LOTUS FLOWER SYMBOLISMS & GUDA DRUM STEEL TONGUE DRUM

You select the design for your Guda drum, which is then hand engraved by a master. The symbols engraved on the drum not only please the eye, but they also impart meaning to the instrument, imbuing the sounds it produces with a special power. You need only select a design that resonates with you and your artistry. The older the symbol, the deeper its meaning, and the more nuances it contains within its imagery.

Of the symbols that adorn Guda drums, the Lotus is among the most ancient. And the lotus you see on Guda percussion instruments is not only a flower, but a lotus mandala – an ancient symbol of the harmony between man and his place in the world. In Tibet, it is thought that the mandala helps us feel one with the universe, because encoded in any mandala are the basic principles of how the world is structured, and the laws behind how it operates. The lotus mandala originated in the East, in Buddhist practice. The function of this sacred image is to defend and protect its owner. The lotus is a symbol of purity, and when it’s shaped into a mandala, it helps one cleanse the mind, organize thoughts and chart the right course. In the East, it is thought that if one contemplates a lotus mandala, he can then find the right solution, and that this image protects those who possess it from rash acts and base thoughts.

In China, the soul of one who does good deeds is compared to the lotus flower, which blooms in a celestial lake, and will continue to flourish there after his or her death.

In India, it is thought that the lotus is a sacred plant, and that the god and creator of the universe sprang from the center of this flower. Thus, in India, divinities and enlightened spirits are often shown standing in a lotus, or holding a lotus in their hands.

The image of the lotus on Guda percussion instruments signifies the divine emergence, and alludes to the belief that a pure spiritual being is always at the center of any creation. The contemplation of the image of the lotus mandala was seen as key to comprehending the laws of the world in harmony with the universe. In many cultures, the lotus was a symbol of the tranquility and serenity of the spirit cleansed of evil.

In ancient Egypt, the lotus flower was also greatly revered as a symbol of the birth because it was from this flower that the solar deity who created the world emerged. Thus, it was also revered as a symbol of immortality, the rebirth of the soul, because the flower grew from black silt and aspired toward the heavens.

The beauty and purity Lotus, unsullied even in the murkiest swamps, has made it a symbol of innocence and integrity, but not of naive innocence: rather it symbolizes knowledge, wisdom, freedom from ignorance, it is a symbol of the holistic spirit.

The lotus’s tenacity in fighting its way through the muck while remaining pure and bringing beauty to the world has made the lotus a symbol of the pure soul that transforms its environment, and this resonates in many cultures.

In Buddhism, the lotus patterns are imbued with a sense of “awakening and striving,” reflecting its struggles from the murky depths (the material) toward the light of the sun (knowledge and goodness). Thus, the lotus also signifies the pursuit of good and the ideal. A soul with such aspirations can create something beautiful and life-affirming.

The lotus flower connotes the victory of light over darkness, and good over the imperfections of this world. When a Guda meditative drum is adorned with the lotus mandala, the artist and the audience alike will be “tuned” to the “frequency” of perfection, light and goodness.