You don't know it yet, but it's likely you need this book. Emily May I was hesitant to buy Bede Griffiths: An Introduction to His Spiritual Thoughtthis release based on some of the reviews but finally decided to pull the trigger. This book seemed like the only official publication that was going to give me that so I finally bought it. Like this duology has totally filled my creative well. His long and eventful journey was often filled with controversy, pain, and anguish. Yet, Griffiths attained a spiritual wholeness granted to few, enabling him to express in simple and direct terms the underlying unity of religions.
In Beyond the Darkness, readers experience a life as exciting as space travel and as passionate as a great romance. They will realize for themselves the culmination of Griffiths's knowledge: Beyond the opposites, beyond the darkness, is "that Great Person, of the brightness of the sun.
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. Lewis, one of his professors, with whom he shared a spiritual search.
Seekers from around the world traveled to the lush jungles of southern India to experience the unique community Griffiths founded. A Human Search chronicles a lifelong quest for truth.
This work explores the key doctrinal themes of sin, redemption, death, resurrection and the divine mystery. The expression of these as they are found in Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism lead him to what he terms The Centre, where we can find the essence of all faith.
Even though the English Benedictine monk Bede Griffiths was well known during his lifetime for his efforts to harmonize the spiritual practices of East and of the West, the full range of his influence is only just becoming widely appreciated.
Now, from respected journalist and biographer Shirley du Boulay, comes the first major biography of Griffiths's life, Beyond the Darkness. Du Boulay shows the transformation of Griffiths from an idealistic, highly intelligent, serious, and sometimes irritable schoolboy into a man of profound wisdom who emanated unconditional love and who was often revered as a holy man and a living saint.
During his life of intellectual and spiritual discovery, he became an associate of the Inklings, a close friend of C. Lewis, and eventually a leader of an ashram in India. His long and eventful journey was often filled with controversy, pain, and anguish. Yet, Griffiths attained a spiritual wholeness granted to few, enabling him to express in simple and direct terms the underlying unity of religions.
In Beyond the Darkness, readers experience a life as exciting as space travel and as passionate as a great romance. They will realize for themselves the culmination of Griffiths's knowledge: Beyond the opposites, beyond the darkness, is "that Great Person, of the brightness of the sun.
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. Kurisumala followed the Cistercian observance of the Benedictine Rule and the Syrian liturgical rite familiar to Catholics in Kerala.
Under Eastern Catholic jurisdiction, Kurisumala freely used vernacular language and local customs. He sought to integrate contemplation and action, participating in the sarvodaya movement 2 and in practical farm work alongside local villagers Griffiths, ff; Du Boulay, Nevertheless, the ashram still prioritized contemplative prayer, with Griffiths particularly focusing upon his contemplative vocation and interreligious dialogue Trapnell, Feeling himself at home in Shantivanam, Griffiths exerted his own 1 Kavi refers to the saffron coloured robes worn by Indian holy men and women.
While liturgy and common prayer served as the basis of life at Kurisumala, Griffiths prioritized personal prayer and silent meditation at Shantivanam, instituting extended periods of daily mediation not possible under the strict Cistercian observance of Kurisumala.
Griffiths integrated Hindu meditation and yoga into monastic life, used Hindu symbols and texts in prayer services, and established the ashram as a centre for dialogue between Christianity and Hinduism Swindells, ; Du Boulay, Throughout his exploration, Griffiths remained firmly grounded in Christian faith and Benedictine monasticism, always insisting true interreligious dialogue required faithfulness to a particular tradition Griffiths, Griffiths personally affiliated with the Camaldolese Benedictines in and brought Shantivanam into the Camaldolese congregation in Du Boulay, The Camaldolese also hold together the coenobitic communal and eremitical solitary ways of life, accommodating life as already practiced at Shantivanam Constitutions, 7; Matus, Indian Christian theology must take shape in conversation with Hindu thought just as early Christian theology coalesced in conversation with Hebrew, Greek, and Roman thought Griffiths, b: Thus, Griffiths links inculturation directly to interreligious dialogue and theology of religions Collins, How does he respond to these critics?
