It is human nature to love beauty, but what is beauty? Some people who have physical beauty are mean-spirited and miserly, while others who are not beautiful to look at have kind and generous souls and make everyone feel at ease. It is a generous and kind heart that makes you truly beautiful.
The old saying “A face is born of the heart” has been handed down through the ages because of its truth.
The miracle of sculpting 100 Buddha statues
There was a modern artist who made sculptures of monsters and demons. Eventually, he fell into depression, losing touch with his friends and feeling an ugliness take hold of his soul. When he looked in the mirror, he even had the feeling that his appearance was getting uglier as well. He went to the doctor seeking help. The doctor referred him to a specialist who, despite a thorough examination, could not find the cause of his troubles. Then, someone else recommended him to a spiritual master.
Upon meeting with his patient, the master said that he guaranteed he could cure the artist if he sculpted 100 Buddha statues for him. The master also told him that sculpting the statues was part of the cure. The sculptor was willing to try anything to feel better so he agreed to the terms.
When he got home, the artist started making the Buddha statues, but they were in the same style as the monsters and demons he’d made before. He soon came to realize that he would have to change his style to make proper Buddha statues. He concentrated on making the statues as beautiful as he could and saw that in order to do that, he would have to adopt a traditional style when carving the new statues.
As he worked on making the 100 Buddhas, his friends came to visit him again. They saw a gradual improvement in his mood and appearance as the work progressed. When the last statue was finished, his friends said that he looked even better than he had before!
A kind heart transformed the sculptor
When he proudly presented the statues to his master, he expressed his unending gratitude for his cure. The master said: “There’s no need to thank me, you’ve cured yourself.” The artist asked him what he meant. “When you sculpt demons and monsters, that is all you think about. Over time, these thoughts become part of your nature. When you focus on carving a beautiful Buddha statue, you only think of the Buddha and compassion. Light and the blessings of the Buddha come into your mind instead. Your nature will be transformed as a result and goodness will shine out of you.” Hearing this was like waking from a dream for the artist and he was forever grateful to the master.
This shows us that plastic surgery can indeed transform a person’s appearance, but the scalpel can never change a person’s inner world. The best way to achieve real beauty is to have a generous and kind heart.
Translation by Eva
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest
