A bodhisattva has achieved enlightenment, but rather than escape the cycle of rebirth by entering nirvana, instead has elected to remain in this world to help those still striving to attain that blissful existence. The bodhisattva Guanyin has an especially close association with the lotus, a flower with great symbolism in Buddhism. Its beautiful blossoms spring above the water’s surface from roots buried in mud—an apt metaphor for the process of moving from this world of pain into a state of pure enlightenment. This censer or incense burner is decorated with a lotus scroll making the vessel especially appropriate for offering incense to Guanyin.