A lotus from one of the front gardens of Hasedera Temple (長谷寺) in Kamakura, Japan. Normally I'm not one much for flower photographs but I was really taken by seeing this lotus about to bloom considering I was in a temple.

The symbol of the lotus is used by many people for many things but one of my favorite usages is as a metaphor for the Buddha. As it goes, how can something so beautiful rise from the muck and mire of human suffering?