Beauty
A long time ago when my teacher was on tour, she was giving a series of talks. During that time, one day a group of punks dressed in full regalia: leather jackets, metal spikes all over, spiked hair, tattoos, etc (you get the picture) came to a program. One of my friends who was there next to my teacher went into full alert mode when she saw them in case she had to protect my teacher from them. As they approached her my teacher was just in awe of them saying how interesting they were. She started talking to them and asking them questions and invited them to stay which they amazingly did until the end of the program. A couple of days later they came back in regular clothing carrying their old clothes in their hands and they offered them to my teacher. She thank them but told them that the change in clothing was not necessary. To which one of them answered that they wanted to, that for some reason they were not angry anymore.
There are many things that stand out from this story for me. The one I want to point out is my teacher's capacity to appreciate the beauty in this group of people that came to see her, to see everyone as a manifestation of the beauty of the pattern of Consciousness. Another one of the teachers that I follow, Christopher Wallis, said that beauty is the way that Consciousness entrances and entertains Itself. In the tantrik yoga tradition it is said that we experience beauty in nine different ways or rasas. Nine ways in which we can experience aesthetic rapture. Now fair warning some of these categories are not what we culturally consider as beautiful and yet they still have the power to entrance us. These nine rasas are:
* the erotic or romantic (śṛṅgāra)
* the heroic or inspiring (vīrya)
* the astonishing or mindblowing (adbhuta; like a magic show)
* the compassionating or tear-jerking (kāruṇya)
* the comedic (hāsya)
* the wrathful (raudra)
* the disgusting or repulsive (bībhatsa)
* the terrifying (bhayānaka)
* the peaceful/tranquil (śānta)
Knowing this has helped me to understand why I feel drawn to some things like ... the news or my enjoying horror films when I was a teenager and many other things. It has helped me to expand my concept and enjoyment of beauty so I can continue to practice seeing all these fluctuating patterns as a passing expression of the one Consciousness. Knowing about all these categories can you see them in the things that you are attracted to? How does knowing this changes your appreciation and relationship with beauty?
See you in class
Blessings
Jorge Nihal
