1. The Beauty of Nature
World Scripture
Nature is the art of God. Dante Alighieri Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Matthew 6.28-29
God is beautiful and loves beauty.
Hadith of Muslim (Islam)
It is God who has made for you the earth as a resting place, and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape—and made your shapes beautiful— and has provided for you sustenance of things pure and good; such is God, your Lord. So glory to God, the Lord of the Worlds!
Qur’an 40.64
Known by the name of Protectress is the Goddess girt by Eternal Law; by her beauty are these trees green and have put on their green garlands.
Atharva Veda 10.8.31 (Hinduism)
The One who, Himself without color, by the manifold application of His power Distributes many colors in His hidden purpose, And into whom, its end and its beginning, the whole world dissolves— He is God!
Svestasvatara Upanishad 4.1 (Hinduism)
Beauty is before me. Beauty is behind me. Beauty is below me. Beauty is above me. I walk in beauty.
Navajo Song (Native American Religions)
God created the seven heavens in harmony.
Qur’an 71.15
In the cosmic Void is He absorbed, Where plays the unstruck mystic music— Beyond expression is this miraculous wonder.
Adi Granth, Gauri Sukhmani 23.1, M.5, p. 293 (Sikhism)
The origin of music lies far back in time. It arises out of two poles: the two poles give rise to the powers of darkness and light. The powers of darkness and light undergo change; the one ascends into the heights, the other sinks into the depths; heaving and surging they combine to form bodies. If they are divided they unite themselves again; if they are united they divide themselves again. That is the eternal way of heaven. Heaven and earth are engaged in a circle. Every ending is followed by a new beginning; every extreme is followed by a return. Everything is coordinated with everything else. Sun, moon, stars move in part quickly, in part slowly. Sun and moon do not agree in the time which they need to complete their path. The four seasons succeed each other, bringing heat and cold, shortness and length, softness and hardness. That from which all beings arise and in which they have their origin is the Great One; that whereby they form and perfect themselves is the duality of darkness and light… Sound arises out of harmony. Harmony arises out of relatedness. Harmony and relatedness are the roots from which music, established by the ancient kings, arose.
Book of Ritual 19 (Confucianism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
No matter how precious a work of art in a museum may be, can it be equal to a living work of art? This world is God’s work of art; it is like a museum containing all God’s beloved creations.
(175:187, April 16, 1988)
Listen to the sound of the cicada. When it sings, all other creatures sing along with it. No orchestra on earth can compare to the orchestra of nature.
(285:243, June 5, 1997)
Beholding all things of the natural world, nature’s beauty and harmony through the changing seasons, we should appreciate their profundity. A bird in flight, a butterfly or bee, the flowing streams and the towering mountains—know that each is God’s creation and a manifestation of God’s inner heart.
(5:343, March 3, 1959)
If you ever feel as if you are dying of loneliness, go out into a garden and find a flower. Smell its fragrance and talk with it, “What a beautiful fragrance! Where are you from?” It might respond, “I come from my grandma and grandpa.” This means its ultimate origin was from God. God created this world as a beautiful garden for us; it is a museum of living things, given for our enjoyment. Picasso’s paintings may be beautiful, but he could not create even a patch of grass.
Have you ever considered that you are looking at God’s museum? Have you ever been astonished at the beauty of a pussy willow? It blooms on a cold spring day by the ice-melting stream. How marvelous! Have you wondered for whom is it blooming? Imagine: when your beloved child is thirsty, he breaks the ice with his fist and drinks the water. Afterwards he sees that pussy willow in bloom, a symbol of spring, and sings its praises. It is wonderful! Seeing it enriches our life.
Our living environment is a museum of love. Talk with its exhibits and make them your friends. Once you understand that you were born on earth to build relationships with this world of love, how can you be lonely?
(112:220, April 12, 1981)
God of creation! Thy beauty is manifested in all the created beings: Everywhere Thy hands have touched teems with mysterious and radiant beauty. Let us fathom the distressed heart of the Father who, even today, ceaselessly tries to find beauty in us, who were created for this purpose. Allow us, we pray, to return beauty to Thee, for Thy love.
(1:102, June 10, 1956)