The Beauty of Being Natural

By Category: Body & MindTags:

We all pursue beauty. When we are born without natural beauty, we turn to beauty products and even cosmetic surgery to enhance our looks. But no matter how hard we try to achieve the perfect look, it never compares to the beauty of just being natural.

Look at the beauty of nature:  the crystal blue sky, the floating white clouds, the colorful hues of a rainbow after it rains, and the twinkling stars at night. Go climb to the top of a mountain at night, when the moon is bright and the air is crisp, and as far as the eye can see, you can appreciate the panoramic beauty of nature and the vast openness of the universe. In this universe of ours, there are lofty mountains and steep cliffs; there are boundless deserts; and there are rushing rivers and lush forests.

All these naturally beautiful landscapes of the world are odes of praise to the beauty and wonder of nature. The beauty of nature is really enchanting and fascinating!

In the pursuit of beauty, where it is lacking naturally we make up for it artificially. Whether we are landscaping a garden, decorating a house, fashioning a wardrobe, or even changing our physique or posture, we need to harmonize these activities with nature in order to achieve a good standard of beauty. If buildings are ostentatiously designed or people overly made-up, they no longer reflect the beauty of nature.  Natural beauty is forfeited when we are pretentious or affected.

Although there is no universal standard for beauty, there should be some guiding principles for it. Beauty should be pleasant to behold. It should purify one’s spirit, sublimate one’s mind, open up one’s heart, and transcend worldliness. The true meaning of beauty lies in its ability to enhance our lives. 

In pursuing the beauty of being natural, we should speak with humor, we should be reasonable with others, and we should be gracious in how we handle worldly affairs. Then, the beauty of being natural may be close at hand.

The valor of men, the gentleness of women, the kindness of seniors, and the innocence of children are all real-life examples of natural beauty.

It was originally published in All in a Thought, written by Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

Image from Pixabay.

More Featured Articles

A Good Reputation
We should always try to see the good in others, not the bad. On the samsaric level of this saha world alone, back-biting and faultfinding are known by most people to be totally counter-productive. Not only does faultfinding produce nothing but anger and mistrust, but the effects of negative speech also create an environment in which it becomes difficult to do anything positive. Read more
I Am Not a Monk “Sponging Off” Buddhism (II)
It is enough for most monks to only have the ability to chant and teach the Dharma, and of course I too can chant sutras and teach the Dharma. But only being this kind of monk was not something I was willing to do. I wanted to become a monk who was able to engage in propagating the Dharma in a multifaceted way: There is Read more
Gratitude
When someone benefits us even a little,we should repay them with all our hearts.Even if someone is angry with us,we should always treat them well.— Upasakasila Sutra Gratitude Is Fundamental to BuddhismA natural outgrowth of heartfelt gratitude is the desire to repay others for the kind things they have done for us. Having the feeling of being indebted to others is a sign that we are Read more
Learn to Admit Your Faults
One of the biggest weaknesses in today’s society is that we have developed the habit of not saying we are sorry. Once we grow up and rise in status and knowledge, apologizing becomes harder and harder. But human beings are not perfect sages and we all make mistakes. Being able to correct our mistakes is a virtue in itself. This ability to amend our actions Read more
Repentance
It is only through loving-kindness and compassion that we can find room in our hearts to forgive others. It is only through our willingness to let go of resentment that we can find a way to magnanimity.  Read more
The Beauty of Magnanimity
It is only through loving-kindness and compassion that we can find room in our hearts to forgive others. It is only through our willingness to let go of resentment that we can find a way to magnanimity.  Read more
Make Buddha Images in This Very Mind
Why should people create Buddha images? Did the Buddha really want everyone to make images of him and worship his body?In truth, the purpose of creating the Buddha images is not to create symbols for worship. Buddha images are reminders that “the mind is the Buddha,” and that everyone has Buddha nature. Buddha images also remind us to frequently recollect the virtues of the Buddha Read more
Do Not Give Arise to Anger
Buddhism says we should see friends and enemies as equal. This means we should learn to tolerate unfriendly people, unideal environments, and language that is hard on the ears. Read more
Six Points of Reverent Harmony
Social harmony stems from handling relationships and communal living with skill, effort, and a spirit of cooperation. We can learn a lot about keeping peace in social living from the six points of reverent harmony that the monastic sangha observes. Sangha is a Sanskrit word, which can be interpreted on many different levels. In its widest interpretation, it refers to all those who have the Read more
Music and Buddhism
Music gives us the capacity to express deep emotions. Whether through holy hymns or chants of praise, music is capable of uplifting the mind to an almost sublime state. As such, it has a significant role in the promotion of religion.All Buddhas and bodhisattvas are very skilled in utilizing music to teach the Dharma and guide sentient beings to enlightenment.Music has a very important function Read more
I Am Not a Monk “Sponging Off” Buddhism (III)
It is my hope that our Buddhist monks will all become monks who give support in all directions and not become monks who live off all directions. Whoever it may be, the monastic followers or the lay disciples, although we have not yet attained enlightenment, we can still broadly make affinities with others first, so as to become aspiring bodhisattvas who will ensure that “Buddhism Read more
My Reflections on Venerable Master Taixu's Fiftieth Birthday Poem
In fact, what I have enjoyed the most in my reading, and it could be said that a piece of writing that has had an important influence upon my life is the poem “Thoughts on My Fiftieth Birthday,” written by Venerable Master Taixu during his visit to India when the lay Buddhist Tan Yun-shan, Chairperson of the Institute of Chinese Language and Culture at Visva-Bharati Read more