John Glenn Friesen

256 Pages·2014·5.6 MB·English

ABHISHIKTANANDA'S NON-MONISTIC ADVAITIC EXPERIENCE
by
JOHN GLENN FRIESEN
Submitted in accordance with the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY
in the subject
RELIGIOUS STUDIES
at the
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
PROMOTER: PROFJSKRUGER
JOINT PROMOTER: DR M CLASQUIN
NOVEMBER 2001
VOLUME I
ii
Abstract
The University of South Africa
ABHISHIKTANANDA'S NON-MONISTIC ADVAITIC EXPERIENCE
by John Glenn Friesen
The French Benedictine monk Henri Le Saux (Abhishiktananda) sought to establish an
Indian Christian monasticism, emphasizing Hindu advaitic experience. He understood advaita
as both nondual and non-monistic. Using phenomenology and comparative philosophy, this
thesis explores his understanding and experience of advaita, comparing it to both traditional
Hinduism and neo-Vedanta, as well as to Christianity and Zen Buddhism. Abhishiktananda's
description of his experience is examined in relation to perception, thinking, action, ontology and
theology. Special attention is given to comparing the views of the Hindu sages Ramai:ia
Maharshi and Gnanananda, both of whom influenced Abhishiktananda.
Abhishiktananda believed that advaita must be directly experienced; this experience is
beyond all words and concepts. He compares Christian apophatic mysticism and Hindu
sannyiisa. This thesis examines his distinction between experience and thought in relation to
recent philosophical discussions.
Abhishiktananda radically reinterprets Christianity. His affirmation of both nonduality
and non-monism was influenced by Christian Trinitarianism, interpreted as an emanation of the
Many from the One. Jesus' experience of Sonship with the Father is an advaitic experience that
is equally available to everyone. Abhishiktananda believes that the early Upanishads report a
similar experience. A monistic interpretation of advaita only developed later with the
"dialectics" of Shankara's disciples. In non-monistic advaita, the world is not an illusion. Using
ideas derived from tantra and Kashmir Saivism, Abhishiktananda interprets miiyii as the .fokti or
power of Shiva. He compares sakti to the Holy Spirit.
Abhishiktananda distinguishes between a pure consciousness experience (nirvikalpa or
kevala samadhi) and a return to the world of diversity in sahaja samadhi. Ramai:ia and
Gnanananda make a similar distinction. Sahaja samadhi is the state of the jfvanmukti, the one
who is liberated while still in the body; it is an experience that is referred to in tantra and in
Kashmir Saivism. Abhishikta:nanda never experienced nirvikalpa samadhi, but he did experience
sahaja samiidhi.
The appendix provides one possible synthesis of Abhishiktananda's understanding of
advaita using the ideas of C.G. Jung.
Key words: Abhishiktananda, Le Saux, Ramana, Gnanananda, advaita, nondualism, non
monistic, mysticism, Hindu-Christian, Jung.
lll
Acknowledgements
I am most grateful for· the advice and encouragement given to me by my promoters at the
University of South Africa, Dr. J.S. Kriiger and Dr. Michel Clasquin. I particularly value their
support of a wide religio-philosophical framework for this thesis. In my view, one's
philosophical explorations are always related to religious depths and directions. My explorations
of Abhishiktananda's advaitic experience therefore reflect a spiritual quest of my own. Dr.
Kriiger and Dr. Clasquin have fully supported my examination of such religious and spiritual
questions within an academic context.
Professor Julius Lipner of Cambridge University first introduced me to the writings of
Abhishiktananda. Dr. Harold Coward of the University of Victoria encouraged me to write my
doctoral thesis about Abhishiktananda's experience. I am also grateful to Dr. Ron Neufeldt of
the University of Calgary for referring me to sources on neo-Hinduism and modern
interpretations of Vedanta.
During the course of writing the thesis, I received valuable assistance from Odette
Baumer-Despeigne, Fr. James Stuart and the other members of The Brotherhood of the
Ascended Christ in Delhi, Dr. G. Gispert-Sauch of Vidyajyoti College in Delhi (where the
Abhishiktiinanda archives are maintained), Sr. Sarananda of Shantivanam, Swami Nityananda of
Tapovanum, and Christian Hackbarth-Johnson, who is also actively researching
Abhishiktananda.
My wife Sabine Moritz accompanied me on my visit to India. She has encouraged me
not only in writing of this thesis but in pursuing the spirituality that is its subject. Sabine has
herself researched spirituality from the perspective of its application in alternative medicine.
