No Mud, No Lotus

Lotus thriving in murky water - symbolising growth through adversity

Why do we resist life’s challenges? Why do we yearn for peace, beauty and fulfilment, yet hesitate to face the struggles that often accompany them? These questions lie at the heart of a universal human experience. For years, I wrestled with these very questions, longing for happiness, success and fulfilment, while recoiling from the difficulties they demanded.

Through the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, the jewel is in the lotus, I began to uncover deeper answers. This mantra teaches us that within every struggle lies a hidden treasure, such as wisdom, strength and love. Below, I will share what I have learned from my journey, exploring why we resist and yearn as we do, using my own experiences to shed light on these timeless questions.

Mud

We resist life’s challenges because they bring discomfort, uncertainty and pain. As humans, we are naturally inclined to avoid these undesired sensations. For me, the mud - life’s struggles, such as self-doubt in my marriage, the gruelling years spent studying law or the fear of leaving a secure job to start my own practice, felt like something to escape. I saw these hardships as obstacles blocking my path to peace and success, not as part of the journey itself. This resistance stemmed from a desire for control and immediacy. I lacked patience, wanting results without the slow, messy process of life’s experiences. When things didn’t unfold quickly, frustration and doubt took hold, pushing me to force outcomes rather than trust in the unfolding.

Resistance also arises from fear: fear of failure, judgment or facing our own vulnerabilities. These fears are natural part of our every day experiences. I feared the mud would swallow me, that I would never reach the beauty I sought. Yet, the more I resisted, the deeper I sank into those struggles.

Today, I know for sure that life has a way of showing us that resistance only amplifies our suffering. It is a protective instinct, but it blinds us to the truth: challenges are not punishments; they are the very soil in which growth takes root.

Lotus 

We yearn for peace, beauty and fulfillment without struggle because we equate them with ease and imagine they exist apart from hardship. I wanted the lotus, the symbol of purity and serenity, without the mud that nourishes it. This longing reflects a deeper human tendency to seek reward without effort, to bypass the process for the prize. I craved happiness and success as endpoints, not as qualities forged through failures. In my impatience, I overlooked the small lessons in waiting, the strength built in stillness, and the wisdom gained through perseverance. This yearning also comes from a misconception about life’s nature. I once believed peace meant the absence of struggle, not realising it is a state cultivated within. Society often reinforces this, glorifying outcomes such as wealth, achievement and tranquillity, while downplaying the effort behind them. So, I chased the lotus, blind to the mud’s role in its bloom.

It took time to see that beauty and fulfilment aren’t gifts bestowed upon us; they are treasures we unearth by embracing the difficulties we would rather avoid.

 Jewel

We resist because we fear the unknown and cling to comfort. We desire comfort because we misjudge where true happiness lies. Yet, as I discovered, the mud is not the enemy; it is the foundation. By facing challenges with patience and openness, we allow the lotus to bloom and the jewel to shine. Life’s struggles are not obstacles to overcome but invitations to grow, transform and uncover the strength that’s always been within us. Over time, through listening to the chantings of Om Mani Padme Hum, I learned that resistance and yearning are two sides of the same coin.

The lotus doesn’t bloom despite the mud but because of it.

My challenges weren’t detours; they were essential steps. When I stopped resisting and began to trust the process, I found peace not in escaping hardship but in moving through it. The pauses I once saw as delays became spaces of clarity, revealing the beauty of the present moment.

We all have our own special journey, shaped by personal questions and answers. For me, resistance has often been rooted in my instinct to avoid pain, seek comfort and yearn for ease. In our desire to bypass struggle, we often misunderstand the very source of peace and beauty. But I am still learning that the deeper answer lies in embracing both the mud and the lotus, for it is through this acceptance that we uncover the jewel of our truest selves.

From what I have come to know, no one can teach you how to navigate the resistances or challenges of life. Not a guru, not a teacher, not books, retreats, or anything else. This is a journey you must take alone. The answers we so desperately seek lie nowhere else but in the stillness of our own mind. And through my personal journey, I have come to realise that true beauty isn’t found in avoiding the struggle, but in the wisdom, strength and clarity that emerge when we choose to face it head-on.

Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect on this journey with me. May you find the courage to embrace the mud in your own life, knowing that the lotus is blooming within you, just as it is blooming within me.