The Imperfected is Perfected. (Seeing the beauty in all)

Happiness, Peace, Amusement - these are all things that most people want, but with a few changes in perspective, these things can be realized, right now, in this moment.

It is simply a matter of recognizing the beauty inherent in all things. What is appearing to you in this moment - right now? Just be aware of these words, of the screen that the eyes are seeing, of the sounds around you, of the sensations of the body, of the smell and taste of the mouth (if eating).

Awareness is just happening although some people are less 'aware' than others of their surroundings. By just being aware of what is going on - now, now, now, even your emotions and your thoughts of what may be of past and future, it may become easier for you to see the beauty of all things.

Everything exists, we can break existence into pieces and call it "this" and "that" or we can even categorize it as "good" and "bad", but the truth is that it exist, and we can see the pure beauty of existing by simply being aware and observing it rather than trying to force our belief systems onto it and trying to force nature / existence to be something that it is not.

Then we can realize that this is not "negative" that there is no meaning, but the FREEDOM that it gives. We can also see the BEAUTY of pure existence without trying to force it into belief systems...


Here is a short story about a crooked tree. It can help you to see things in a different light.

Hui-Zi said to Zhuang-Zi, 'I have a large tree, which men call the Ailantus. Its trunk swells out to a large size, but is not fit for a carpenter to apply his line to it; its smaller branches are knotted and crooked, so that the disk and square cannot be used on them. Though planted on the wayside, a builder would not turn his head to look at it. Now your words, Sir, are great, but of no use;-- all unite in putting them away from them.'

Zhuang-Zi replied, 'Have you never seen a wildcat or a weasel? There it lies, crouching and low, till the wanderer approaches; east and west it leaps about, avoiding neither what is high nor what is low, till it is caught in a trap, or dies in a net. Again there is the Yak, so large that it is like a cloud hanging in the sky. It is large indeed, but it cannot catch mice. You, Sir, have a large tree and are troubled because it is of no use;--

why do you not plant it in a tract where there is nothing else, or in a wide and barren wild? There you might saunter idly by its side, or in the enjoyment of untroubled ease sleep beneath it. Neither bill nor axe would shorten its existence; there would be nothing to injure it. What is there in its uselessness to cause you distress?'

Since this was an oddly shaped tree that could not be cut down and used, the woodcutter saw the tree as "useless" he did not see its BEAUTY as PURE EXISTENCE because he had the "woodcutter" belief system in his mind that if a tree can not be cut because it is in an odd shape - it is therefore useless. Zhuang zi was able to see the tree and accept it for what it was, and appreciate it for providing shade - the thing that it is ALREADY naturally doing...

When you are walking outside and see a bird fly across the sky, just take in that beauty, just observe it. When you turn on your computer to go on the internet and communicate just be aware of the beauty of that -what the internet IS - global connection.

Thinking is something that is practiced and some become more negative oriented or positive oriented; to train the mind to just be aware of existence as it is and to see it as beautiful - like a picture is also a "practice" of mind, which would be natural if people were not so practiced with belief systems.

The title of your thread reminds me of a music album my 11-year-old daughter is listening to. It is titled, "Imperfect is the new Perfect", and it was written by a woman songwriter who wanted to help young girls and women embrace their physical imperfections, instead of feeling bad about themselves if they don't look like the models in the magazines, or the actresses on tv/films. The songs in the album describe how physical "imperfections" are what make us beautiful and unique. I am very glad she is listening to these songs, because I want her to see the beauty in herself.

Thanks for the thread.

reply to post by arpgme


All you will ever know is what is appearing presently. The appearance is neutral. It just is as it is.
The appearance may be a thought arising, all thought is neutral. The thought only becomes positive or negative by the belief you give it. The human has words that label, the labels say 'positive' or 'negative' - good/bad. All labels are just appearances appearing, but when a label is seen as fact the problems start.
Remove the labels and you will free yourself from mind made suffering. Humans can never be free from the labelling (the conditioning) but they can be aware that the label is not truth.

If you are aware that a thought is arising, if you are watching the spot where the thought appears then you are exactly where everything arises. You have returned to source.

reply to post by arpgme


Thank you arpgme for reminding us about this. There is in fact nothing imperfect as each thing is holding other things perfectly in place in the grand tapestry of the Universe.

each and every thing is perfect

This is a hard thought to accept but simply consider what a world filled with only (man's idea of) perfection would be like. How would we even be able to measure perfection (if we really wanted to)? We would soon create imperfection to bring back some interest into everything again, replace perfect mass-produced plastic or flawless porcelain bowls, with hand-made pottery ones. etc.

Fu Ryu. The elegance of imperfection is itself the mark of character, and indeed a comfort to us supposedly imperfect humans, so we can each be different, one to the other, and are still all coloured with the marks of our own perfect imperfection. Like Hui-Zi's crooked and knotted tree.

So we should seek the purpose if need be of each thing, look small and big, observe, really see.

I have friends who complained about a "noisy" cheerful bird that came and sang early every morning outside their bedroom window. Then one day I went to hear this singing and indeed it was loud and cheerful, and understandably an annoyance to those intent on sleeping. But after a short while I realised this fellow (I think it was a he - seeking love perhaps) had quite a collection of notes and a repertoire not expected with this common bird that usually just has a few squawks.

I got them to listen to his efforts. He would start as if he was warming up, slowly building up his song, note by note. But even after he got the rhythm right, he would falter after every few cycles and produce a comical imperfect sequence. Soon everyone was listening for these flaws and Cheerful started producing much interest and mirth as he voiced his morning song.

Later I heard that each morning, the friends would wake up to his first notes, listen for a while, chuckle at his mistakes, and then continue sleeping very peacefully.
Until ...
A distressed phone call. The bird was not there that morning, nor the next and every morning after that. I guess he had met his end but his cheerful song was sorely missed.

Good news is, the friends reported that the Son of Cheerful emerged after a while, going through an initial training of his vocal gymnastics, but ending up with a similarly confused, but individual song that once again blessed their mornings.

The endearing qualities of imperfection ...

There are some nice ideas there OP. I will admit i get trapped into perceiving and filtering information and events around me by my own bias and ways of thinking. If thinking is a component of the interpreting system. makes we wonder how reliable the use of thought is, since it can all be easily biased.

reply to post by arpgme


Throughout my entire life, I have always been drawn towards the natural beauty of the 'imperfect'.

Never was a conscious choice on my part...just an inherent sense that things deemed 'perfect' were artificially defined in a way that didn't resonate with me.

Interesting thread.

reply to post by loam


When the spiritual teachers say "Become child-like", I think this is one of the things they mean. Be in wonder of the world, of the simple things, as if you are seeing it for the first time. After a while people simply skip over the beauty of simple things, like a rainbow, or a bird flying... and things become "boring".