 Uh, hello? Hello? Is this mic on? Wait a sec, there's no mic. Oh. Oh yeah. Patchman usually just does this telepathically, huh? Ahem. Let me start over and introduce myself properly. I am Sheepatch. Some of you spirit science veterans may remember me when I was much younger in some of the much earlier episodes and parables, but it's been a hot minute since I've been here, and man am I excited to be back. We do operate in a universe of duality after all, and I'm here to bring the podium some feminine instead of just masculine energy all the time. To put things simply, sometimes Patchman gets the edge to go on adventures or relax for a bit. The poor guy does tend to work himself to death sometimes. And so when certain topics or episodes resonate well with a feminine energy, he'll call me up in the good ol' astral plane and out present the wisdom in his stead. I hope you snazzy souls are as excited as I am, and in advance I'd like to thank you all for welcoming me here. And with that out of the way, let's take a deep dive into today's topic. Eastern Buddhist principles of aesthetics reveal a minimalist sense of beauty that appreciates and even elevates natural difference, simplicity, and understatement. You know what? You're pretty beautiful. I don't care what anyone says, including you. You're awesome, and whatever you're doing in life right now, I bet you're killing it. And even if you're going through a tough time at the minute, like most of us are, let's be real. Just know that everyone here at Spirit Science is super proud of you, even if all you did was get out of bed today. And boy, what a day it's going to be because we're going to get real wholesome. And to celebrate my arrival today is the grand launch of our all-new Almanac of the New Age. Stay ahead of the game and grab your copy of the 2022 Cosmic Forecast with a special launch offer. And now, let's dive into today's special presentation. We don't often think about what exactly it is that makes something or someone attractive. Since for the majority of us living in the Western world, our particular notions of attractiveness and aesthetics have almost become ingrained in our culture. When we see someone hot, we have a whole host of reactions internally, usually before we even interact with them, that lets us know we find that person attractive. But why? What is it that dictates attractiveness? It can't be completely objective since everyone likes different things and has different tastes in partners. And yet you can always say someone is conventionally attractive. And if the rising popularity of plastic surgery is anything to go by, there is definitely an idealized version of Western beauty. In short, like pretty much the rest of Western society, our ideals of beauty were heavily influenced by the Greco-Roman philosophers of antiquity, who prized notions of ratio, proportions, and symmetry at the highest ideals of nature and the perfection of beauty. To the Greeks, geometry was an almost divine science. Such ideas were so strongly a part of Greek and Roman thought that it was even embodied in their architecture. You only have to look at the perfect geometry and ratios at the Parthenon or the Eurektheon and Athens to see the idea manifest itself best. But having filtered through to us today, even though we don't have all those lovely temples and shrines in the streets, press F in the comments for that, rip, the notions of symmetry, ratio, and proportion remain just as important to us, except now they're applied to people. Typically, if you were to ask, what makes a guy look like an absolute snack, the likely answers would probably be a chiseled jawline and slash or washboard abs. Sometimes you might get the whole upside down Dorito chest shape thing thrown in two if you're talking about body shape. For girls, it's usually the hourglass figure, which again is pretty much defined by having certain things in conventionally nice proportions or ratios in comparison to other things. Then people get even more picky at their extra vein and will split hairs over things like no shape or cheekbone symmetry. And for the love of all that is holy, don't even get a girl started on the whole thick meme these days. But humans aren't buildings. And even though we have been culturally conditioned to like symmetry, it's kind of a big lie. According to the CPT theorem in physics, there is a fundamental symmetry between particles and antiparticles in our universe. In fact, there shouldn't even be any difference between our universe and one where all particles are exchanged with antiparticles or vice versa. If the universe was also reversed in time and space. But here's the thing. Antimatter is crazy rare. It costs like 62.5 million dollars a gram just to make. There must be a difference of balance in the universe, because the theory says that equal quantities of matter and antimatter should have been produced during the Big Bang. And when particles and antiparticles meet, they annihilate each other. But nowadays, we almost only observe particles. So in order for our