Gazing at the Lotus

Chinese Buddhism teaches that a pure mind creates a pure land—the pure land is not found outside the mind. However, this idea can be hard to grasp. Many people struggle with negative feelings like anger and resentment, which make it difficult to build the world as a pure land around your surroundings.

That’s why Huiyuan, the founder of the Chinese Pure Land school, introduced a practice at Lushan: using the sight of external pure lotus flowers to help calm and purify the mind.

Inspired by this idea, we created the "Gazing at the Lotus" series. It reflects Master Huiyuan’s teaching—while everything begins within the mind, creating a clean and peaceful environment can greatly support inner clarity.

This reminds us to keep our living space tidy and avoid people who drain our energy. Both are essential for nurturing a pure heart from the outset.