Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

Volume 10 Article 23

January 1997

Book Review: "Shabda Shakti Sangam"

Anand Amaladass

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Recommended Citation Amaladass, Anand (1997) "Book Review: "Shabda Shakti Sangam"," Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies: Vol. 10, Article 23. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7825/2164-6279.1169

The Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies is a publication of the Society for Hindu-Christian Studies. The digital version is made available by Digital Commons @ Butler University. For questions about the Journal or the Society, please contact [email protected]. For more information about Digital Commons @ Butler University, please contact [email protected]. Amaladass: Book Review: "Shabda Shakti Sangam" 62 Book Reviews

against that of SaIikara. the body of . Oberhammer's accurate The whole question turns around the and readable translation of these two dense problem of defining Brahma in relation to philosophical concepts and their is space, time, and being, the problem of in fact a rich contribution to the Ramanuja "becoming" as the problem of "limitation". literature in the present-day languages. It Transcendence is to be understood as brings also a significant contribution to the triparicchedartihityam, that is, the contemporary philosophical discussion on dissociation from the threefold limitation of the concept of and its relationship to space, time, and being. Varadaguru's the contingent being. Prameyamtilti treats also the question of sarvavastusarfrakatvam, that is, all that is Anand NAYAK distinct from Brahma is to be considered as University of Fribourg

Shabda Shakti Sangam. Vandana Mataji (Ed.). Bangalore, 1995, xxxii + 376pp.; xxxvi +438pp.

THIS VOLUME IS in fact two books put volume might give an idea of the confluence together "upside down". It is an ambitious that has taken place or is taking place in the project of Vandana Mataji to bring two thinking process of these two traditions in traditions together in one volume - India. The core of Christianity, the Christianity for the and of Jesus, Trinity-Sacchidananda dialogue, for Christians. "Sangam" is the confluence and incarnation, God as Mother in of the Word (sabdam) and the Power of the Hindu and Christian traditions, Most High (Salaz) and to the surprise of patterns: Hindu and Christian, Christic both Christians and Hindus, in this book advaita, and so on. Word (sabda) stands for Hinduism and The book is designed in such a way that Power (sakti) - always associated with the what . is considered the essence of mother aspect of God r~presents Christianity is given as the truth and the life, Christianity . the ways (to reach the Divine), Christian The occasion for this book is to perceptions, Christian saints and mystics; celebrate the two great sannyasis: Swami there is also a critical appreciation (Christ Vivekananda and Swami Abhishiktananda, and Christianity as experienced by Hindus) Henri Le Saux, a Western Christian monk and their understanding of interfaith who lived in the Himalayas as a stidhu dialogue. The same pattern is followed in among the wanderers. The book stands as a presenting the essence of Hinduism, their symbol of interfaith dialogue - a meditative scriptures, their notion of the divine, the process - contributed by Hindus and ways to reach It, Hindu Saints and mystics, Christians. There are 80 contributors to this Hinduism as perceived by Christians, and so volume, almost a who's who of the on. interfaith venture in India. The book is unique in its kind. It is a The contributors include among others record of sharing of people from two Swami Chidananda, Swami Ramaswarupa­ traditions, giving account of themselves to nanda, Raimon Panikkar, Paulos Mar each other, with the hope that the other will Gregorios, Murray Rogers, V. R. understand at least the spirit behind this Eyer, S. J. Samartha, and George Suares attempt. It is an achievement to get some Prabhu. eighty people to be involved in a project like Some of the titles of the write-ups in this this. Naturally it is a Christian initiative and

Published by Digital Commons @ Butler University, 1997 1 Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies, Vol. 10 [1997], Art. 23 Book Reviews 63

Christians among the contributors are more in number than the Hindus. But it is a Anand Amaladass, S.l. praiseworthy venture. Madras

Meditation. Klaus Engle. Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 1995.

MEDITATION IS NO longer an exclusive ascendance, descendance, and transcendence religious and spiritual practice today. It is polarities. The book provides also a list of offered, taught, and practised in a variety of spiritual masters and mystics connected with milieus and groups of people in search of the techniques of meditation. spiritual well-being, in psychological and Looking at the bibliography it becomes psychiatric therapies as well as in physical evident that Engle works practically only training centres and even in sports clubs. with secondary literature except for some Engle's work tries to counteract this modern more recent testimonies on the experience of reductionism of what is fundamentally a meditation. The concept of meditation and spiritual practice with a spiritual goal. Its why and how such a variety of spiritual and real worth is that we have here a religious techniques could be brought under compendium of all possible traditions of this concept, is nowhere discussed. The meditation developed in the Eastern as well technical terms are not put in with as in the Western world, briefly presented in diacritical marks and are sometimes badly their historical background. Thus we read written. about the varieties of techniques issuing As we said above, the book is from the traditions of and the buddhist nevertheless valuable to get initial traditions. The physical meditations information on meditation practised in the proposed in the empirical research takes a present-day spiritual circles predominantly large part of this work. The last chapter influenced by a new-age ideology and which attempts to put order in this meditation academic circles sometimes have to deal jungle: unipolar models attempt~g at with. relaxation, regression, or progression; bipolar models with subjective-objective, Anand NAYAK immanent-transcendent, introvert-extrovert, University of Fribourg and the like categories; complex models with

Zeit und Geschichte im Visnupurlina.. . . Heinz Werner Wessler. Bern: Peter Lang, 1995.

THE ITIRASA AND purtil}a literatures have is a history of time in Hinduism, starting developed extraordinary concepts of time from the through the epics, an in­ and revelled into fantastic discussions on depth study of the fundamental time them in spite of their timeless outlook of life concepts of yuga, yuganta, kalpa, and . Wessler takes up a text manvantara, vamsa, pralaya, and so forth. analysis of the Vi~,!upurtil}a and brings out These mythological concepts are brought in its concept and perception of time and their contrast with the cosmic and historical eschatological implications. The work in fact chronology underlying the entire Hindu

https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/jhcs/vol10/iss1/23 DOI: 10.7825/2164-6279.1169 2