Beauty
Beauty (kalyāṇa or subha) is the quality of being pleasing to the senses and the Mind. An object, a Sound or even a behaviour or an idea can be described as beautiful. The Buddha said that while personal physical beauty is a Blessing, it is also true that it can lead to clinging and egoism. However, there is a beauty beyond the physical, what might be called personality and attitudinal beauty. In Buddhist psychology, certain types of thoughts like Kindness, Generosity and honesty are described as being beautiful (sobhana). It was this type of beauty that The Buddha had the most regard for. In the Dhammapada he said: ‘If someone is jealous, selfish or dishonest, they are unattractive despite their Eloquence or good features. But the person who is purged of such things and is free from hatred, it is he or she who is really beautiful.’ (Dhp.262-3). See Art.
