Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies Volume 16 Article 5 January 2003 Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Revisiting the Tannirpalli Trinitys Original Vision Klaus Klostermaier Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/jhcs Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Klostermaier, Klaus (2003) "Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Revisiting the Tannirpalli Trinitys Original Vision," Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies: Vol. 16, Article 5. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7825/2164-6279.1294 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]. Klostermaier: Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Revisiting the Tannirpalli Trinitys Original Vision HINDU-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE: REVISITING THE T ANNIRPALLI TRINITYS ORIGINAL VISION Klaus Klostermaier University of Manitoba LIVING in India from 1961 to 1970 I Christian millennium a great harvest of faith intensively and extensively participated in will be reaped in this vast and vital Hindu-Christian Dialogue at various levels, continent" are apt to feed such suspicions. academic as well as existential, and I came Hindus also noted with disdain the Southern to know personally most of the then leading Baptists' recent prayer call for the "more figures. While Hindu friends even then kept than 900 million people lost in the hopeless regularly imploring their Christian darkness of Hinduism" and their ambitious counterparts to persuade their churches to plans to bring their own light to them. Last desist from proselytizing, they welcomed month's Vatican announcement that Mother and encouraged dialogue. During the last Teresa of Kolkata will be beatified in Rome decades the relationship between Hindus on Mission Sunday (!) later this year, was and Christians in India has visibly immediately picked up by Hindus as proof deteriorated. In the context of legislation for the "ulterior motives" in her increasingly restnctmg or forbidding humanitarian work. Incidents like these Christian missionary activities, also dialogue severely strain Hindu-Christian relations and efforts have come under suspicion as being harm genuine Hindu-Christian dialogue. "mission by another method." Sita Ram Goel, once a supporter of Pronouncements by past and present Hindu-Christian dialogue, accused in his presidents of the Vatican Secretariat for widely read book Catholic Ashrams: Non-Christians (and its successor)l and Samnyasins or Swindlers?2 the "Tannirpalli utterances such as those of Pope John-Paul Trinity" [Father Jules Monchanin ("Swami II during his last visit to India, when he Parama Arubi Ananda"), Dom Henry Ie publicly expressed his hope that "in the third Saux ("Swami Abhishiktesvarananda") and e" Klaus Klostermaier is University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, where he has been teaching since 1970. His voluminous writings include Hindu and Christian in Vrindaban, SCM 1970 (U.S. edition In the Paradise of Krsna, Westminster 1971),re-issued by Trinity-Press 1993; A Survey of Hinduism, SUNY Press, 2nd ed. ! 1994. His most recent publications, all with Oneworld, Oxford, are: A Concise Encyclopedia of ! Hinduism (1998), Hinduism: A Short History (1999), Buddhism: A Short Introduction (1999), Hinduism: A Short Introduction (2000); The Wisdom of Hinduism (2000), Hindu Writings (2001). His main interest is India: specifically fudian religions, including inter-religious dialogue, but also questions relating to the socio-political and the economic-cultural situation of present day India. At present he is completing a number of long and short articles for several major encyclopedias. His major current research is devoted to Hindu-Muslim relations in India in the last 100 years. Hindu-Christian Studies Bulletin 16 (2003) 3-11 Published by Digital Commons @ Butler University, 2003 1 Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies, Vol. 16 [2003], Art. 5 4 Klaus Klostennaier Dom Bede Griffiths] of not seeking genuine interestedly to their discussions about the dialogue but selling "Old Merchandise in a appropriateness of a Christian visiting a New Package," i.e. being disguised Hindu temple. The three "experts" did not rmsslOnaries, implicitly accusing all think it an issue to be taken lightly. Later on, involved in the Christian Ashram-movement living in Vrindaban, when it had become a in India of being swindlers rather than matter of almost daily routine for me to genuine samnyasins.3 make the rounds of temples and to Jules Monchanin I have never met: he participate in satsangs and all manner of had died four years before I came to India. Hindu celebrations, I sometimes recalled From what I have heard from those who had this memorable debate with some known him, and from what I have read in his wondering. _own writings and about him, he must have Their writings and their biographies been an extraordinary person with enonnous clearly show that each of-the three