Postcards from beyond.

Postcards from beyond. That is how Eknath Easwaran describes the sacred texts of India. It would also be a fitting description of this collection of writings of Abhishiktananda.



Born in France and trained in the French Benedictine monasticism of the pre-Vatican II era, Henri le Saux (1910-1973), who became Abhishiktananda, traveled to India and immersed himself in Hinduism.

Reading the story of Abhishiktananda's life that begins this volume reveals a man who was exceptionally passionate and sensitive.

A monk cannot accept mediocrity; only extremes are appropriate for him (45).

He loved everything good, true, and beautiful and was willing to hold the tension that this love required. Instead of solving these tensions superficially and being satisfied with that, Abhishiktananda allowed this tension to drive him deeper into his own soul. It was the inner conflicts and tensions that shaped this man. It was the tension of loving the other, in this case another religious tradition, that drove Abhishiktananda's spirit.

All of the writings in this collection are, at least in the broad sense, autobiographical. Abhishiktananda was concerned with experience, not theory.

All notions are burned in the fire of experience (198).

These writings are rooted in his own mystical journey, a journey which is often difficult and dangerous.



Several key themes emerge in the writings. The first, already mentioned, is Abhishiktananda's focus on experience. He is not primarily concerned about conceptual understanding but a meeting of Hinduism and Christianity at the level of being or experience. Of the conceptual tools that Abhishiktananda uses to explore this meeting, the Christian mystery of the Trinity and the Paschal mystery are central. These concepts are brought into dialogue with the Hindu concept of Advaita (non-duality) and Saccidananda (from Sat = Being, Cit = Consciousness, Ananda = Bliss). Christ is brought into conversation with the Hindu concept of Guru where Christ is described as the Sad-Guru (true guru) and the church is described as his body. The tension between East and West is also discussed with India and the East representing the "Within" and Abhishiktananda counseling that the West needs to embrace the gift of interiority that India offers, but that it can only be accepted on its own terms. There is also a beautiful discussion of inculturation in a letter that Abhishiktananda writes to would-be missionaries to India. As you can see, this book covers a lot of ground!



A few notes on the structure of the book... The book is a little over 200 pages and divided into nine chapters: 1) Benedictine Monk, 2) Advaita, 3) East-West, 4) Immersion in Hinduism, 5) The Life of the Hermit, 6) Christianity, 7) God, 8) Prayer, and 9) Awakening. The writings are roughly chronological so one gets the idea of the development of Abhishiktananda's thought. No selection is more than a few pages long and a few or only a sentence. The average selection is about a page in length. Selections are drawn both from Abhishiktananda's published works and from his letters. There is a brief glossary of Sanskrit terms at the beginning of the book.



The book is certainly worth reading. The selections provide a lot of material for reflection and perhaps even prayer. It is obvious that Abhishiktananda was a pioneer in inter-religious dialogue. His insights shed new light on familiar Christian teachings and invite deeper exploration. Some Christians may be put off by Abhishiktananda''s approach which relativizes Christian dogma and doctrine. Abhishiktananda himself struggled with that fact. In the end, he attempts to remain faithful to his experience.

One who knows several mental (or religious or spiritual) languages is incapable of absolutizing any formulations whatever -- of the gospel, of the Upanishads, of Buddhism, etc. He can only bear witness to an experience -- about which he can only stammer (205).

This stammering witness to the truth of his experience has a lot to teach us.

Peace in the Post-Christian Era

What does a book written by a monk addressing the concerns of the cold
war have to teach us today? Plenty.

Thomas Merton is an insightful teacher in this book. He explores the
issues of war and peace in the context of the cold war. While many of
the concerns Merton addresses have lost their relevance, the
principles Merton presents force the reader to consider when force is
necessary and how it should be used if it is. As I see it, the
fundamental thesis of these essays is found in the essay "Can We
Choose Peace." Here Merton writes,

"There are very strict limits set upon his [the Christians] exercise
of the right to defend himself and his nation by force, and there are
also strict limits upon his willing submission to evil and to
violence." (10)

In this book, Merton applies the classic just war criteria very
strictly, to the point that I wondered if he would ever consider the
use of force justified. I discussed this book with a group of men
and we had to keep reminding each other that the choice that Merton is
advocating is NOT simple passivity in the face of evil. However,
Merton is clear that the use of force must always be as a last resort
and in proportion to the good being defended (a particularly important
issue in an age of "mutually assured destruction"). Merton challenges
readers to think creatively and find alternatives to violence.

