Chapter 30 Chapter 3 Everything Is Empty-4

Many people who don't know much about the Buddha's teachings think that Buddhism is sick. They think that Buddhists deny happiness and think only of pain.They assume that Buddhists reject beauty and physical enjoyment because these are temptations; Buddhists should be pure and temperate.In fact, in Siddhartha's teaching, there is nothing particularly objectionable to beauty and pleasure, any more than any other concept—as long as we don't get lost in them as if they were real. One of Siddhartha's lay disciples was a warrior named Manjushri, known for his wit and cunning.Among the disciples of Manjushri, there is a very diligent and highly respected monk who is famous for his practice of "contemplation of impurity". "Contemplation of Impurity" is a practice designed for those who are greedy and lustful.To practice this method, you must visualize that all human beings are composed of blood vessels, cartilage, intestines, etc.On one occasion, Mañjuśrī decided to test the diligent bhikkhu with his supernatural abilities.He transformed himself into a beautiful fairy and came to Bhikkhu to seduce him.For a moment, the good bhikkhu remained dignified and did not move at all.But Manjushri exerted an irresistible allure, and the bhikkhu was charmed by her.The bhikkhu himself was amazed, for over the years of his meditation practice he had successfully resisted some of the most beautiful women in the area.Terrified and disappointed in himself, the monk started to run away.But the fairy Manjushri chased him until he was exhausted and fell to the ground.As this alluring lady approached, he thought, it's over, this beautiful girl is going to hug me.He closed his eyes and waited, but nothing happened.When he finally opened his eyes, the nymph disintegrated into pieces and Manjushri appeared smiling.Imagining someone beautiful is a concept, he said, and clinging to that concept confines you, binds you in a knot, and imprisons you; whereas if you imagine someone ugly, that's also a concept, and it binds you too .

Year after year, we spend vast sums of money to make ourselves and our surroundings more attractive.But what is beauty?We say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but millions of people, watching the Miss Universe pageant, tell us who is the most beautiful person in the universe based on the jury.These ten or so jury members basically gave us the ultimate definition of beauty.Of course, there must be objections every time, because in the whole universe, they obviously ignore the beauties of New Guinea, and the graceful African tribal women with buckles around their elongated necks. If Siddhartha had watched the Miss Universe pageant, he would have seen an entirely different kind of ultimate beauty.In his eyes, the one wearing the tiara cannot be the ultimate beauty, because her beauty depends on the viewer.According to Siddhartha's analysis, if she was truly beautiful, there would be no need for a beauty pageant because everyone would automatically agree that she was the ultimate beauty.And if she's truly beautiful, there can't be a single moment when she's not so beautiful.She must be beautiful when she is yawning, snoring, drooling, squatting on the toilet, or old, and she must always be beautiful.

Siddhartha did not think that one candidate was more or less beautiful than another.On the contrary, all women in his eyes are neither beautiful nor ugly.The beauty he sees is in the millions of points of view from which any beauty may be viewed.Of the countless views in the universe, some must be jealous, some see her as lover, daughter, sister, mother, friend, foe.To the crocodile, she is food, to the parasite, she is the master.For Siddhartha, this sequence of variety was stunningly beautiful in itself.If someone is real and ultimately beautiful, it is fixed and only so.All evening dresses and swimwear, lights and lipstick, will be unnecessary.It is for this reason that we have beauty pageant representations, and at present, these sights are beautiful, like the amalgamated and impermanent circle of fire that we are now familiar with.