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Category Archives: Hinduism
Trinity & Saccidananda
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
Tantra Symposium in Rome
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
Bach and Indian music
“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
Posted in Big Sur, Hinduism, India, monastic life, music
Tagged Art of the Fugue, Big Sur, Indian music, J. S. Bach, New Camaldoli Hermitage, raga
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The Scenario of the Gita
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
Posted in dialogue, Hinduism, India, inter-spirituality
Tagged Arjuna, Bhagavad-Gita, Hinduism, Krishna, Mahatma Gandhi, Stephen Mitchell, yoga
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Translating the Gita
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
January course in Berkeley: “The Bhagavad-Gita today”
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
I’m always in India
Conversation with Karen Andrews, our oblate: I was speaking about a young Indian-American, who has been inquiring about staying in one of our guest rooms. This led me into talking about what India is for me. I last was there … Continue reading
Posted in Hinduism, India
Tagged Bede Griffiths, bhajan, devotee of Jesus, eucharist, Hindu, Karen Andrews, Marie-Louise Coutinho, rasam, Saccidananda Ashram, Shantivanam, Tamil Nadu, Yeshu-bhakta
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Hindu Diaspora in America
9. Building a traditional Hindu presence in America: the arrival in greater numbers of Indian immigrants, the building of temples across the continent, where authentic vedic rites are celebrated by immigrant Brahmins. Some Hindu scholars and Brahmins are still of … Continue reading
Posted in dialogue, Hinduism, India, inter-spirituality
Tagged Caste, diaspora, Hinduism, temple, Vivekananda, Yogananda
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Christian meditation, yoga practice, ‘intention’
8. Alternatives to Yoga: John Main’s meditation movement and his initial Hindu inspiration; Centering Prayer; the use of mantras; the Christian embrace of the Hindu greeting gesture, the namaskara. American devotees of Hindu gurus who have converted to the Catholic … Continue reading