Our teenage children Skye and Luke watched with interest as my research progressed,
asking interesting questions about the religious traditions involved. Just at the time that I was
completing this thesis, we adopted little Zoe Huong from Viet Nam. The Buddhist tradition of
her country is a reminder to us of the increasing religious pluralism of our world. I hope that our
children will find the religious meeting point that is evident in Abhishiktananda's experience.
IV
TABLE OF CONTENTS
VOLUME I
I. IN"TRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 1
A. A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF ABllISllIKTANANDA ....................................................................................................................... l
B. THE ISSUE: THE NATURE OF ABllISllIKTANANDA'S ADVAffiC EXPERIENCE. ....................................................................... 7
c. PREVIOUS RESEARCH .......................................................................................................................................................... 12
D. NOTES ON THE TEXT ........................................................................................................................................................... 14
II. COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHY AND DIALOGUE ............................................................. 16
A. COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHY ............................................................................................................................................... 16
B. EXPERIENCE AND CONCEPT: FOUR MODELS ..................................................................................................................... 22
l. The Model of Immediate Experience ............................................................................................................................. 22
2. Constructivism ................................................................................................................................................................ 33
3. Hermeneutics .................................................................................................................................................................. 37
4. The Yogic Model.. ........................................................................................................................................................... 44
c.
PHENOMENOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................................... 50
D. SOURCES INVESTIGATED ..................................................................................................................................................... 54
III. MAJOR INFLUENCES ON ABHISHIKTANANDA ............................................................... 57
A. BOOKS .................................................................................................................................................................................. 57
B. JULES MONCHANlN .............................................................................................................................................................. 59
c.
RAMANA MAHARSHI ........................................................................................................................................................... 62
1. Who was Ramaf}a Maharshi? ........................................................................................................................................ 62
2. Teachings of Ramaf}a Maharshi .................................................................................................................................... 66
3. Abhishiktiinanda 's Previous Information about Ramal}a Maharshi. ........................................................................... 77
4. Time Spent with Ramal}ll Maharshi .............................................................................................................................. 84
5. Disciples of Ramaf}a Maharshi who had a major influence ........................................................................................ 91
6. The influence of Ramal}ll Maharshi on Abhishiktiinanda. ............................................................................................ 96
D. GNANANANDA .................................................................................................................................................................... 98
1. Who was Gniiniinanda? ................................................................................................................................................. 98
2. Teachings ofGniiniinanda ........................................................................................................................................... lOI
3. Time spent with Gniiniinanda ...................................................................................................................................... I 09
4. The influence of Gniiniinanda on Abhishiktiinanda .................................................................................................... 109
E.
BUDDHIST INFLUENCES ..................................................................................................................................................... 111
v
F. ABIIlSHIKTANANDA' S DISCIPLE MARC ............................................................................................................................ 117
1. Guru/Disciple relationship .......................................................................................................................................... 117
2. The dfkshii of Marc Chaduc ......................................................................................................................................... 119
G. OIBERlMPORTANTINFLUENCES ...................................................................................................................................... 120
1. Raimon Panikkar .......................................................................................................................................................... 120
2. Chidananda .................................................................................................................................................................. 123
IV. ABHISHIKT ANAND A'S DESCRIPTION OF HIS ADV AITIC EXPERIENCE ................. 126
A. DOUBTS AND AUTHENTICITY OF TiiE EXPERIENCE ........................................................................................................... 126
B. CRITERIA OF AUTHENTICITY ............................................................................................................................................. 129
1. immediate Luminousness of the Experience ............................................................................................................... 129
2. Philosophical Reasonableness. .................................................................................................................................... 129
3. Moral effect .................................................................................................................................................................. 130
c.
LEVELS OF ADVAITTC EXPERIENCE ................................................................................................................................... 130
D. PRE-1972 "TASTES" OF TiiE ADV AITTC EXPERIENCE ...................................................................................................... 133
1. Rama!Jll Maharshi ........................................................................................................................................................ 133
2. Caves of Aruniichala .................................................................................................................................................... 135
3. Gniiniinamla ................................................................................................................................................................. 150
4. Himalayas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 152
E.