"As Cardinal Newman so rightly said, the greatest victories of the
church were all won before Constantine, in the days when there were no
Christian armies and when the true Christian soldier was the martyr,
whose witness to Christ was nonviolent. It was the martyrs who
conquered Rome for Christ with a conquest that has been stable for
twenty centuries. How long were the crusaders able to hold Jerusalem?
(129)"

I believe that the theory and practice of nonviolence has made some
progress in the time since Merton. The work of Gandhi and Martin
Luther King, Jr. have demonstrated the power of alternatives to
violence. It is sad that it has not come further. Merton's book is a
powerful reminder that the principles and practice of nonviolence are
intimately connected with the principles and practice of Christianity.
I enjoyed the book a great deal. However, it is not the first Merton
book I would recommend. The tone of the book is often shrill. Given
the fact that the book was written in shortly before the Bay of Pigs
this tone makes sense. On this topic, I would recommend the essay
"The Root of War is Fear" for a less "panicked" approach to the
question of war and peace by Merton.

G.K. Chesterton: Esential Writings

I was surprised to see a volume on G.K. Chesterton in the Modern Spiritual Masters series from Orbis book. I've thought of GKC as a literary figure and as an apologist, but not a spiritual master. After reading the book, I am not ready to call GKC a "spiritual master" but I have a deeper appreciation of this man's passion for God and clear thinking.

The editor of the volume, William Griffin, sorted through GKC's vast amount of writing and selected 175 pages of text. Many of the texts are drawn from GKC's works Orthodoxy and Heretics. The volume concludes with a transcript of the famous debate with George Bernard Shaw about Distributism (an economic theory which GKC promoted). None of Chesterton's poetry or fiction is included in this anthology.

In his helpful, and at times funny, introduction, Griffin points out 3 characteristics of GKC's life and writings indicating the key characteristics of his spirituality. The notes preceding each selection highlight how each of these characteristics is present in the passage. The first two charateristics of "Paradoxy" and "Hilarity" are familiar to anyone who has read GKC before. GKC is a master of paradox and often uses parodox to point to mystery and absurdity. "Hilarity" is more difficult to pin down and depends on your sense of humor. I enjoy GKC's wit but know that it is not to everyone's taste. "Humility" is the third characteristic pointed out. It is not a virtue I would have associated with GKC. This anthology didn't convince me. While GKC is humble, in the sense of being rooted in reality, his intellectual flights are hard to reconcile with the earthiness I associate with humility. His thought always seems a little "airy" to me.

The writings are classified into seven sections which are not clearly defined but go under the titles: "Habits of the Heart," "Habits of Mind," "Habits of Soul," "Habits of Observance," "Habits of Discernment," "Habits of Belief," and "Habits of Debate."

Overall, the book is worth reading. If you like GKC already you will have a chance to appreciate him anew. If you don't know GKC you will get a nice taste of his non-fiction work. If you don't like GKC you will find more of what you don't like.

A brief note on the Modern Spiritual Masters series. I am excited by the volumes presented so far. These volumes offer a broad selection of writers. They are a nice size and feel good in the hands (never to be underestimated). They are short enough to be an introduction, but long enough to have some substance. Thank you again, Orbis books!

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Before I read "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron, I would have written a scathing review. I wanted to write a critical review,
exposing the books weaknesses. The review I imagined myself writing had sentence like, "Cameron fails to acknowledge the role of redemptive suffering in her book." However, I realized that the
review I would have written was judging the book unfairly. The book is a book about enhancing creativity, or "unblocking the artist" as Cameron might say. It is not a book trying to explain everything. It makes no claim to be a book of comprehensive spirituality or theology.
In fact, Cameron distances herself from both. It is a workbook that invites the reader to explore and engage their creative selves. In this, the book succeeds.

