How to Enhance Your Beauty
If after the age of thirty-five, someone still praises you for being beautiful and youthful, consider yourself fortunate and likely to be a person with a kind heart.
There was a time President Lincoln interviewed a candidate but decided not to hire them. When asked by his staff for the reason, he said, “I didn’t like his appearance!” Confused, the staff inquired, “Is it the candidate’s fault if their face is unattractive?” Lincoln responded, “A person’s appearance before the age of thirty-five is shaped by their parents, but after thirty-five, it reflects their own choices. One must take responsibility for their appearance after turning thirty-five.”
Reading Wealth and Poverty from a Person's Face
In real life, as people reach middle age, their appearance often reflects their character and personality: generous individuals typically have faces that exude good fortune; gentle people usually have soft and kind features; those with a rough temperament often display a fierce look; and narrow-minded individuals tend to have sharp features and furrowed brows. Some look especially youthful and beautiful; this often indicates purity and kindness at heart, as their long-standing thoughts and actions become etched into their faces, shaping their future destiny.
A person’s facial features in childhood and youth are influenced by genetic factors from their parents, but a person's later life is largely sculpted by the experiences of their earlier years. Hence, it's said that after the age of forty, one must assume responsibility for their appearance.
Compassionate and loving individuals often have an inner glow, making them increasingly pleasant to look at and easy to connect with, appealing to people of all ages. In contrast, selfish, cunning, and calculating people often have unappealing looks; even if born with good looks, prolonged interaction reveals a lack of charm.
Appearance can gradually transform, especially with beautiful features that radiate a unique charm from within. Any blessings have their inevitable causes, and a beautiful face comes from a gentle and kind disposition.
After Thirty-Five, Your Inner Self Shapes Your Appearance...
An ancient proverb states: “With kindness in the heart, beauty will follow; with malice, beauty will fade.” This suggests that a person’s appearance can change in line with their good or evil thoughts. Even if someone currently has a fierce look, frequent cultivation of compassion will soon transform it into a favorable one. Conversely, a person with an initially fortunate appearance will see it fade if they engage in greed and hatred. Thus, the heart is key to one’s appearance; more important than observing the face is cultivating the heart:
Smile
Some say that a smile is the most beautiful flower blooming on one’s face. There’s a saying, “A fist does not strike a smiling face.” A smiling expression is always charming and delightful, making people feel warm and friendly. Most importantly, a smile not only enhances external beauty but also conveys a pleasant and beautiful emotional message. A smile brings joy and happiness, offering spiritual satisfaction.
Keeping a smile on your face and showing kindness costs nothing yet creates immense value; this is the most convenient and effective beauty tip.
Give More Compliments
Everyone loves to hear kind words, and it’s not just humans who respond that way. The Buddha mentioned in the “Lankavatara Sutra” that “all things in the universe can hear and perceive,” and scientists have discovered through experiments with water that its crystals change shape according to external sounds. Dr. Masaru Emoto conducted experiments to show that water can change due to vibrations from objects. When he played Mozart and Beethoven’s famous pieces, he observed under a microscope that the water crystals formed continuously beautiful patterns in response to the lovely melodies.
Kind words spoken to water create beautiful crystal patterns; harsh words create chaotic and disordered formations. This surprising result reflects the influence of thought on matter. Good thoughts can beautify matter, and evil thoughts can make it ugly. Parents may observe that if they offer more encouragement and praise to their children, the children become smarter and more beautiful. By complimenting others and speaking kind words, we naturally grow more beautiful ourselves.
Practice Patience and Avoid Anger
Those who practice patience and avoid anger naturally develop a more pleasant appearance. The “Buddha Speaks of the Law of Cause and Effect” notes: “Those who are unattractive are so because they harbored anger in past lives.” This means that people who are not attractive often held anger and resentment. “Those who are upright and have a clear complexion shine brightly. Their hands are soft, and their breath is fragrant. People love to see their appearance and never tire of looking at them. This comes from practicing patience.” This indicates that people who are well-proportioned, fair-skinned, radiant, and loved by others have achieved this through the practice of patience.
Remember and Contemplate the Buddha
The "Buddha Speaks of the Great Vehicle of Infinite Life, Adorned, Pure, Equal, and Enlightened Sutra” says, “Today, the World Honored One, with a beautiful body and pure senses, radiates a majestic light, and the precious temple is adorned, which has never been seen before.” On that day, the World Honored One, through remembrance and chanting of the Buddha, received the blessings of Amitabha Buddha’s divine power, making his appearance especially beautiful and dignified. When he chanted Amitabha Buddha’s name, all Buddhas from the ten directions united with Shakyamuni Buddha, and the dignity of Shakyamuni Buddha’s appearance became evident. Even the most dignified Buddha, chanting the Buddha’s name, receives blessings from all Buddhas, enhancing his majestic presence. If we sincerely remember and contemplate the Buddha, our appearance, too, will become more beautiful.
Many scriptures tell us that the Buddha’s appearance is the most pristine! When we chant the Buddha’s name and hold the Buddha in our hearts, our appearance unknowingly transforms into that of the Buddha. If we seek a good appearance, we should chant the Buddha’s name more often. Through chanting and contemplating the Buddha, our body and mind gradually take on the appearance of the Buddha. When Shakyamuni Buddha thought of Amitabha Buddha, his appearance transformed into that of Amitabha Buddha, displaying unparalleled dignity.
Gratitude
Those who understand gratitude are truly beautiful. Being grateful for everything one has, for every flower and blade of grass, and for every person and thing nurtures a heart brimming with gratitude. This allows beautiful inner flowers to bloom. A person filled with this fragrance cannot help but radiate beauty like flowers.
Offer Flowers at the Buddha’s Altar
The “Buddha Speaks of the Law of Cause and Effect” states, “Those who are unattractive do so because they block the light before the Buddha.” This suggests that being both unattractive and dark stems from blocking the Buddha’s light. Therefore, regularly offering flowers at the Buddha’s altar and adorning the Buddha’s image will enhance one’s appearance.
The Power of Thought
A person’s appearance closely relates to their inner thoughts. Appearance arises from the heart; external appearance is largely an outward manifestation of inner thoughts. When a person harbors anger, their face becomes unpleasant and off-putting. Conversely, cultivating compassion and gentleness makes their appearance kind and pleasing. A Western psychologist once noted, “Your mindset shapes your life, and your fate will reflect that.”
If you wish to be a beautiful person, view the world with beautiful thoughts. You'll find not only that everything surrounding you becomes beautiful, but your exterior does too!
Surround Yourself with Beautiful Souls
As the saying goes, “Those who are close to vermilion become red, and those who are close to ink become black.” By surrounding yourself with “beautiful people,” you will naturally imbibe their beauty philosophy, and over time, you will become one of them. “Beautiful people” aren’t just those with attractive faces; more importantly, they have beautiful hearts. Regular interactions with “beautiful people” will subtly help your heart connect with beauty, and true beauty always comes from within.