"When the beauty inside blossoms, the older you get, the more beautiful you look.”

Meetings have a purpose. It’s to bring to light different thought streams, different purposes from around the world. We used to have ‘science conclaves’ in this state of Karnataka (India) where experts from different fields would gather from time to time, discuss and exchange notes, and pursue further development in science.

So, as a congress, while you deliberate on different topics and on your research work, I would also like you to look into the ancient dermatology of this country through Ayurveda and other principles.

True beauty is in truth and benevolence

Here in India, beauty is attributed to divinity. And so, it’s said “Beauty is benevolence and truth.” Truth is beautiful and benevolent.

If you have ever gone to Bali in Indonesia, they greet you saying “may you enjoy heaven and be established in yourself.” Being established in yourself is real heaven, not only because of physical health but also mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Today the World Health Organization has recognized the role of spirituality as bringing you a sense of satisfaction, wellness, connectivity, and confidence in whatever you do.

External beauty reflects internal beauty

Beauty has several dimensions – one is external beauty and one is internal beauty. Inner beauty shows in the outer beauty. When you look at any child from anywhere in the world, there’s subtle beauty in them. They don’t need cosmetics; their very spirit exhibits beauty. That beauty indicates their state of mind, and the state of one’s mind definitely corresponds to the skin as well.

A baby’s skin and its mind are both very different from those of adults. Moreover, the mind and the skin are very connected. In one of the scriptures in this country, there’s encouragement to take your attention beneath your skin, and here you’ll find the spirit being so alive. This is a meditation technique – to feel that underneath the skin is all hollow and empty.  It’s taking the attention to the self to find inner beauty.

Beauty that comes from innocence, commitment, sincerity and clarity of mind is unparalleled. Look at Mahatma Gandhi’s picture when he was young, and look at his picture when he was old. You would definitely agree that his old age pictures were much more beautiful. Same with many people – when they grow older, when they have accomplished something in life, the sense of accomplishment brings a certain beauty, and radiates inner energy, which is attractive to everybody.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder

Another dimension of beauty is at the level of feelings. There’s a saying, ‘Beauty lies in the eyes of beholder.’

When you see something beautiful, there’s a “wow” that rises inside of you, a feeling that takes over your being. This sudden sense of amazement stops all the thought constraints and brings centeredness. These feelings of beauty, appreciation, and wonder are so essential for a normal and healthy life.

Someone who does not appreciate, understand or experience beauty in their life will be lacking some endocrine functions and will have some deficiency. The perception of beauty creates within us an upliftment and a sense of elation in our spirit.

The same is with the pursuit of truth. When you’re truthful, or when you want to pursue a path, or when you’re in the spirit of enquiry or involved in some research – a certain sense of clarity, pride, and centeredness dawns in you. I think we also feel some of the happiness hormone oxytocin in our system – a sense of truth and beauty creates oxytocin in our body.

As doctors, this is in your DNA. Any patient that comes to you feels the benevolence in you. And you take pride in being benevolent because you’re helping someone get over their problems. You feel more confident – you’re making their life better. So, the sense of benevolence, truth, beauty – they’re all synonymous.

Stress can cause someone to not appreciate beauty

What makes a person not appreciate beauty? Have you thought about it? You can be in very beautiful surroundings but if your mind is preoccupied, or you’re stressed, or you’re tired, then you can’t experience beauty. So here, life-work balance is essential and we need to learn techniques to get rid of stress.

However beautiful one may be, if they’re stressed, they’ll still not radiate their beauty; they’ll not look beautiful. A worried, troubled person cannot exude or emanate beauty. So, it’s absolutely essential to attend to the state of mind, to your emotions and to the state of your consciousness.

Meditation can eliminate stress and bring out beauty in you

Lord Buddha said something very beautiful. He said that the mind is like a river; you cannot put your foot twice in it. Mind is flowing; you should let the mind flow. If you stop, then it rots. So, what does it mean? It means that the mind has to align with body and breath.

Every night we go to sleep, and we wake up energized and rejuvenated because during sleep the mind, body and breath come together into one rhythm, eliminating the stress of the day. But there’s another way of resting which is much deeper than natural sleep – and it’s called meditation.

In meditation, you’re relaxing consciously.  Conscious meditation, conscious rest or restful alertness, is a state that in a short period of time removes stress out of our system. It brings clarity to the mind, and makes our skin and our heart glow as well.

Yoga for beauty and right attitudes

In this country from ages past, yoga was practiced as a routine. For decades, people thought that yoga was for the older generation, or for people who lived their lives on the banks of the Ganges or in Himalayas. They used to think yoga was not for common man. That misconception has gone and people are adapting yoga and meditation and seeing their benefits, and the goodness they bring to daily life.

To rejuvenate our spirit, to be able to appreciate beauty and be benevolent, and to be able to live with a sense of happiness, all we need to do is balance out our work life, and take some time to go deeper into meditation.

Medicine alone is not enough to cure an illness, you need the right attitude, which comes with clarity in the mind. In short, I’ll say, clarity in mind, purity in heart, and spontaneity and sincerity in action can make oneself, the society, and the world better.

Excerpts from 12th Cosmetic Dermatology Conference, 2017, Art of Living International Center, Bangalore, India.