The lotus is a beautiful water flower that grows in shallow ponds and slow rivers across Asia and Africa. Its large pink or white petals open during the day and close at night, and its broad leaves float on the water's surface like natural rafts. The plant has roots anchored deep in muddy pond bottoms, yet somehow produces pristine flowers that seem to float above the water.

The lotus holds deep meaning in many Asian cultures and religions, particularly Buddhism and Hinduism, where it symbolizes purity and enlightenment. The flower's ability to emerge clean and beautiful from murky water makes it a powerful symbol: just as the lotus rises unstained from the mud, people can rise above difficult circumstances to achieve something beautiful.

In Greek mythology, the lotus appears in Homer's Odyssey as a magical plant that made people forget their troubles and lose all desire to return home. When Odysseus's crew members ate the lotus fruit, they had to be dragged back to the ship, perfectly content to stay forever in the land of the Lotus-Eaters.

The word also describes the lotus position, a cross-legged sitting posture used in yoga and meditation, named because the folded legs are said to resemble lotus petals.