Zen Meditation in Columbus, OH

More about Mud Lotus Sangha

Mud Lotus Sangha is rooted in the lineage teachings of Soto Zen Buddhism and draws inspiration from the Order of Interbeing, Engaged Buddhism, Deep Ecology, as well as other sources of religious and secular thought. Our practice is animated by the ordinary things of our lives – including plants, soil, clear sky, and clouds. 

Mud Lotus is built on the principle that we don’t have to be perfect. Renewing our presence with things as they are, moment by moment, is itself enlightenment. The lotus is an ancient symbol among Buddhists, Hindus, and other spiritual traditions for blooming amidst hardship. The root of the lotus is edible and has been a source of human sustenance in times of famine. The lotus flower emerges clean from murky and muddy water and, in fact, depends on that dirty water for its survival. Similarly, those aspects of ourselves we find most difficult, shameful, or uncomfortable are necessary nourishment for our best and most enjoyable selves. We need both the mud and the lotus to live in balance with the world.

We need to have mud for lotuses to grow. …If you don’t have mud, the lotus won’t manifest. You can’t grow lotus flowers on marble.

…It’s easy enough to notice mud all over you at times. The hardest thing to practice is not allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by despair. …But we must remember that suffering is a kind of mud that we need in order to generate joy and happiness. Without suffering, there’s no happiness.

…We have to learn how to embrace and cradle our own suffering and the suffering of the world, with a lot of tenderness.

-Thich Nhat Hanh (2014, 13-15)