universe to even exist, there must be an imbalance in nature. In other words, the universe is not perfect. It's not equal or symmetrical. But in that imperfection is true perfection. Otherwise, we couldn't exist. So if you're worried about getting a symmetrical thigh gap, don't sweat it. Even the universe doesn't have one. And look how beautiful it is. There's also an argument that genetics play a factor. Biologically, our monkey brain is smart enough to realize that conventionally strong features are a result of good genetics, which make for better breeding opportunities and increase the quality of our gene pool. But then again, it isn't 10,000 BC anymore either. But if symmetry isn't the only thing that can dictate beauty, how can we reconcile this in perfection? Especially if advances in cosmetic surgery and social media are effectively democratizing physical beauty in people. Hey, you want to look like a real influencer? If you're broke, download all the deep fake photo editing apps you can so we can all be envious of your body that doesn't exist and is impossible to obtain. And while you're at it, caption your pics with inspirational body positivity quotes for that extra sprinkle of irony on top. If you're wealthy, go Google the nearest plastic surgeon. Honestly, the growing popularity of plastic surgery is really disheartening for me. Western culture claims to celebrate diversity in beauty and body types, especially in more left-leaning environments. But the fact that nose jobs and liposuction are becoming increasingly affordable, it just shows that this whole freedom of body thing is just a profitable, sick illusion. Even Barbie, who has gone through her fair share of body type changes in an effort to appear more inclusive, still, at its heart, places bodily symmetry and fetishized feminine cuteness as markers of personal identity. Beauty, especially for women, is made out to be unrealistic examples of youth, perfect skin, and unfortunately hypersexualized hourglass tropes. And even the elective surgical community enforces these ideals by pushing and complying with them when people come through the door because it's, you guessed it, a good profit. But medical professionals aren't really to blame, since they are just as much influenced by culture as we are. The blame really lies with us, with our awareness and consumerism and the popularity of influencers on social media that display unrealistic lifestyles in the marketing companies that push that agenda. Without buying into notions of the other, or exoticism though, the answer to redefining our relationship with beauty and ourselves may come from traditional Japanese aesthetics like Wabi Sabi and Kintsugi. At the heart of Zen Buddhist and Eastern philosophies lies concepts like se, which means purity, and fukinse, meaning irregularity or asymmetry. And by valuing or appreciating mono no aware, the beauty and transience in impermanence, we may be able to free ourselves from that attachment we have to our bodily image. Calling Wabi Sabi a philosophy would be way too simplistic. It is a worldview and perspective of Japanese aesthetics that underpins much of Japan's cultural norms on what is even considered tasteful or beautiful, and is a cornerstone of daily life. Originally, Wabi and Sabi were separate ideas, and neither really translated into English very well. Wabi originally referred to the loneliness that comes from living in nature, away from society. And Sabi meant something like chill, or withered. But around the 14th century in the Kamakura period, the meaning changed and began taking on more positive definitions as newer schools of Buddhism integrated with Japanese culture and taught the idea of the three marks of existence. Wabi came to refer to the idea of rustic simplicity, freshness, or quietness, and could be applied to both natural and human made objects to denote a kind of understated elegance or grace. It can also be used to refer to the quirks and anomalies that arise from the process of making something, which are seen to add uniqueness and elegance to a finished object. Sabi, on the other hand, came to mean the beauty or serenity that comes with age, or more literally, the withering of the self, when the life of a person or object in its impermanence becomes apparent in its wear and tear, or any visible signs of aging. When the concept comes together, Wabi Sabi recognizes and appreciates the beauty of aging and imperfection that makes things unique. Within it, imperfections are not defects or things to be covered up, but things to be embraced as markers of experience. Above all, it acknowledges the transient nature of our life and values the freedom that comes from being authentic. On the opposite side, what makes something ugly in the eyes of Wabi Sabi is sincerity, uniformity, and monotony. For us as people, on a relatable level, this encompasses stuff like stretch marks and blemishes and basically encourages you to see your body as a means of expressing your individuality. You are not your body, but you can use it to express the you