In Buddhism, the lotus flower, which grows up from swamp and keeps clean and untainted by mud, has been used in its various symbolisms according to the Buddhist goal of liberating from our worldly desires and ignorance and entering into the pure state of Nirvana.
The purity and beauty of the lotus flowers, which sublimely bloom above the surface of the sacred lotus pond, are typical and essential elements in the Pure Land Sutra and other Mahayana Buddhist scriptures.
In the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism, it is said that a holy person who has left this earthly world to be born in the land of utmost bliss will incarnate on the center of the flower in the pure land.