The Lotus, especially the puṇḍarīka (white lotus, Khmer: ផ្កាឈូកស phka chhuk sâ), is used in Mahāyāna Buddhism to symbolize the nature of bodhisattvas. The lotus is rooted in the earthly mud and yet flowers above the water in the open air. Similarly, the bodhisattva lives in the world but remains unstained by it.
