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Abhishiktananda's Non-Monistic Advaitic Experience

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ABHISHIKTANANDA'S NON-MONISTIC ADVAITIC EXPERIENCE by JOHN GLENN FRIESEN Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY in the subject RELIGIOUS STUDIES at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTER: PROFJSKRUGER JOINT PROMOTER: DR M CLASQUIN NOVEMBER 2001 VOLUME I ii Abstract The University of South Africa ABHISHIKTANANDA'S NON-MONISTIC ADVAITIC EXPERIENCE by John Glenn Friesen The French Benedictine monk Henri Le Saux (Abhishiktananda) sought to establish an Indian Christian monasticism, emphasizing Hindu advaitic experience. He understood advaita as both nondual and non-monistic. Using phenomenology and comparative philosophy, this thesis explores his understanding and experience of advaita, comparing it to both traditional Hinduism and neo-Vedanta, as well as to Christianity and Zen Buddhism. Abhishiktananda's description of his experience is examined in relation to perception, thinking, action, ontology and theology. Special attention is given to comparing the views of the Hindu sages Ramai:ia Maharshi and Gnanananda, both of whom influenced Abhishiktananda. Abhishiktananda believed that advaita must be directly experienced; this experience is beyond all words and concepts. He compares Christian apophatic mysticism and Hindu sannyiisa. This thesis examines his distinction between experience and thought in relation to recent philosophical discussions. Abhishiktananda radically reinterprets Christianity. His affirmation of both nonduality and non-monism was influenced by Christian Trinitarianism, interpreted as an emanation of the Many from the One. Jesus' experience of Sonship with the Father is an advaitic experience that is equally available to everyone. Abhishiktananda believes that the early Upanishads report a similar experience. A monistic interpretation of advaita only developed later with the "dialectics" of Shankara's disciples. In non-monistic advaita, the world is not an illusion. Using ideas derived from tantra and Kashmir Saivism, Abhishiktananda interprets miiyii as the .fokti or power of Shiva. He compares sakti to the Holy Spirit. Abhishiktananda distinguishes between a pure consciousness experience (nirvikalpa or kevala samadhi) and a return to the world of diversity in sahaja samadhi. Ramai:ia and Gnanananda make a similar distinction. Sahaja samadhi is the state of the jfvanmukti, the one who is liberated while still in the body; it is an experience that is referred to in tantra and in Kashmir Saivism. Abhishikta:nanda never experienced nirvikalpa samadhi, but he did experience sahaja samiidhi. The appendix provides one possible synthesis of Abhishiktananda's understanding of advaita using the ideas of C.G. Jung. Key words: Abhishiktananda, Le Saux, Ramana, Gnanananda, advaita, nondualism, non­ monistic, mysticism, Hindu-Christian, Jung. lll Acknowledgements I am most grateful for· the advice and encouragement given to me by my promoters at the University of South Africa, Dr. J.S. Kriiger and Dr. Michel Clasquin. I particularly value their support of a wide religio-philosophical framework for this thesis. In my view, one's philosophical explorations are always related to religious depths and directions. My explorations of Abhishiktananda's advaitic experience therefore reflect a spiritual quest of my own. Dr. Kriiger and Dr. Clasquin have fully supported my examination of such religious and spiritual questions within an academic context. Professor Julius Lipner of Cambridge University first introduced me to the writings of Abhishiktananda. Dr. Harold Coward of the University of Victoria encouraged me to write my doctoral thesis about Abhishiktananda's experience. I am also grateful to Dr. Ron Neufeldt of the University of Calgary for referring me to sources on neo-Hinduism and modern interpretations of Vedanta. During the course of writing the thesis, I received valuable assistance from Odette Baumer-Despeigne, Fr. James Stuart and the other members of The Brotherhood of the Ascended Christ in Delhi, Dr. G. Gispert-Sauch of Vidyajyoti College in Delhi (where the Abhishiktiinanda archives are maintained), Sr. Sarananda of Shantivanam, Swami Nityananda of Tapovanum, and Christian Hackbarth-Johnson, who is also actively researching Abhishiktananda. My wife Sabine Moritz accompanied me on my visit to India. She has encouraged me not only in writing of this thesis but in pursuing the spirituality that is its subject. Sabine has herself researched spirituality from the perspective of its application in alternative medicine. Our teenage children Skye and Luke watched with interest as my research progressed, asking interesting questions about the religious traditions involved. Just at the time that I was completing this thesis, we adopted little Zoe Huong from Viet Nam. The Buddhist tradition of her country is a reminder to us of the increasing religious pluralism of our world. I hope that our children will find the religious meeting point that is evident in Abhishiktananda's experience. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME I I. IN"TRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 1 A. A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF ABllISllIKTANANDA ....................................................................................................................... l B. THE ISSUE: THE NATURE OF ABllISllIKTANANDA'S ADVAffiC EXPERIENCE........................................................................ 7 c. PREVIOUS RESEARCH .......................................................................................................................................................... 12 D. NOTES ON THE TEXT ........................................................................................................................................................... 14 II. COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHY AND DIALOGUE ............................................................. 16 A. COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHY ............................................................................................................................................... 16 B. EXPERIENCE AND CONCEPT: FOUR MODELS ..................................................................................................................... 22 l. The Model of Immediate Experience ............................................................................................................................. 22 2. Constructivism ................................................................................................................................................................ 33 3. Hermeneutics .................................................................................................................................................................. 37 4. The Yogic Model.. ........................................................................................................................................................... 44 c. PHENOMENOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................................... 50 D. SOURCES INVESTIGATED ..................................................................................................................................................... 54 III. MAJOR INFLUENCES ON ABHISHIKTANANDA ............................................................... 57 A. BOOKS .................................................................................................................................................................................. 57 B. JULES MONCHANlN .............................................................................................................................................................. 59 c. RAMANA MAHARSHI ........................................................................................................................................................... 62 1. Who was Ramaf}a Maharshi? ........................................................................................................................................ 62 2. Teachings of Ramaf}a Maharshi .................................................................................................................................... 66 3. Abhishiktiinanda 's Previous Information about Ramal}a Maharshi............................................................................ 77 4. Time Spent with Ramal}ll Maharshi .............................................................................................................................. 84 5. Disciples of Ramaf}a Maharshi who had a major influence ........................................................................................ 91 6. The influence of Ramal}ll Maharshi on Abhishiktiinanda............................................................................................. 96 D. GNANANANDA .................................................................................................................................................................... 98 1. Who was Gniiniinanda? ................................................................................................................................................. 98 2. Teachings ofGniiniinanda ........................................................................................................................................... lOI 3. Time spent with Gniiniinanda .....................................................................................................................................
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