Babies, with their chubby faces, torsos and limbs, are appealing. While they have a particular attraction for their parents, whose genes they carry, infants have little difficulty attracting a bevy of admirers. While it is women who are most entranced, men are also intrigued. Few would deny that babies are beautiful, except, maybe, when they are screaming for food or because they are frustrated.

I can remember visiting the Summer Palace in Beijing in 1982. I caught sight of an old Chinaman with a white wispy beard, a black skullcap and slippers, shuffling along a path. He was the epitome of old China. Without asking his permission, or recognising the rudeness of this omission, I snapped his photo. Framed by an ancient lattice, this candid shot captured a beauty to which culture, history and the furrows of the years contributed.

Many years before, while in my early twenties, I stood on a small jetty that jutted into the Maroochy River, in Queensland. I remember being overwhelmed by the gorgeous display that the sky, a riot of pastel colours, appeared to be putting on for me. The sun was going down, and the heavens were like an artist's palate. The beauty of the scene, serendipitously gifted to me, took my breath away. [191]

I recently watched a programme on the Taj Mahal. That magnificent building, a mausoleum celebrating the death of a beloved wife, and the munificence and authority of her husband, is admired as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

Many Forms

Beauty accosts us in many forms.

There is almost no limit to the sorts of things we describe as beautiful, from giant canyons to the structure of the double helix.

Nature

There are natural beauties--geographical features that are the result of millions of years of evolution.

I am fascinated by mountainous terrain, by rain forests, by deserts, by the carpet of snow that lays over the ground in winter, by the joy-burst of Spring, and by the rich colours of autumn--particularly the yellows and reds.

The beach, with its expanse of sand, its ever-advancing and retreating waves and its deep-throated rumble, is irresistible to those who appreciate primeval beauty, which echoes the tides that rise in fall in our souls.

Whether I am standing on a lookout gazing down into the purple-green floor of the Grose Valley, framed by its cathedral-like cliffs, or whether I am squatting on sand to examine the exquisite design of a shell, I am embraced by a beauty that has been sculptured by a living Cosmos. At such times, I am embraced by a Spirit Presence. [192]

The Human Body

The human body is an aspect of this creation. When we take the time to appreciate the beauty of the human body, we marvel at the ascetic pleasure it affords. No two bodies are alike. We are all differently proportioned.

The beauty of the human body is evident at every stage in its development.

It is apparent in new-born babies, in young people in their late teens and early twenties, with their firm skin, bright eyes and fresh complexions, in those in their prime, extended to the limit of their ability and demonstrating a confidence and maturity they lacked in their younger years, and in the sagging flesh that hangs from the bones of the aged.

There is that within us, etched into our genes, that causes us to be aroused by particular shapes. Sexual responses, programmed into our bodies, and fueled by our hormones, cause our appreciation of beauty to shade off into desire.

Creativity

Many of the things we create are beautiful.

When we talk about art, we are usually referring to what we create with our hands. Pen and ink sketches, etchings, oil and watercolour painting, charcoal sketches, tapestries, quilts, sculpture, and pottery reflect our artistic energies.

Music, instrumental and vocal, is an art form that moves us deeply; often giving expression to deeply buried joy or sadness. Music can release captive emotions, and play us like [193] a many-stringed instrument. It can bring our bodies into sync with the rhythms of the universe.

There are artistic traditions that honour economy of expression, particularly in the East. This economy is evident in Chinese calligraphy and Japanese gardens. The flowing Arabic script is a delight to the eye.

Literature is another art form. Beauty is reflected in the cadence of the language--in its structure, its balance, in the emotions it evokes, and in the clarity it brings. It is also present in the tense energy of poetic forms, in characterization and movement in drama, in the economy of an essay, the exuberance of a novel, and the disciplined structure of a work of non-fiction.

Architecture can express beauty, either in the simple lines of conical, village huts, or the thrusting statement of a glass skyscraper. The architecture that has the greatest appeal blends with the landscape.

Articles of furniture can also be beautiful, whether rustic or ornate.

Adornment

Humans have sought to enhance their beauty through decorative adornment.

