Vedanta and Christian Faith

Vedanta and Christian Faith
Author: Bede Griffiths
Publisher: Monkfish Book Publishing
Total Pages: 68
Release: 2024-01-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1958972177

This pioneering work harmonizes Hindu Vedanta philosophy with the Christian vision of the Word made flesh through the Spirit of God's love. An introduction to the Vedic scriptures which shows that God has also lavished his riches on non-Christian people and how we must relate ourselves to these other sources of truth. “Without Christianity I don't think the oriental religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, can answer the needs of the modern world. But without the enrichment of the mystical tradition of Asia I doubt whether the Western Churches can really discover the fullness of Christ which we are seeking.” (Bede Griffiths)

A Christian Pilgrim in India

A Christian Pilgrim in India
Author: Harry Oldmeadow
Publisher: World Wisdom, Inc
Total Pages: 346
Release: 2008
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1933316454

This book provides a biographical account of the remarkable Benedictine monk, Henri Le Saux (1910-1973), who spent the last two-and-a-half decades of his life in India where he immersed himself in Hindu spirituality. It traces the central themes of his prolific writings on religious and mystical topics.

Theology After Vedanta

Theology After Vedanta
Author: Francis X. Clooney, SJ
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 296
Release: 1993-02-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0791499308

Christianity and the Doctrine of Non-Dualism

Christianity and the Doctrine of Non-Dualism
Author: A Monk of the West
Publisher: Sophia Perennis
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2005-03
Genre:
ISBN: 9781597310178

The author of this slender but profound book, a Cistercian monk, discovered as a young man the work of his fellow countryman Ren Gunon, whose writings introduced him to genuine metaphysical doctrine and to possibilities of spiritual realization. This discovery marked him indelibly, and he resolved to follow a monastic path in order to be free for the 'one thing needful'. The word Advaita, which designates Vedantic non-dualism, is Sanskrit for 'non-dual' or 'not two'; but the doctrine itself is by no means exclusively Hindu, being present in Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, and Judaism. In Christianity it has always been more implicit, though explicit with writers such as Dionysius the Areopagite, Eriugena, Eckhart, and even Dante. The great merit of this work by 'a Monk of the West' is that it shows that non-dualism is neither pantheism nor monism, and that there is no incompatibility between orthodox Christian doctrine and the strictest understanding of non-dualism in the Advaita Vedanta. The implication is that non-dualism can again find expression within a Christian ambiance. The cover design helps clarify this. In the background is the Omkara, the sacred monosyllable of Hinduism, considered the most funadamental of affirmations. In the foreground is the Christian symbol of the Chi-Rho, chrismon, or labarum, consisting of the first two letters-chi (X) and rho (P)-of the Greek Christos, XRISTOS. This figure is intrinsically three-dimensional but is usually projected onto a plane surface. The cruciform Greek letter chi (X) is placed horizontally within a circle; it measures the parameters of a given world. The rho intersects the chi at its center and is placed vertically to represent the axis mundi or world tree. The loop at the top of the rho represents the Supernal Sun at the summit of the world tree, from which all possibilities of creation proceed and to which they return. There can be no essential, but only an apparent, incompatibiity between the Universe and any of its constituent parts; all derive from a unique and common Principle. Similarly, there be be no essential conflict between the Chi-Rho representing a given world and the Omkara which represents all worlds, the entire Universe, notwithstanding the differing degrees of universality. Christianity and the Doctrine of Non-Dualism offers one approach to this doctrine and to the greatest possible spiritual / intellectual adventure that is implied.

A New Vision of Reality

A New Vision of Reality
Author: Bede Griffiths
Publisher:
Total Pages: 312
Release: 1990
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN:

The author invites us to look afresh at Christianity in the context of modern physics on the one hand and Eastern mysticism on the other. Scientists now acknowledge that quantitative enquiry can reveal only one aspect of reality and to come to terms with a much deeper transcendent reality we must also be prepared to learn from Eastern traditions. The Western machanistic model of the universe, dating from the time of Galileo and Newton, must now be replaced with a new organic model -- this marks a return to the ancient traditional wisdom in which the universe was seen to consist not only of a physical dimension but also of psychological and spiritual dimensions, all of which are interrelated and interdependent. In exploring "the divine mystery behind human life" the author seeks to discover the basic unity which underlies all religion and discusses the concept of the Cosmic Person or Cosmic Lord as revealed in Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. He concludes that a radical vision of a new society and a universal religion in which "the essential values of Christianity will be preserved in living relationship with the other religious traditions of the world."

An Introduction to Christian Worldview

An Introduction to Christian Worldview
Author: Tawa J. Anderson
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2017-10-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830899650

Why do worldviews matter? What characterizes a Christian worldview? Part of being a thoughtful Christian means being able to understand and express the Christian worldview as well as developing an awareness of the variety of worldviews. Well organized, clearly written, and featuring aids for learning, this is the essential text for either the classroom or for self-study.

Advaita, Christianity and the Third Space

Advaita, Christianity and the Third Space
Author: Jonathan Gordon Smith
Publisher:
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2020
Genre: Advaita
ISBN: 9781789978131

This book examines the space of meeting between two religions that open up when there are honest attempts at interreligious learning. Taking Abhishiktananda and Bede Griffiths as examplars, and the meeting between Advaita Vedanta and Christianity, the nature of the theological movements within this ‹Third Space› are identified, and the resultant hybridities are assessed for their relevance to each tradition. After brief biographical sketches, the author considers how these two monks related to the Indian space and the background of colonial history, and then proceeds to use comparative theology and postcolonial theory to examine their theology. Third Space Theory provides insights into the process of hybridization that is taking place, leading to an appreciation of the importance and challenge in the modern world of Third Spaces of meeting. «Jonathan Smith provides important explorations and reflections on a ‹third space› and the contribution of a postcolonial theology to the understanding of Christianity and Hinduism. It is a fresh and new challenging work on Abhishiktananda and Bede Griffiths.» Professor Mario I. Aguilar, Director of the Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics, University of St. Andrews «This is a deeply learned and skilful exercise in interweaving resources of postcolonial theory and interreligious dialogue which highlights the multiple processes of conjunction, disjunction, opposition, and osmosis that dynamically shape the in-between domains of Hindu-Christian engagements». Dr Ankur Barua, Lecturer in Hindu Studies, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge

Vedanta

Vedanta
Author: Hans Torwesten
Publisher: Grove Press
Total Pages: 244
Release: 1994-01-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780802132628

Vedanta is the most encompassing and open of the six orthodox systems of Hinduism and is considered the quintessence of Eastern thought and mysticism. An important part of modern intellectual Hinduism, Vedanta is often regarded as a truly universal religion and had many adherents in the West. At the center of Vedanta lie the texts of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. Beginning with the premise that man is a divine being whose greatest source of strength is his intuition, Vedanta seeks not merely the accumulation of knowledge, but rather the annihilation of all knowledge. Its goal is an unclouded inner world that will allow us to exist untroubled by the complexity of the outside world. For those interested in the concise and intelligent overview, as well as those who seek a better understanding of what is at the heart of Hinduism, Vedanta is a unique and thought-provoking guide.