Actions that influence beauty

Which intentional actions influence beauty? A student once asked the Buddha:

“Master Gotama, what is the cause and condition why some human beings are beautiful, while others are ugly?”

The blessed Buddha then explained:

“Here, friend, some man or woman is of an angry and irritable temperament, even when criticised a little, such one is offended, becomes angry, hostile, and resentful, and retorts with anger, hate and bitterness…

“Because of intending and performing such action, at the breakup of the body, right after death, such one is reborn in a state of affliction, in a miserable destination, in the painful purgatory, or even in the hells…

“But if such one at the breakup of the body, right after death, is not reborn in a state of deprivation, a painful destination, the purgatory, or in the hells, but instead comes back to the human state, then wherever such one is reborn such one is ugly, unattractive, unslightly and repulsive!

“These are the actions, friend, leading to future ugliness: One is often angry, and of easily irritable temperament, even when criticised a little, such one is offended, becomes angry, hostile, resentful, and retorts hate and bitterness!

“However, friend, any man or woman, who is neither angry nor irritable even when criticised a lot, such one is not offended, does neither become angry, nor hostile, nor revengeful, nor does such display anger, hate, or bitterness, because of intending and undertaking such good action, at breakup of the body, right after death, such on reappears in a pleasurable and happy destination, even in the divine dimensions!

“But if at the breakup of the body, right after death, such one is not reborn in a happy destination, in the heavenly worlds, but instead comes back to a human state, then wherever such one reappears, such one is beautiful!

This is the way, friend, leading to beauty, one is not angry and of easily irritable temperament, even when criticised a little one is not offended, one does neither become angry, nor hostile, nor resentful, nor does one display any anger, hatred, nor any bitterness…”

Such one escapes hell, because the evil kamma is modified by past good!

Such one misses heaven, because the good kamma is modified by past evil!