No Mud, No Lotus

"No mud, no lotus."  - Thich Nhat Hanh

For those of you who have taken my yoga classes, you have heard my story about the lotus and my thoughts on it........for those of you who have never taken one of my classes here is the lotus story.
The lotus flower grows in mud, in murky dark dirty water......yet the flower is so beautiful it is breath-taking and its oils are used in expensive perfumes.  My take.......I believe we are all like the lotus....we have this beautiful flower in our hearts, this incredible love......and no matter how dark, how muddy our pasts are......that lotus is waiting to bloom.  The lotus represents love, and a life that walks the path of light, coming out of the mud.....thus, "no mud, no lotus."