Abstract

               There are three objectives of this research as follows: 1. to study the Beauty in Theravada Buddhism; 2. to study the Concept of Plasctic Surgery; 3. to study the Beauty Surgery in Buddhist Perspectives.

               From the study, it is found that the beauty in Buddhism can be divided into 2 categories: the outer beauty and inner beauty. The outer beauty is perceived by senses. For well known outer beauty is call ‘the five attributes of a beautiful woman’, and the special outer beauty is the beauty of the thirty-two marks of the Great Man. The inner beauty is untouchable and perfect by itself and inner beauty can be divided into 3 steps: the primary inner beauty is precept, the middle inner beauty is the Noble Path and the supremacy inner beauty is Nirvana. Moreover, the inner beauty is to follow the Buddhist way of life but nowadays, the inner beauty becomes something that society ignores because the outer beauty is more concrete. That’s why people struggle for beauty and gaining good shape. They try to change their physical body, leading to beauty surgery.

               The surgery can be divided into 2 categories: reconstructive plastic surgery and aesthetic plastic surgery. The purpose of reconstructive plastic surgery is to repair abnormal or disabled organs of human beings and the purpose of aesthetic plastic surgery is just for beauty. The plastic surgery at the first time is just reconstructive plastic surgery and the aesthetic plastic surgery was started after the end of the Second World War and more fashioned in nowadays. That’s why there are many beauty clinics in Thailand with competitive discount prices. Making the price of aesthetic plastic surgery cheaper and has no limited just for rich society. Although the beauty acquired by aesthetic plastic surgery must be exchanged with money, pain, the risk of side effects and unexpected outcomes but most people can accept it and they think that aesthetic plastic surgery is normal.

               According to Buddhism, there are believed that the people have different face and body because of the previous of Karma but the science believes its differential because of genes from the parents and ancestor. Having believed in such way that make the society ignored the merit and sin, by doing that one preferred to develop outer beauty. In Buddha Era, Buddha had his own way to deal with people who were clinging to external beauty. He created another person, and then he would change this unreal body to the old body, sick body, dead body and corpse or mindfulness with regard to the body and consider the ten kinds of foulness that make the people see the truth of life and see the body as uncertain. It accordance with the interview of senior monks in Buddhism that aesthetic plastic surgery is just for fulfilled one’s craving for a while. Finally, it all flow the law of Three Characteristics.

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