men later chann and personal magnetism, besides associated with Saccidananda Ashram possessing outstanding intellectual gifts and followed a very special personal vocation - a unusual erudition. religious calling thoroughly tested both For over a decade I had been quite close before coming to India and after. All three to Dom Henri Le Saux, or "Abhishikt," as had read extensively about India in their we used to call him. Meeting him soon after home countries and they knew a great deal my arrival in India in early 1962, invited to a about Indian culture and religion, though gathering of the "Cuttat-Group," and later at none of them had acquired academic degrees other occasions, especially at Murray in Indian studies or great proficiency in Rogers' Jyotiniketan Ashram, I also spent Indian languages. They believed to be some time with him at Santivanam, and he responding to Christ's command to "make visited me when I was living in Vrindaban disciples of all nations" (Mt 28, 16) - a and later in Bombay, where he entrusted me scriptUral injunction, whose authenticity with the publication of his Hindu-Christian they were not questioning (as contemporary Meeting Point: Within the Cave of the New Testament scholars do). Monchanin, a H eart.4 I have kept a fair number of his member of the secular clergy of the letters, which he sent me after I had moved Archdiocese of Lyons, joined Fr. Lebbe's to Canada - the last one written not long "Auxiliaires missionaires" _to serve under before his death. Bishop Mendonca of Tiruchirapalli. Le Dom Bede Griffiths I also met with the Saux, a Benedictine monk in a French Cuttat Group and -at other dialogue abbey, encouraged by a visiting Indian conferences in India. I considered it an priest, came to India with the "intent of honour and an expression of his trust that he establishing an Indian Be~edictine asked me at some time to write an article on monastery, eventually fO!lnding with Hindu-Christian Dialogue for the Journal of Monchanin the Saccidanda Ashram. Ecumenical Studies on his behalf.s Griffiths, originally an Anglican, joined Fr. I was in sympathy with the ideal these Francis Mahieu's Kurisumala Ashram, a men tried to realize and felt personally much Christian monastic establishment in Kerala attracted to their vision.6 I preserve a following the Syrian rite. They also believed photograph in my files with Abhishikt, Bede that by following their Christian calling they Griffiths, Fr. Hendrecourt, and myself in joined the Hindu samnyasins in their_ Moussouri, on the way from the Rajpur pilgrimage in search of the Absolute. 7 Cuttat-Group meeting to the 1962 Kumbha They were inspired by' Roberto de Mela in Rishikesh and Hardwar. I was new Nobili and Brahmabhandab Upadhyaya, to to India then, and new to the dialogue group whom they referred quite explicitly in their 8 for whom I had immense respect. I listened writings , and they were hoping that by https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/jhcs/vol16/iss1/5 DOI: 10.7825/2164-6279.1294 2 I -.J I ..1 Klostermaier: Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Revisiting the Tannirpalli Trinitys Original Vision Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Revisiting The Tannirpalli 5 following more traditional Indian ways of cannot be left to non-Hindus to decide who life and by incorporating elements of Hindu is a samnyasin. One, who acknowledges the worship in the Eucharist they would make intrinsic spiritual value of Hindu samnyasa, the local Roman Catholic Church more must also be ready to submit as a shishya to "Indian": a move criticised by more a genuine Hindu guru. Someone who is not conservative Indian Christians. Goel, prepared to do this is also not entitled to use detailing some of the more fraudulent the external paraphernalia of samnyasa. conversion practices of de Nobili, seems to Wearers of the ochre robe for centuries have imply that the Tannirpalli Trinity's earned the respect of the Hindu people by admiration for the man made them co­ following Hindu traditions - it would be conspirators against Hinduism: swindlers dishonest to gain materially or morally from rather than genuine samnyasins. The this deposit of faith without participating Tannirpalli Trinity, however, did not adopt fully in that tradition .. de Nobili's missionary methods: they were The Tannirpalli Trinity did not become sincere in their self-denial, honest in their part of the traditional Hindu samnyasin scholarly work, open in everything that milieu nor did they become associated with concerned their lives, not out to deceive a particular Hindu teaching tradition. 11 anyone. They certainly were not swindlers. Neither Monchanin nor Griffiths cultivated But were they samnyasins? sustained relations with traditional Hindu They had renounced family and mathas. Abhishiktananda visited the possessions, they lived simple and frugal Ramana Maharshi Ashram in Annamalai for lives, they spent most of their time in study, a few weeks (after Ramana Maharsi's prayer and meditation.