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| Friday, 26 March 2004 |
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Man's endless quest for beauty and truth Sathuta ha Sundarathvaya
The book also carried the sub-title, (rendered into English) "A Philosopher's Invitation to Experience Life", the burden of the book appears to be, the wisdom gained from a lifetime's rich experiences. Incidentally, this genre of writing does not occur too often: here are collected into a slim volume, 29 brief essays grouped into four sections, namely, (given here in English to avoid repetition) 'Metaphysical Musings'; 'Social Critique'; 'Reflections on Human Conduct' and 'Entries in a Diary'. One more matter: these writings have been called 'Essays' for lack of a better term for, these brief pieces carry wide-ranging and contemplative recorded musings where the author apparently is only thinking aloud perhaps, in the same manner Marcus Aurelius has done in his "Meditations", leading the reader himself to turn his mind inward, plunging it in thought; they relate to one's day-to-day life: one might even have thought they were trivial things but, if so, they are some of those tremendous trivialities of life! One might, with good reason say, here we find observations, comments, musings, suggestions but few conclusions and no dogma. What he in fact, does is a marshalling of thought on a given subject, looking at it in all its aspects, while all the time he invites the reader to participate, guiding him along certain lines to make his own conclusions. Everyone knows, this is a very old method of teaching, going back to the days of the ancient Greeks. Horizons At this point, the reader may be acquainted with the kind of subject he has dealt with and he would know the far-flung horizons the author has surveyed to offer these thoughts; here are a few of the topics picked at random, rendered into English: "Shorn Hair"; "Fragile Objects"; "The Story of the Mountain"; "Happiness and Beauty" (the title Essay); "What is Art?"; "Why do we Love?"; "The Flame and the Flies": "At the Avukana Statue"; "The Effort one Makes to Escape One's Culture"; "Friends in Disguise"; "Old Age"; "Our Best Friend"; "Personal Charm" etc., etc. One would see how wide-ranging his interests have been to come to think of it, what a far-flung field the author has reaped to garner this rich and variegated harvest! A few of these pieces shall now be taken and examined in some detail to see what kind of fare the author has presented and his method of doing it. It may be stated right away, that it is not every piece in the collection that has been an unqualified success; a few are just ordinary but, there is no doubt, several of them are of lasting value and the reader will certainly need to return to them again and again. Take the brief piece, "The Story of the Mountain": he begins by making a few common observations on mountains and, before one is aware of what is happening, he has taken the reader to see beyond the physical 'mountain' ........ how men are sometimes like mountains. He says, men, like mountains assume varying configurations, proportions and aspects and, depending upon the time and place they are seen in and on their position and back ground, they tend to project different images, temperament and stature. Again, in the Essay, "Pleasant Experiences", the author's musings on 'Action' makes us to pause and think: actions have their motives ........ achievement, profit, recognition etc. This reminds the reader of the Hindu Scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita, where we are shown action at its ideal best ........ action without attachment. He says, one little realises the supremacy man's mind holds over him. One's mind is in constant dialogue with itself. For some, it is not economic factors that matter; for them, matters concerning their egos are paramount: every time their stature in the eyes of society is affected, their egos either swell or shrink! Both their happiness as well as their sorrows are related to it. Concepts A few words about the title essay of the book, "Happiness and Beauty". It is no doubt the centre-piece of the collection and quite correctly so. The author engages the reader in a serious discussion on the concepts and theories of beauty and happiness. These are matters that perennially surface in the mind of man, leading to endless controversy. Here, one finds sensitive and contemplative mind at its best: the author records his musings at leisure for the reader. We come across this genre of writing in Krishnamurthi and Dr. Adikaram of a later vintage. Dissanayake says, there could never be true and lasting happiness if founded on false premises such as deceit or falsehood: lasting happiness, whereever it is found, is always founded on the solid bedrock of truth. He equates this happiness to beauty. This is nothing new: we have heard this before .... nor does it lose its freshness for our hearing it again. John Keats, in his immortal poem, says: "When old age shall this generation waste, ....... from: "Ode on a Grecian Urn" Reading through the whole book, it becomes quite apparent that this essay is at the core of the