Different cultures have considered different physical features beautiful. Some cultures have regarded the male body as beautiful, and have considered the female body a misshapen mistake. Other cultures have celebrated the beauty of the female body. Both sexes have sought to improve on the aesthetic appeal of their bodies. [194]

From earliest times, people have decorated their faces. Some have gone to the extent of elongating their ears and lips.

It is not only our bodies that we have titivated. We have ritually adorned significant milestones in our lives--birth, initiation, marriage and spiritual yearning. Dance steps, expressing the essence of distinctive cultures, also arrest us with their beauty.

Character

Richness of soul is also beautiful.

We admire those who radiate love, whose presence brings others alive.

Relationships, where there is connectedness, mutuality and playfulness, are beautiful. Those in these relationships are comfortable with themselves. They give of themselves without feeling diminished. They speak their minds without being hurtful. They challenge without being judgmental. They offer their bounty without being manipulative.

Communities in which diversity is honoured, individuality respected, and the common good given priority, can be beautiful contexts in which to live, in spite of the moral frailty of those constituting them.

Beauty is found in many different forms, forms that are as diverse as the elements that make up our natural and human environment.

The Dynamics of Beauty

Why do we declare some things beautiful? [195]

We do not collect data and process it through a mental computer to determine that what we are viewing, or listening to, or feeling, or smelling, or tasting, or thinking about, is beautiful. Our appreciation of beauty is instantaneous. It is a revelation that breaks in upon us and takes our breath away.

The Eye of the Beholder?

To what degree does beauty reside in the eye of the beholder? Is beauty inherent, or something we ascribe to people and situations?

Our presuppositions and conditioning play a part.

It is obvious that the relationship that we have with particular individuals will influence our assessment of them, and their artistic productions. We may even be carried along by their enthusiasms, and accept their judgements uncritically.

We may consider someone beautiful because of what we project onto them. Infatuation works this way.

Our judgement may also be swayed by our hormones. This happens when we fall in love. It also occurs for most women when they see a baby. The sight of the chubby infant releases progesterone, which fills them with a sense of well-being.

We are also influenced by the attitudes of family members, who regard certain people, situations, or art forms as beautiful. The influence of the broader community is also powerful. Communities have distinctive preferences when it comes to determining what is beautiful. This is most obvious when one compares Rembrandt 's voluptuous women with the pencil-thin ideal of contemporary female beauty. [196]

Nothing But!

There are those who contend that beauty is wholly in the eye of the beholder.

These argue that we have no way of proving that the realities we claim to identify exist independently of our subjective perceptions, because we cannot transcend our circumstances, or the frames through which we view things. This means that beauty is no more than an artificial construction we have mocked up through our use of language.

While we invariably encounter layers of interpretation, contexts within contexts, when we set off in pursuit of what we deem to be beautiful, the fact that we are met by an almost endless regress of contexts does not mean that beauty is insubstantial. It merely means that there is an infinite regress of contexts, or interpretations. In fact, it could be argued that the beauty we are seeking to investigate cannot be detached from this infinite regress of contexts, because they represent aspects of the beauty we are investigating.

Beauty may be difficult to define, but it is not difficult to recognize or appreciate.

Levels of Appreciation

Ken Wilber, in dealing with the art criticism, suggests that there are different ways of assessing and appreciating art, and that each supplements the other.

The earliest view of art was imitative or representational. The painting, or the sculpture was intended to faithfully [197] represent the real world. However, few today would argue that art is merely representational.

The second theory suggests that artwork expresses what the artist intends it to represent. According to this view, to interpret a work of art, we need to discover the artist's conscious, or unconscious intention.

Others, wanting to take this insight further, have argued that works of art are symptomatic of broader, cultural, sexual, economic and ideological currents.

Another group, reacting to expressive theories of art, contends that the value of the work lies in the form of the artwork itself. They argue that the meaning of the text, painting or sculpture is to be found in the formal relationship between the elements of the work. Those adopting this view tend to be dismissive of the artist's intention.

Others again, have suggested that the meaning of a work of art is to be found in the responses of those appraising it. According to these "reception and response" theorists, the focus of attention should be the response of the reader or viewer.

