
RICE UNIVERSITY By Jonathan Neil Delavan A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE Master of Arts APPROVED, THESIS COMMITTEE Claire Fanger Jeffrey Kripal Jeffrey Kripal (Apr 11, 2021 06:15 CDT) Jeffrey Kripal Niki Clements (Apr 10, 2021 17:47 CDT) Niki Clements HOUSTON, TEXAS April 2021 ABSTRACT Esoteric Techniques within the Works of New Monastic Teachers: An Analysis of Cynthia Bourgeault, Richard Rohr, and James Finley by Jonathan Neil Delavan New Monasticism is a concept that describes the phenomenon of agents and teachers emerging from religious institutions (e.g., monks and clergy) to teach a largely liberal and perennial spirituality to a diverse and globalized audience. Examples of these new monastic teachers include Richard Rohr (a Franciscan friar who founded the Center for Action and Contemplation to promote his brand of new monasticism), Cynthia Bourgeault (an Episcopal priest who teaches a perennialist sense of wisdom spirituality), and James Finley (a retired clinical psychologist who studied with Thomas Merton and teaches from Merton’s interreligious contemplation). All three attempt to contextualize their perennialist writings through discursive techniques common among past esoteric texts and teachers. However, these same new monastic authors have distanced themselves from the “esoteric” as a description of their teachings, arguing that their spiritualties are anything but “secretive, elitist, or obscured.” Can religious authors structure their teachings with elements common in esoteric literature while simultaneously rejecting the general nomenclature or concept of esotericism? I argue that Rohr, Bourgeault, and Finley engage with a dynamic tension between employing esoteric techniques while denying a general understanding of the “esoteric” within their works. I will examine Bourgeault’s The Wisdom Way of Knowing (2003), Rohr’s The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective (2001), and Finley’s Merton’s Palace of Nowhere (1978) to demonstrate how this tension is reflected in each author’s early work. I will use the typology of esotericism created by Antoine Faivre (Access to Western Esotericism) and Kocku von Stuckrad (Western Esotericism and Locations of Knowledge in Medieval and Early Modern Europe) to identify the esoteric elements present with each of the three works above and their respective author’s teachings. My conclusion is that it is not only possible to participate with this tension on esotericism but that it is likely inherent within new monasticism in general, specifically with their shared goal for their teachings to improve the lives of individuals and the entire world. i Acknowledgments First of all, I want to thank my fellow graduates in my 2019-2021 MA in Religion cohort at Rice University: Antoinette “Toni” von dem Hagen, Shani Diouf, Brandon Wilson, and Connor J. Storck. Additionally, I would like to thank all the first, second, and third-year graduate students in the RELI Ph.D. program that I have had the pleasure to get to know and study alongside at Rice. Together, each of us entered this program or department with aspirations and unique perspectives, and I have learned so much from each of them. Moreover, we turned to each other through the ups and downs of our rigorous seminars and the MA program in particular. That support and camaraderie from my cohorts—both masters and doctoral—not only helped me endure the intensity of graduate studies in religion but made studying religion at Rice all the more pleasurable and considerably worthwhile. My time at the Department of Religion at Rice would not be the same without all of you there studying with me. To my wonderful professors: I wish to thank Dr. Niki Clements, who was the first to make me feel more at home at Rice and the classroom discussion table in her 19th-Century History & Methods course and her Foucault seminar. To Dr. John Stroup, whose many years of experience and sharp wit gave me much to ponder after his lectures, including his book Escape into the Future. To Dr. William Parsons, who modeled for me an incredible balance between academic rigor, empathic awareness, and “dad humor” (even if he leaned too heavily on the latter at times while leading class). To Dr. Jeffrey Kripal, whose profound wisdom and frequent insights into the field of humanities in general and the study of religion, in particular, continue to challenge my thinking and worldview for the better. To Dr. Brian Ogren, whose feedback on my thesis excerpts always pushed me to do better with my work. To my M.A. advisor, Dr. Claire Fanger, who always made an effort to hear me out during her busy schedule, was persistent in offering me constructive feedback about my writing or arguments and helped me to refine my thoughts more clearly all through the development of my thesis. And to all of the above who took my learning disabilities with great care and respect in every course I took with each of them. I would like to thank Lydia Westbrook for helping me and my fellow cohorts through every administrative step in our MA program—from before our orientation to our graduation—including going out of her way to help me during the early summer between my first and second years. I also want to give heartfelt gratitude to the authors being examined in this thesis—Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, and James Finley—as well as a dear mentor of mine, Amanda Yoder; all four of whose work and character are a profound inspiration for me to pursue a higher degree in religious studies in the first place. Lastly, and certainly not in the least, I want to thank my family and friends outside of Rice who continuously supported me throughout my time in the Master of Arts in Religion program. Without them, none of what I have accomplished here at Rice would have been possible. ii Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Short Biographies of the Three New Monastic Authors .......................................... 5 1.1.1. Fr. Richard Rohr ................................................................................................ 5 1.1.2. Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault ............................................................................. 7 1.1.3. Dr. James Finley ................................................................................................ 8 1.2. Thesis Statement: New Monasticism as Esoteric .................................................... 9 Chapter 2 Defining Esoteric Characteristics ............................................................... 12 2.1. Faivre’s Elements of Esotericism ........................................................................... 14 2.2. Stuckrad’s Esoteric Discourses .............................................................................. 20 Chapter 3 Cynthia Bourgeault’s The Wisdom Way of Knowing ................................ 26 3.1. Defining “Wisdom” ................................................................................................ 26 3.2. History of Wisdom in the Western Traditions ....................................................... 30 3.3. Major Elements of Wisdom ................................................................................... 34 3.4. Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................................ 39 Chapter 4 Richard Rohr’s The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective ....................... 41 4.1. Why Use The Enneagram within the Christian Church? ....................................... 41 4.2. Enneagram Fundamentals relevant to Rohr and Ebert ........................................... 44 4.3. A Sketch of the Enneagram’s Esoteric History ...................................................... 48 4.4. Unpacking Rohr’s Justification of the Enneagram................................................. 54 4.4.1. The Debate over the Enneagram within Roman Catholicism ......................... 54 4.4.2. The Enneagram as Spiritual Direction & Tool for Transformation ................ 56 4.4.3. Egoic Maturity as Important to Salvation ........................................................ 60 4.5. Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................................ 62 iii Chapter 5 James Finley’s Merton’s Palace of Nowhere .............................................. 65 5.1. Why Finley Reflects on Thomas Merton ............................................................... 65 5.2. The False Self and the True Self ............................................................................ 68 5.3. What is “True Prayer”? .........................................................................................
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