author's whole system of thinking.... his philosophy of life: it summons men to reflect upon the meaning and purpose of life: "It is usual for men to think that beauty is the essense of the happiness within us. But would there be any considerable difference between the cause (Beauty) and the result (Happiness)?.... It is our belief that beauty is related to the external world; we comprehend the external world with our mind..... it is because of this relationship of beauty to the mind that all of us do not see beauty in the same way". Corollary There is also a companion piece to this, elsewhere in the book, acting as a corollary to it, "A Vision of Life and Its Continuity" where he says. "In a vision of life, its highest plain would be one's ability to free one's self from egoism; if one could achieve it.... for, it is easier said than done..... and sublimate the thoughts of "I", "Me" and "Mine". (P.41) One more sign-post on the road to happiness, he tells us, is to live within the horizon before us at a given time, traverse it well and then another is sure to open up when the time comes for it. In another place he discusses the obstacles that stand in the way of many against realising the truth when confronted with situations: the Buddha has identified these obstacles as, prejudice, desire, fear, anger and folly. The author says: "A person's mind can be conditioned to see reality (Truth) when it is freed from all bonds". ...... from Essay: "Obstacles in the path of realisation" He concludes by saying that to realise the truth the required mental equilibrium could be attained by meditation. A man leading a life of loving-kindness needs no special religion: to him really, all religions are superfluous.: "(man does not require any extraneous devices of recreation or excitement as sources of happiness because, for him life is a continuing novelty:his work is a pleasure. The mind of such a man is truly the abode of Beauty." (P.27). Speculative In many of the essays the author's statements are speculative; the author does not seem to be too sure; so he puts them to the reader as questions; conclusions, if at all, are tentative; it is in this manner that he deals with the vexed subject of love. He calls upon the reader to look at it from many angles and places before him many suggestions: could it be a mental rapport between two and regard for each other ..... between two who are prepared to share what they possess materially, spiritually and emotionally (not necessarily physically!. Some resort to love as an antidote to loneliness, real and spiritual, the latter being the more formidable enemy and more difficult to remedy. He reminds us of the essentially possessive nature of love: that is why epithets such as, "ever-lasting", "eternal", immortal" etc., are so freely used in declaring it before each other: this is because there is always a fear that they would lose each other! Therefore it would be seen that love always does not bring happiness. Love is like a flame for other reasons too; it has to be kept up as a continuous 'flow' and for this there should be a steady supply of 'fuel' namely, past memory and future hope! Elsewhere, he deals with man's desire to live close to beauty, in the pursuit of which he gathers ornamental objects around him. At best, a fish tank is only an ornament in one's sitting-room: in Sinhala, there is a new word for such things, "Sobana badu", a term that has unfortunately gathered a negative connotation in common parlance today. But, he says, in contemplation one can yet experience a rare, exotic joy from such objects, too... just as Keats saw beauty in a Grecian Urn, evoking emotions "too deep for words" (to quote another poet!). In another piece, "Asathyaye Sundarathvaya" ('The attraction of the False'), he leads the reader to a strange truth: man's willingness to allow himself to be deceived for the spurious pleasure it gives him. Like his willingness to be deceived by the 'Beauty' of artificial flowers, man is also willing to believe in the assumed efficacy of worshipping unknown deities and following attractive ritual associated with, either propitiating or placating them in the fond belief that they could grant him his wishes and bounty; such belief is palpably false though he is unwilling to accept it. Man can experience true beauty only by unburdening himself of the lead of such attractive misconceptions he is clinging to, so tenaciously! A good writer's style of writing has individuality and so, it is with Dissanayake; his language is simple yet, elegant, taking the reader unawares. The publishers have brought out a lovely book in clear print in durable paper and firmly bound, with a cover illustrating snow-bound peaks: and how symbolic of the human mind's lonely heights! - M. B. Mathmaluwe. |
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On an unhurried reading ........ and, this sure, is the best way to
read Premachandra Dissanayake's book, "Sathuta ha Sundarathvaya"
- a title that may be put into English freely, as "Happiness and
Beauty". One would feel the book has been appropriately named for its
content amply justifies its name: in other words, the title puts it all in
two words.
