Category Archives: Hinduism

Trinity & Saccidananda

Posted on June 11, 2017 by

The Benedictine ashram in South India, where I spent many long retreats over a period of twenty years, is usually called Shantivanam, “forest of peace,” but it is also the Ashram of the Trinity, and the first founder, Father Jules … Continue reading →

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Tantra Symposium in Rome

Posted on May 20, 2017 by

On October 17, the Jesuits in Rome will be hosting a scholarly symposium on Tantrism (Hindu and Buddhist) and Christian meditation/contemplation. This will be my first time back in Italy since I returned permanently to our monasteries in California (Incarnation … Continue reading →

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Bach and Indian music

Posted on January 25, 2016 by

“The Hindu musician does not read set notes; he clothes anew at each playing the bare skeleton of the raga, often confining himself to a single melodic sequence, stressing by repetition all its subtle microtonal and rhythmic variations. Bach, among … Continue reading →

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The Scenario of the Gita

Posted on January 8, 2014 by

We stand with Krishna and Arjuna between two armies, in the Field of Truth, Dharma-kshetre. Dialogue genre, disciple and guru, following a typically Indian (Asian) pedagogy of reiterated themes, viewed differently at different levels of reality and understanding: as it … Continue reading →

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Translating the Gita

Posted on January 7, 2014 by

The first translation of a Hindu sacred text into a European language — Charles Wilkins’ English version of the Gita, 1785 — marks the beginning of the inter-religious dialogue in its modern sense. Hindus as well as Christians and, of … Continue reading →

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January course in Berkeley: “The Bhagavad-Gita today”

Posted on December 26, 2013 by

Again this January, if any students sign up, I’ll be teaching a course on Hinduism. The theme this year is about the Bhagavad-Gita, India’s favorite scripture, as understood by four twentieth-century commentators. Here is the summary from the course syllabus: … Continue reading →

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A dream of Debussy / India and other passions

Posted on December 19, 2013 by

I seem to remember: in the past few days I briefly dreamed of meeting Claude Debussy. India is a great passion, in the best sense: that is, as an energy that brings forth an appetite deep in the soul. There … Continue reading →

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