Om

Pack of 5 folded cards and envelopes. 8.5 x 5.5. Blank inside. According to legend, everywhere the baby Buddha stepped, a lotus flower bloomed. Because the lotus grows in muddy water, it symbolizes the purity of enlightened mind arising amidst the suffering of samsara. It also represents nonattachment, as it is rooted in mud (attachment and desire) but its flowers blossom on long stalks unsullied by the mud below. The famed Lotus Sutra is one of the most important texts of Mahayana Buddhism.

The mantra (the only one I have used since a teen) OM MANI PADME HUM, “OM” the Jewel in the Lotus, invokes Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), the bodhisattva of compassion. In this case, the lotus represents wisdom . The flower’s stages of growth represents different stages on the path to enlightenment. A closed bud symbolizes the time before enlightenment, while a fully bloomed lotus represents full enlightenment. Sometimes a flower is partly open, with its center hidden, indicating that enlightenment is beyond ordinary sight