Lotus

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This tattoo comes from the Flickrstream of Creativemuffin and is licensed under Creative Commons.

This tattoo was inked by Kelly at Tattoo Zone is Rockaway, New Jersey.

We will first turn to Egypt. As the lotus sinks under the water at night and reemerges when the sun returns it was closely associated with the sun. It was also linked with the idea of rebirth and was thus closely tied to Osirian cult as Osiris ruled over death.

The lotus features more heavily in several Asian religions, especially Buddhism and Hinduism. Many deities are depicted as standing upon lotus flowers; Vishnu, Brahma and the goddesses Lakshmi, Sarasvati and Kubera are among the most closely associated with the lotus. Within the realm of Buddhism it is said that everywhere Gautama Buddha stepped a lotus would spring forth.