub or 1.1'00, on

water and on land. which we love. Tao Yuan­miog of the Chin dynosty loved only the chrysan.themum. From the T'ang dynasty up to noweverybody loves the peony. I love onJy the lotus:it comos out of the mire. but it is not tainted;it bathes in the clear ripples, and yet it is no henrt.leBS beauLy. Inside it is hollow (full of under.stuncling). outside j. is straight (outspoken)_ "Itdoes not creep. wind. or ramily. FrOID far awaythe fragrance is clear. It stands alone. clean IUldstraight. Ono can _ it from afar but canno~

reach it t~ break it wantonly. I !illy the chrysan­themum is like 8 hermit (ret,ired officinl), the peonyis like 11 man with office and richea. the lotus is uprince. Alus. 1 hear of very few people loving t,hochrysanthemum after Tao Yuan-ming. And \\'holoves the lotus as I do' Everybody 600ms to lovethe peony.

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Lotlls in Religion

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'"IXX~

CENTURY

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THE LOTUS 61

Today the author would find no causefor complaint if he were to mingle withthe people who turn out every summerto admire the blossoms on Peking's lakes,or if ho were to watch the loving skillthat goes into the making of lotus I.\n­terns, elaborate compositions of delicatelytinted paper. They are sold for thefifteenth day of the seventh moon of thelunar calendar, when "sacrifices are madeto the ancestors and the ancestral gnwesare swept." In the evening, childrenproudly carry their lighted lanterns alongthe st,reets. Sometimes it is just anordilla.ry lotus leaf with a candle stuckin the middle-probably the origin ofthe custom. They sing:

Lotus·leal candles I Lotus·lew candles!Today ~'ou arc light.ed! Tomorrow thrown away!

THE LOTUS'S nffiTRDAY

In KiangRu the people go out on thetwenty-fourth day of the sixth moon toview the flowers on moats and lakes;they call it the birthday of the lotus.

The West Lake is 801..0 famous for itsblossoms; on its shores lies Hangchow,the capital of the Southern Sung dynasty,a city called by Marco Polo the mostbeautiful ill the world-high praise indecclfrom a native of Venice. Su Shih CA,.¥.) ,brilliant essayist, poet, and painter ofthe Northern SlUlg dynasty, picks thelotus season as the mo ,t glorious time:

No sellson on the West Lake like July.An end loss sea of green lea\'os joins the 8ky.The lotus flowors in 0. strange I'ed t<JneRefleot the brilliant light of the sun.

The lotus is so closely connected withpleasure on the water that a certain kindof song, sung by beggars ami entertain rson the boats of the Imperial Canal andother waterways, is called lien hila. {a,o"amusing lotus songs" (it it fS-). Theirthemes are not confined to the flower intheir name, nor their performance to theboats. They can still bo heard in thostreets of Peking to the accompanimentof bamboo clappers. Though originallya beggar's stunt, they have recently madethe raelio-a long way froll1 the lotus­eovered waters.

We may enjoy the ever-recurring 10tU8motif in arts and crafts, the paintings inink and color, the delicacy of jade petals,the endless variety of snuff bottles inglass, porcelain, or stone, the brocadosand velvets in ever new shades-wemight even get complacently used to theproducts of so many creative minds andskillful hands; but the mysterious ap­pearance in midsummer of the first lotusleaves on impassive ponds, the thrill ofdiscovering the first blossoms among thebillows uf green, remote. proud and un­touchable-these will stir us anew everyyear, ann the last poem to thcir gloryhas not becu written yet.

Eight, nine loaves clust.er,Tender leaves, just emerged from the waterMilko scatterod spots of young green.The round shadow of othersAlrelldv eouceals the fishes,Their ~tcu\S make clear pools ill the duckweed.A few shift less wooos wim! around the stems.1 nder the waves t he spring ~owth is hidden.Allov still closed-is the fragrant heart of the

flower.

(Li Ch'iln·I'U ,J;f.L, l"'lllll droMty)