Beauty and Zero

We are all seeking for Zero!

While looking at Candlelights at Lawai Valley on Saturday, I was thinking the concept of zero and beauty can be a great relation. 

I asked myself, "Why are these candle lights so beautiful?"  Needless to say, candle lights can be beautiful when it is dark.  On the other hand, candle lights cannot be so beautiful when it is bright background.  In order to appreciate a light, we definitely need darkness.

I continued to ask,  "More lights can be more beautiful? " I imagined the photo of much more lights on the valley, but I soon realized if there are so many lights on the valley, it won't be beautiful because it can be too bright.  On the other hand, if there were much less lights on the valley, it cannot be so beautiful either. 

Soon I realized beauty does not come from the numbers, but from the balance of light and shadow.   Yes, much more numbers of lanterns can be too bright and much less numbers of lanterns can be too dark.   If light and darkness are well-balanced, we can feel, sense and think they are beautiful.  

Then another question came up to me, "what is the best description of well-balanced?"  So far, I have mentioned the concept of Middle Path or Middle Way can be exactly like well-balanced.  But this time I first realized "best-balance can be the concept of zero."  If the balance of light and shadow can be close to zero, we can call it well-balanced.   This is just like a simple calculation......(5) plus (-5) =0.   

As I was looking at candle lights, moonlight, Lawai Temple and darkness, they were absolutely well-balanced and I was able to set up an equitation as follows;

Candle Lights (plus) + Moonlight (plus) +Lawai Temple (plus) + Darkness (minus)= Zero

This is like 5+5+5+(-15)=0

Of course, it cannot be so simple in this real world but I have another thought about zero and beauty which I want to share through my Dharma Talk in the near future.

Interestingly an English word "zero" originally came from the Sanskrit word śūnya, meaning empty, by way of Arabic, Italian and French.  And it is the concept of Śūnyatā (emptiness) which developed Mahayana Buddhism and concept of zero can be the source of happiness.