Wilber argues that each of these theories contributes something to a comprehensive understanding of the nature of art, and therefore of beauty.

If we focus on the concept of beauty, rather than art, we can see how important it is for us to identify the many factors that contribute to our experiencing something as beautiful, without necessarily privileging one above the others, and therefore excluding or diminishing others. [198]

A Universal Template

In spite of the fact that our perception of what is beautiful is influenced by our relationships, by the communities that help mould our opinions, by unconscious influences, as well as by our hormones, it can be argued that our appreciation of beauty, and our perception of what constitutes beauty, are based on a universal template. The capacity to appreciate beauty, and the experience of being lifted out of oneself in spontaneous appreciation of the beautiful, is an endowment that transcends individual personalities and cultures. One does not have to be Japanese to admire the chaste, economic beauty of a Japanese garden, or a traditional tea ceremony. Furthermore, those who are wise, compassionate and loving, whatever community they belong to, transcend the limitations of the cultures that have produced them. The beauty of their thought, and their lives, evoke universal admiration. We are humbled and energized by their presence.

What Happens?

What happens when we admire something beautiful, when we are captivated and liberated by beauty?

The experience of beauty impacts on us in many ways.

Beauty is associated with admiration. We admire what is beautiful. This association, however, is complex.

Our admiration of the beautiful can phase off into hero worship, or even envy. Admiring another, who we regard as beautiful, can be influenced by our lack of self-esteem, in which case we may find ourselves so identifying with this person that we surrender our identity. On the other hand, admiration can lead to emulation. We may try to duplicate [199] their lives, or, if we are more insightful, we may be stimulated to live as authentically as they lived.

Beauty is associated with authenticity. The authentic person, or work of art, is beautiful.

Beauty exhibits harmony. It reflects the basic harmony that underlies the complexities and contradictions of life. It also evokes a sense of harmony in the beholder. Art sometimes reflects the struggle of the artist to bring harmony and integration to her life through her work.

Beauty attracts. It captures our attention, and, for a period, holds us transfixed. A magnificent sunset can hold us spellbound. It wraps us round. It removes from us the sense of our individuality, and helps us feel that we are part of the universe.

Beauty celebrates diversity. It appeals to us because of its newness, its freshness.

What is beautiful represents the coming together of diverse elements. In Australian, we are enriched by a diversity of cultures. This diversity, despite its tensions, is an aspect of the beauty of our communal life.

Beauty evokes deep emotions. One wonders whether we would appreciate beauty if it were not for the emotional responses it evokes. Approaching the connection between beauty and emotion from the opposite direction, it could be argued that experiences in which we encounter each other at a deeply feeling level represent some of our most beautiful experiences.

Beauty is linked with imagination. It is often the product of imagination. Beauty, however, does not deliver long, [200] tedious messages, but speaks in exclamations. It is left to the imagination to body out the picture.

Beauty is associated with creativity. Beauty gives birth to creativity. It frees up our capacities, and furnishes us with the impetus to use them. Our creativity constructs the beautiful. The symbiosis between beauty and creativity is enormously fruitful.

Beauty is connected with performance, and not only artistic performance. Beauty can dissipate the slag that lies heavy upon the soul. It can free our spirits to dance with the moonbeams, to flow with the rhythms of life, to interpret its echo, and to lose ourselves in its spiraling oscillations.

Beauty and humour are not far removed. The sort of humour that is a gentle reflection on life's ironies, a subtle exercise in integration, harmony and authenticity, can be beautiful. Beauty and humour lighten the business of living, and encourage us to cease dragging our feet.

A Beautiful Universe

Contemplatives experience the universe as an integrated totality, of which they are a part. It is a universe in which the good and bad are held together in a unity that transcends both. It is a universe, which, in all its diversity, is alive with the presence of the Spirit.

The recognition of beauty, a recognition that takes us beyond our senses, and helps us appreciate that we are connected to that which is beyond us, represents a moment of revelation akin to the shared experience of contemplatives. It enables us to access, however momentarily, the vision of a universe aglow with the radiance of God. [201]

[ROI 191-201]