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Category Archives: India
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
Answering a question about Ananda Ashram
A reader of “Ashram Diary”, Danielle Darbro, sent a question about the sisters at Ananda Ashram “on the other side of the road” from Saccidananda Ashram. Here’s my reply: Hello, Danielle. Yes, the sisters at Ananda Ashram follow the same … Continue reading
Posted in feminine, India, monastic life
Tagged Ananda Ashram, Camaldolese Benedictines, monastic life, Nuns, Shantivanam, Sister Marie-Louise, Solitude
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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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Ascent to the depths
“Ascent to the depths of the heart”: this phrase is the title of the published diaries of the monk Henri Le Saux, who in India was known as Swami Abhishiktananda. Actually, the English translation of the book says “depth” in … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, faith as hope, India, inter-spirituality, Jesus, yoga
Tagged Abhishiktananda, ascension, heart, Jesus, liturgy, love, Shantivanam, yoga
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Spending more time at New Camaldoli Hermitage
I have been feeling more strongly drawn back to the Hermitage in Big Sur, where I originally made monastic vows. I have continued with the Order, by God’s grace, and on June 19, 2014, I celebrated there, together with fellow … Continue reading
Posted in Berkeley, Bible, Big Sur, faith as hope, India, Jesus, monastic life
Tagged apostle, beloved disciple, Big Sur, hermitage, India, Jesus, Paul, Peter, philosophy, the three and the fourth, virtue
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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
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