inside, and every mark, blemish, and freckle that you have is unique to you. No one else has a stretch mark in the exact same place, and equally, no one has the same experiences as you either. Wabi Sabi teaches us to own our individual journey and find meaning in the marks we get from it. It's kind of similar to the French idea of Joli-laid, which prides the distinct beauty that you see in someone when their charisma triumphs over their nervousness and demeanor. Now, this isn't to say that Wabi Sabi is about letting yourself go as you age, but rather it revalues the authenticity and humility that comes from a mature respect for incompleteness and impermanence. In a nutshell, Wabi Sabi appreciates the truth in whatever way it comes, and truth always has an unselfconscious beauty that transcends human ideas like good or bad or beauty and ugliness. Following its adoption by Japanese nobility, the perception of this truth through Wabi Sabi was honored as one of the first steps to Satori, Zen Enlightenment, and even in modern Japanese, Wabi Sabi is often translated as wisdom and natural simplicity. To a Zen Buddhist student, Wabi Sabi is a type of training where you can learn to find the most basic, natural objects interesting, fascinating, and even beautiful. Wabi Sabi can change your perception of the world in such a way that a chip or crack in a vase makes it more interesting and gives the object greater meditative value. Similarly, materials at age like wood, paper, and fabric become more interesting and valuable to contemplation as they exhibit changes that can be observed over time. If any of you watching by chance are musicians, just think about how much nicer and warmer a vintage warring guitar sounds after it's been played for 30 years, or even how much richer an emotional and old piano sounds compared to an electric keyboard, the certain melancholy beauty in impermanence and imperfection and contemplating its nature is the essence of Wabi Sabi. Going deeper, within Wabi Sabi we also find the tradition of Kintsugi. This is the name of the process whereby a potter fills a crack and a cup with gold inlay and it's absolutely gorgeous. Kintsugi is the focused aspect of Wabi Sabi in the means of taking action when something is broken or has been damaged. Importantly though, we shouldn't realize it is not simply a means of repairing the old pot or the old self, but rather transforming it into something stronger, more beautiful, valued, and appreciated through having been broken and visibly mended. When a pot is repaired after being cracked, that break becomes part of its history and shapes its nature and instead of trying to cover it up, Kintsugi aims to highlight and enhance it in an effort to acknowledge and even celebrate the beauty in what was once broken but has now been strengthened. When something is broken, the wounds and cracks that result from it live on through visible or in this case people, sometimes invisible scars, but in contrast to the western view of scars as something to be subconscious of, Kintsugi treats the cuts as stories of healing and learning. While it doesn't celebrate the wound itself, every cut communicates an aspect of the object's journey. In people, we can see our wounds and traumas as such stories in our life's history and by acknowledging them and reading our own journey through the scars it leaves on us, we can begin to move from brokenness to recovery and eventually even happiness in something reminiscent of Hemingway. The world breaks everyone and afterwards many are strong at broken places. In terms of philosophy, the repair of a broken pot with gold inlay can be understood as a visual representation of how virtues like generosity and kindness are the veins of gold of humanity that also help us to reframe and heal from physical, mental, emotional and spiritual traumas. Rather hilariously, according to Japanese folklore, the invention of Kintsugi occurred when the Japanese Shogun sent a damaged Chinese T-bowl back to China for repairs in the late 15th century. When it returned, repaired with ugly metal staples, it prompted Japanese craftsmen to look for a more aesthetic means of repair that incorporated the whole journey the pot had been on. I'm sure there's a maiden China joke in there somewhere. So remember, things are not perfect and we shouldn't try to pretend that they are. Yet in that imperfection lies a beautiful truth of our existence that is perfect and true. Both Wabi-Sabi and Kintsugi pose us to contemplate the transience of life and indifference in the universe, exemplifying the idea that sometimes we have to be broken in order to release the light inside of us. Life is crazy. There's no two ways about that, especially when you go through things that change you and many times even scar you and you just have to keep going internally wondering how people can go by you so when changed by it all. But by appreciating the imperfection and uniqueness of your own journey, you can come to live it even more and find meaning in the way you view life. Till next time, toodles!