After the spread of Buddhist belief in China, the lotus was imbued with religious implications and became known as the sacred flower of Buddhism. To Buddhists, the lotus flower blooms above the water, just as Buddha is born into the world but lives above the world; its fruits are said to be ripe when the flower blooms, just as the truth preached by Buddha bears immediately the fruit of enlightenment. The great popularity of the lotus in China during later periods, however, was not merely derived from its Buddhist connections, but also from the more general belief that the lotus, which grows out of mud but is not defiled, can be identified with noble purity and unflinching courage.