Lotus Flower
/More than a T-shirt design: an invitation to be kind and generous with one another. Without seeking anything in return.
布施的人有福, 行善的人快樂
(Pīnyīn: Bùshī de rén yǒufú，Xíngshàn de rén kuàilè)
Rough translation: “He who gives is blessed. He who acts with purity of heart is happy.
The Zhai-ming Monastery (齋明寺 / Pīnyīn: Zhāi míng sì) is located at the top of a hill in the District of Daxi (大溪鎮 / Pīnyīn: Dàxī Zhèn), in Taiwan. It’s one of those places that, despite being super easy to get to, for some reason, remains strategically isolated. Inside its walls, you’ll find monks interacting with locals as well as tourists who come by to meditate or who are simply searching for a little bit of peace and quiet.
If you’re into Eastern Philosophy, you’ll be glad to learn that everthing in Zhai-ming breathes, eats and sleeps Buddhism. It comes as no surprise, then, that the only existing copy of the Chinese Buddhist Canon in Taiwan is being kept here. This Canon is also known as 磧砂藏 (Pīnyīn: Qì shā cáng), and the first writings of its original version can be traced back to year 1234 (!), during the Song dinasty (宋朝 / Pīnyīn: Sòng cháo).
Ok, enough with the History classes. ;o)
The words that we used in our design are literally carved on a huge wooden board at the entrance of the monastery, and they’re a reminder of the “noble eightfold path”, one of Buda’s teachings. These words convey a beautiful message that, regardless of creed and religion, speaks to us all: we may look at it either as an inspiration to help us build a better world, or a code of conduct to guide us towards a kinder and gentler society.
In the Zhai-ming monastery, there are several replicas of the famous stone lanterns from the Tang Dinasty (唐朝 / Pīnyīn: Tángcháo). On one of them, in particular, displays holes carved in the sahpe of a lotus flower, which is where the light goes through when the lantern is on. This is the flower we chose to go with the Chinese characters in our design.
In Chinese culture, the lotus flower symbolizes purity: it has its roots latched in mud and it emerges from murky waters; still, it rises above it all to become something entirely different from its environment, something uniquely beautiful. We can do the same: no matter how dirty or corrupt our environment is, we can always embrace and act with purity of heart, turning an otherwise ordinary moment into an extraordinary one, into something uniquely beautiful.