Cameron walks the reader through a twelve week process of creative
recovery. Using short essays on specific themes, several suggested
tasks for each week, and two fundamental tools, Cameron encourages the
reader to explore the blocks to their creativity and offers various
practices to help overcome these blocks.

The essays, while short, cover a lot of ground. They are clearly written. Several of these essays hit me between the eyes. They forced me to see my own fears and resistance.These exploratory essays provide lots of food for thought. Excuses for not doing creative work are explored, exposed, and dismissed. And that is their fundamental purpose, to make the "blocked" artist engage in the work of "unblocking."

The weekly tasks offer a way of exploring resistance. Some take a
positive approach. For example, collecting images to nourish your
inner artist (described by Cameron as like a child). Others take the
opposite approach. For example, giving your inner censor (the part of
you that constantly criticizes your inner artist) a name and a face.
Cameron assigns several of these tasks each week and gives the reader
free reign in picking the ones that will be most helpful.

The two fundamental practices are the Morning Pages and the Artist's
Date. The Morning Pages are three pages written longhand every
morning to clear the junk away, much like a meditation practice. I
found these pages extremely helpful. The Artist's Date is a weekly
outing with one's inner artist to nourish this child's soul. This was
much more challenging for me. This is certainly not Cameron's fault
and I believe she is right in recommending this practice. I am still
too much of a workaholic to engage in the Artist's Date, but I am
working on it!

Overall, I see the work I put into this book as time well spent. I
would encourage anyone who wants to explore their creative selves to
give this book a try. It doesn't do everything, but what it does is worth the effort!
--
Peace,

Lincoln
http://exploringthekingdom.blogspot.com/

Saintmaker

This book was well worth reading but it was not easy reading. At times, I was distracted by the variety of characters who came in and out of Francis' life. That being said, Saintmaker situates the life and writings of Francis de Sales in their context of 17th century France. It gives the reader a clear idea of the progression of Francis life, especially placing his writings in context. Bedoyere also weaves in his own theological reflections and interpretations on the events in the saints life as well as provides summaries of the saints writings. Francis comes across as very human with profound insight into human nature and our relationship with God. If you are interested in a detailed account of the life of Francis de Sales this is the book to read.

Creating You & Co. by William Bridges

I actually just skimmed this book pretty quickly to see if it is worth reading. It certainly is. The book is made up of three parts. The first part offers the reasons why everyone needs to "learn to think like the CEO of your own career." This summarizes much of the material found in Bridges book, Jobshift. While not completely convincing, it does make a strong case for thinking differently about making money... beyond simply "getting a job." The second part of the book, I found the most helpful. It offers very concrete activities and exercises to identify your DATA (Desires, Abilities, Temperament, and Assets). The concreteness of these exercises is their greatest strength but they must be done, not just read. The third part of the book addresses the final step of turning your DATA into money. This section also has some activities and is very practical in covering the basics of marketing yourself. This practical book is worth reading and may change the way you think about how to make money.

The Preaching Life by Barbara Brown Taylor

The Preaching Life by Barbara Brown Taylor is a wonderful book. In Part 2 of the book, Taylor’s use of imagery and imagination brings fresh insight to common biblical texts. The reader is taken beyond simple doctrinal “answers.” Instead he is invited to engage the living Word of God as reflected through Taylor’s poetic and insightful mind. This is preaching at its best. One of my personal favorites is “The Tenth Leper” where Taylor moves beyond a simple call to gratitude to a much deeper analysis of the nature of gratitude as an act of love. Now, that may sound boring but Taylor’s style is not a dry analysis, but a living engagement with life in light of God’s Word. After reading that sermon, I had to close the book, sit down and reflect. Taylor’s words had given me a new insight into life, an insight that is not easily put into words or concepts. I had tasted a new reality, smelled the in breaking of the Kingdom of God in a new way. I had a fresh way of approaching my everyday life. The words had moved me to an encounter with the Word.
The first part of the book is not quite as strong but is still worth reading. In it, Taylor reflects on common theological themes (e.g. Vocation, Imagination, the Church, the Bible, etc…). This part is well written but the insights are not as striking or original as those found in Part 2.
Taylor’s imaginative and engaging style is delightful to read and her use of words reveals why she is regarded as one of the premiere preachers in the United States.