An intriguing view into the thoughts, beliefs and life of this champion of interreligious acceptance and harmony. The first in-depth study of Bede Griffiths' contemplative experience and thought.
Wayne Teasdale
Paperback
6 x 9, 288 pp | 978-1-893361-77-5
One of today's foremost mystics introduces readers to the thought of one of the most important spiritual teachers of the past century.
Bede Griffiths—English Benedictine monk and lifelong friend of C.S. Lewis, who was his tutor at Oxford—wrote in 1955 to a friend: “I’m going out to India to seek the other half of my soul.” There, he explored the intersection of Hinduism and Christianity and was a driving force behind the growth of interspiritual awareness so common today, yet almost unheard of a half-century ago.
Wayne Teasdale, a longtime personal friend and student of Griffiths, provides readers with an intriguing view into the thoughts, beliefs, and life of this champion of interreligious acceptance and harmony. This volume is the first in-depth study of Bede Griffiths' contemplative experience and thought.
Fully exploring the antecedents and development of Griffiths' theory that the Christian mystery can be expressed through the worldview of Hinduism, Bede Griffiths: An Introduction to His Interspiritual Thought is a vital starting point for any spiritual seeker who wants to understand the shared territories of these two great faiths.
“Wayne Teasdale’s study presents with brilliant clarity Bede Griffiths’s contribution both to the dialogue between Christianity and Hinduism and to the contemporary rebirth of a contemplative theology. I have found this book a great help toward understanding Bede’s thought.”
—Bruno Barnhart, Camaldolese monk; editor of The One Light: Bede Griffiths’ Principal Writings
Praise for Wayne Teasdale
“An urban lay monk with deep wisdom from both the West and the East, Wayne Teasdale opens up the possibilities of contemplation blended with social concern to us gently, persuasively, and warmly.”
—Father Andrew Greeley
“With exquisite sincerity, beauty, and wisdom Brother Wayne offers an inspiring model of living an authentic life, participating in the bazaar of life with a heart fragrant with love, truth, and spaciousness.”
—Jamal Rahman, Sufi teacher and author of The Fragrance of Islam
“With grace, humility, rare mystical passion...Wayne Teasdale guides us into the heart of what it means to live a life of love in action in the world.”
—Andrew Harvey, author of A Walk with Four Spiritual Guides: Krishna, Buddha, Jesus and Ramakrishna
“Once in a rare while you encounter a soul on fire with divine love.... For Wayne Teasdale, the world itself is a monastery.”
—Joan Borysenko, PhD, author of A Women’s Journey to God
Foreword by Bede Griffiths vii
Preface xiii
Part One: Background to a Christian Vedanta
1. Bede's Quest for the Absolute 3
2. The Historical Context as Sannyasic Monasticism 17
3. Epistemology, Metaphysics, and Contemplative
Theology 43
Part Two: The Possibility of a Christian Vedanta
4. Bedeճ Theological Scheme, Myth, and the Cosmic
Revelation 73
5. Christian Vedanta: Advaita, Saccidaønanda, and
the Trinity 93
6. Christology, Tantrism, Sannyaøsa, and the Future of
the Church 136
7. Conclusion and Implications 177
Epilogue 195
Notes 205
Glossary 230
Select Bibliography 234
Index 252
About SkyLight Paths 259
