Abhishiktananda: A Christian advaitin

Celia Kourie,Alex Kurian

doi:10.4102/hts.v67i3.1054

Abstract

In our pluralistic society, the diverse religious traditions offer an opportunity for interreligious dialogue which has as its aim an appreciation of, and respect for, the integrity of individual traditions. Swami Abhishiktananda is a clear example of one who offered an alternative to Christian exclusiveness in his willingness to engage in an inter-spiritual lifestyle in which Eastern and Western mystical traditions are seen to be mutually enriching. By opting to make his own life a crucible to test his beliefs and convictions Abhishiktananda endured lifelong trials and tribulations. His life can broadly be divided into four phases, namely the ‘fulfilment’ phase, with its typical Western triumphalist missionary mentality, followed by the crisis phase thanks to his encounter with Hindu spirituality. This led him to the third phase in which he dared to relativise all conceptualisations as concretisations of the inexpressible Mystery. During the final two years of his life he entered the fourth and the last phase of liberation or ‘explosion’ of all previous concepts. Abhishiktananda spoke of an experience, which he called ati-Advaita, or Advaitatita which is an experience of Unity and Trinity. He claimed that the sages of India were correct to say neither one nor many, but just to say, not-two, advaita, and not-one, an-eka.

Highlights

Thirty-seven years have passed since Abhishiktananda attained his ever cherished Advaita Samadhi and went on to inspire a generation of Indian Christian theologians
During the 1960s and 1970s, Bangalore became the epicentre of much theological discussion and experimentation, with the staff members of Dharmaram College, St Peters Seminary and the National Biblical Catechetical and Lirturgical Centre (NBCLC)1 taking daring steps to develop, promote and propagate an Indian Christian theology
By way of accepting Marc Chaduc as his disciple, he arranged a joint Hindu-Christian initiation led by himself and Swami Chidananda, a Hindu monk at the Sivananda ashram in Rishikesh. It was during his time with his disciple in 1973 that Abhishiktananda received what he regarded as a definitive advaitic experience

Summary

Introduction

Thirty-seven years have passed since Abhishiktananda attained his ever cherished Advaita Samadhi (non-dual union) and went on to inspire a generation of Indian Christian theologians. By way of accepting Marc Chaduc as his disciple, he arranged a joint Hindu-Christian initiation (diksha) led by himself and Swami Chidananda, a Hindu monk at the Sivananda ashram in Rishikesh It was during his time with his disciple in 1973 that Abhishiktananda received what he regarded as a definitive advaitic experience. Abhishiktananda’s entire life was a dialogue between his Western traditions and the Eastern Hindu traditions that he sought to understand and to experience Abhishiktananda understood his experience as advaitic but not monistic, whereas the Western interpretation of Advaita was often monistic. A non-monistic understanding of Advaita can revise this view of maya, granting reality to diversity as well as to unity Abhishiktananda achieved this through incorporating the Saivist concept of sakti [power] into his system of thought. There is no maya in the strict sense of the word, except for those who separate the universe from its ground and who separate the aspects of ‘being’ and ‘becoming’ in the divine nature

A Christian solution to the Hindu riddle

Conclusion