The spirit of the best of men is spotless,
Lalitavistara- the Buddha
like the new lotus in the muddy water,
which does not adhere to it.
Lotus blooms not in the mud
By Swami Navagrahananda
But from the mud it grows
Roots nourished in that dark
Journey to bud from woes
Stem of life that reaches forth
To jewel that is enshrined
Through water’s ebb and flow
Upwards with life divine
Breaks the surface bud unstained
No mud thereon doth cling
Unfurled petals sun’s dawn
Joyful accompanying
Thou art THAT, spotless, unstained
Upon your journey home
Grateful all from mud to light
Om Mani Padme Hum