On happiness and beauty
 Quite
a number of books have been written world over on the subjects of
happiness and beauty. At the outset I am not sure whether any book
written by any great writer would deal on the subject areas like beauty.
The reason being that both terms, or concepts, are changing aspects
which could be discerned only in terms of what one believes in despite
lengthy treatises if one is to trace religiosity that lies in each of
these concepts, like Buddhist insights like santhusti paraman dhanam
(happiness is the greatest wealth) should be regarded as the mainstay
insight.
The English book authored by a retired principal of a local central
school and a social worker Premachandra Disanayaka titled as 'Happiness
and Beauty' with a subtitle 'A Philosophical Perspective for
Experiencing Life' (Godage 2010) is a translation of a much discussed
Sinhala work titled Satuta saha Sundaratvaya published a few years ago,
and was featured in this column. The Sinhala work is translated into
English by M. B. Mathmaluwe, who makes an effort to retain the flavour
of the original work.
The intention of the original writer Disanayaka is to help elevate
the minds of the readers to day-to-day social factors, enabling them to
gain an innerness which results in a certain form of happiness and a
bliss. He presents as is seen in many a book that preceded, in the line
of books of the calibre, the positive aspects as against the negative
ones.
But I would not call this a book or a text on the positive thinking
stream, which is more or less a lesser degree of pseudo writing. I would
call this work a peep into the rationalism, which is needed today to be
stern in one's standpoint and to retain a sane frame of mind devoid of
trivial ambitions and superstitions.
In this direction the present work by Disanayaka could be regarded as
a series of thoughts, events, diary entries, dialogues and mini
discourses that result in the awakening of the mind. The awakening could
lead to such situation as knowing the reality in a better frame of mind
devoid of frailties.
I felt that W. A. Abeysinghe's introduction to the work traces this
phenomenon. This is how he states:
"The author beckons us to look at life with an open mind. He tells us
that when doing so, we should be untrammeled by prejudices, its end
result being, the realizations of happiness and beauty as the ultimate
goal of life, to which by diverse paths, the author leads us."
The book is structured in four broad categories: intellectual
insights, excursions into aspects of society, personality enhancing
thoughts and entries in a diary. Each category embraces several short
episodes which could be deemed as true to life snippets of observations.
Author Disanayaka mainly draws material from his own experiences as
against the commoner trait of tracing extraneous sources. As a writer
and an observer of events he is visualized as going from one place to
another. He has discussions and pays visits to his friends and pupils.
Out of these true to life experiences he selects sensitive and sensible
areas worthy of a penetrative vision. He covers such subjects as art
writing, dedication, love passion, hospitability, friendship, religion,
ethnic issues etc. The liberal imagination is the hallmark of all these
short pieces that go into the making of a coherent work.
Some years ago I had the chance to read some of the mini books or
pamphlets written by Dr. E. W. Akidaram. The series of books were titled
as Sitivili (thoughts) I gained a lot out of reading which actually
paved the way for me to meet Dr. Adikaram who lived in Pagoda road. The
readings and discussions helped me to know more about me and my
surroundings. Similarly I feel that the short lively entries in
Disanayaka's book for me pave the way for some readers to gauge where
they stand in the society, and further as to what they should do to make
their lives a better deal. I have, for a long time, adhered to the
vision that is Orientalism, if considered deeply ought to help the human
heritage of the very existence.
In a synoptic view Disanayaka helps me grip into that vision further
and tighten my standpoint as regards literary criticism as well as
creative function. Some years ago, I picked up a book from a London Car
Boot sale titled 'The Art of Living' by Andre Maurois. That encompasses
the same chapter of which one was titled as 'The Art of Happiness'. The
following view is highlighted by Maurois.
"When one is already happy it is important not to lose the virtues
which have produced happiness when they are successful many men and
women forget prudence, moderation and kindness - qualities which were
instrumental in their success. They are arrogant or thoughtless an
excessive self confidence prevents them accomplishing difficult tasks
and they soon become unworthy of their good fortune. They are surprise
when their luck changes from good to bad. The ancient practice of
sacrifice to the gods in return for happiness was a wise one. (216pp).
I felt that Maurois who is a French writer of fiction and philosophy
is nevertheless and Orientalist in his attitudes. On reading
Disanayaka's material, I felt that he too bases his vision on Oriental
learning, which presumably should be rediscovered, instead of aping the
occident.
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