53 Surroundings
If thou wouldst live in the fragrance of spiritual values,
Thou shouldst surround thyself with noble things.
The ugly does not convey the Truth.
Seek not ostentation; beauty can be poor;
In palaces and temples, richness is justified;
Thy home is not the same.
Thou must honor poverty and nobility of forms;
The sober art of Shinto can teach thee this.
As Plato said: Beauty manifests the True --
In formal purity, miracles are wrought.