Does he provide an appropriate method of inculturation for a Tamil context? Bevans, , Organized on a spectrum, the six models are: the anthropological model, the transcendental model, the praxis model, the synthetic model, the translation model, and the countercultural model.
Bevans suggests that each theologian naturally aligns with a particular model due to one of two basic theological orientations: a creation-centred orientation or a redemption- centred orientation. The creation-centred approach leads most directly to the anthropological model, while the redemption-centred approach most readily elicits the countercultural or translation model Bevans, In light of this basic goodness, God reveals Godself through human culture.
Accordingly, the anthropological model seeks God in existing customs, values, rituals, symbols, and religions. As such, it specifically draws insight from interreligious dialogue. Rather than translating the pure essence of the Christian gospel into a cultural situation, the anthropological model begins with human experience. It attends to local questions, interests, and needs rather than foreign concerns. By prioritizing the unique aspects of each cultural context and each corresponding cultural Christianity, it highlights the inescapable cultural conditioning of every gospel expression.
While the gospel will challenge culture, it leaves culture largely intact Bevans, The anthropological model draws sparingly from other Christian expressions, operating in local thought categories, with local values. It also recognizes the importance of vernacular language for theological formulation Bevans, 58; cf. Schreiter, Relatedly, it prioritizes input from ordinary, local people.
Negatively, the anthropological model may drift into cultural romanticism, clinging to positive aspects of a culture while ignoring negative aspects. It may also statically focus upon a past version of a culture which no longer exists or resonates with the people Bevans, 60; cf.
Following Vatican II, he assumes the inherent value of culture e. These elements, alongside the Hindu scriptures, are imbued with universal value as part of the cosmic revelation Griffiths, 17, Griffiths also recognizes the cultural conditioning and historical limitations of all religions, including Christianity Griffiths, ; Griffiths, Thus, Griffiths starts with Hindu culture as he interprets the gospel in India, refusing to allow previous Christian articulations to predetermine the meaning of the gospel.
This model prioritizes cultural identity and regards context as an equally authoritative partner for theological formulation alongside Christian scripture and tradition. Bevans, In turn, he employs the anthropological model to produce an Indian Christian theology. Further resonating with the anthropological model, Griffiths uses interreligious dialogue as a source for contextual theology; he couples dialogue and inculturation as complementary practices Griffiths, Yet, he does not accept any non-Christian culture wholesale or advocate syncretism.
True dialogue guards against syncretism by upholding legitimate differences and religious commitments Griffiths, He also incorporates Hindu scripture and imagery into the prayers at Shantivanam Griffiths, a: 17; Griffiths, b: This subsequently influences the external forms of his Christian life Griffiths, Griffiths, First and foremost, Griffiths sees advaita as a unifying reality in a disintegrating world Griffiths, b: The holistic vision of advaita holds everything together, underlining the interrelationship between all things and Ultimate Reality Griffiths, b: They were together twice in India at conferences in which both were participating.
Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths, Skip to content. In India, where he assumed the dress and ascetic discipline of a Hindu holy man, Griffiths established a Christian community following the customs of a Hindu ashram. Through his immersion in the scriptures of India, he found wisdom and inspiration for his own Christian faith. The first in-depth study of Bede Griffiths' contemplative experience and thought. Du Boulay shows the transformation of Griffiths from an idealistic, highly intelligent, serious, and sometimes irritable schoolboy into a man of profound wisdom who emanated unconditional love and who was often revered as a holy man and a living saint.
During his life of intellectual and spiritual discovery, he became an associate of the Inklings, a close friend of C. Lewis, and eventually a leader of an ashram in India. His long and eventful journey was often filled with controversy, pain, and anguish. Yet, Griffiths attained a spiritual wholeness granted to few, enabling him to express in simple and direct terms the underlying unity of religions.
In Beyond the Darkness, readers experience a life as exciting as space travel and as passionate as a great romance.
0コメント