Bede Griffiths was a Benedictine monk who achieved worldwide recognition for his pioneering efforts to bridge the great traditions of Christian and Hindu faith. He advocates a global spiritual friendship, rather than a global religion, cultivating respct for each other's spiritual practices.
Drawing on experience as an interreligious monk, Brother Wayne Teasdale reveals the power of spirituality and its practical elements. He combines a profound Christian faith with an intimate understanding of ancient religious traditions.
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.
Bede Griffiths was an English monk, and the guru at the Shanitvanam ashram, where he taught until his death in 1993. Thomas Matus was one of his students, and here he recounts his remarkable experiences he had in India, at the ashram and with Bede Griffiths.
These Interviews in their variety and originality have achieved classic status. They were first published in New York in 1989, enlarged and reprinted in India in 2004, but in this edition now appear for the first time complete and unabridged in the definitive version as prepared by the author, Malcolm Tillis, who travelled the length and breadth of India to collect them during the 11 years he lived in this extraordinary country. They were given by Westerners from different cultures and backgrounds who had also been drawn to the India of mystics and gurus in search of spiritual fulfilment. Their adventures, hardships, goals, attainments and their different spiritual practises are discussed in depth. There are also many humorous incidents we can enjoy and relate to. Several of those interviewed have since become well known as writers, some have become gurus themselves with their own followers, a few have reached iconic status.