THE ADVA ITIC EXPERIENCES IN 1972-1973 .................................................................................................................... 153
1. Experiences with his disciple Marc Cluuluc ............................................................................................................... 153
2. Rishikesh ....................................................................................................................................................................... 171
F. INTERPRETIVE EXPRESSIONS ............................................................................................................................................ 190
V. NONDUAL PERCEPTION ..................................................................................................... 192
A. N ONDIFFERENCE OF SUBJECT AND OBJECT ...................................................................................................................... 192
1. Some issues in nondual perception .............................................................. , ............................................................... 192
2. Nondual perception in Buddhism ................................................................................................................................ 193
3. Nondual perception in Vedanta Advaita ..................................................................................................................... 203
B. ABHISHIKTANANDA AND NONDUAL PERCEPTION ............................................................................................................ 220
1. The four states of consciousness .................................................................................................................................. 220
2. Yoga and nirvikalpa samiidhi ...................................................................................................................................... 222
3. Sahaja samiidhi as a return to the world .................................................................................................................... 22 7
4. Seeing Brahman in all things ....................................................................................................................................... 236
5. Aniitman and Self. ........................................................................................................................................................ 239
6. Affirmation oft he world of "objects" and distinctions .............................................................................................. 243
VI
VOLUME II
VI. NO ND UAL TIDNKING ........................................................................................................... 248
A. WHAT IS DUALISTIC TllINKING? ........................................................................................................................................ 248
B.
CONCEPT AND EXPERIENCE IN ABIIlSHIKTANANDA ......................................................................................................... 250
1. Experience is both prior to and beyond concepts ....................................................................................................... 250
2. Intuition ........................................................................................................................................................................ 252
3. Superimposition and Niimariipa .................................................................................................................................. 254
c.
MYT!l AND SYMBOL .......................................................................................................................................................... 255
1. The nature of myth ....................................................................................................................................................... 255
2. The relativity ofm yth ................................................................................................................................................... 257
3. The necessity ofm yth ................................................................................................................................................... 259
D.
CONCEPT ........................................................................................................................................................................... 260
1. Development of concept from myth ............................................................................................................................. 260
2. The grasping nature of concepts ................................................................................................................................. 261
3. Inadequacy of Concepts ............................................................................................................................................... 262
E. NONDUAL THINKING ........................................................................................................................................................ 281
1. The continuance of thinking ......................................................................................................................................... 281
2. Poetry and Aesthetics ................................................................................................................................................... 283
3. Paradox ........................................................................................................................................................................ 285
VII. NO ND UAL ACTION ............................................................................................................... 287
A. THE FRUITS OF OUR ACTIONS ........................................................................................................................................... 287
B. NONDUAL ACTION AND PURE CONSCIOUSNESS ............................................................................................................... 291
I. Monasticism/Sannyasa ................................................................................................................................................. 291
2. Acosmism ...................................................................................................................................................................... 294
3. Non involvement ........................................................................................................................................................... 299
4. Criticism ofa cosmism .................................................................................................................................................. 303
C. NONDUAL ACTION AND SAl!AJA ....................................................................................................................................... 309
I. The jfvanmukta ............................................................................................................................................................. 309
2. Beyond ego ................................................................................................................................................................... 312
3. Beyond good and evil ................................................................................................................................................... 314
4. Presence of the Self in Others. ..................................................................................................................................... 320
5. Actionless Action .......................................................................................................................................................... 325
6. Nature ........................................................................................................................................................................... 328
vii
VIII. PHENOMENA AND THE ABSOLUTE ............................................................................... 330
A. Two LEVELS OF REALITY? ................................................................................................................................................ 331
1. Vedanta's monistic idea ofS elf. ................................................................................................................................... 332
2. Abhishiktiinanda 's interpretation of mt'iyt'i .................................................................................................................. 346
3. Transcendence in Immanence ...................................................................................................................................... 352
B. TRINITARIANISM ................................................................................................................................................................ 358
1. Monchanin 's trinitarianism ......................................................................................................................................... 358
2. Abhishiktananda 's trinitarianism ................................................................................................................................ 361
3. God's Freedom of Creation ......................................................................................................................................... 373
4. The Importance of Time ............................................................................................................................................... 374
5. Fullness and Emptiness ................................................................................................................................................ 380
c.
TELEOLOGY ....................................................................................................................................................................... 385
1. Abhishiktlinanda 's teleology ........................................................................................................................................ 385
2. Aurobindo ..................................................................................................................................................................... 387
3. Tei/hard de Chardin ..................................................................................................................................................... 390
4. Can there be a teleology without dualism? ................................................................................................................. 391
IX. THE MYSTICAL UNION OF GOD AND HUMANITY ....................................................... 397
A. THE EXPERIENCE OF "[ AM" ............................................................................................................................................. 397
B.
ABllISllIKTANANDA' S CRIDCISM OF THEISM .................................................................................................................... 403
1. Theism as Projection .................................................................................................................................................... 403
2. Transcendental Atheism ............................................................................................................................................... 407
3. Union and Communion ................................................................................................................................................ 408
C. ScRIPrURE ......................................................................................................................................................................... 411
D. SPECIFIC CHRISTIAN THEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................................... 414
1. Trinity ........................................................................................................................................................................... 415
2. Christology ................................................................................................................................................................... 421
3. Sin and Salvation .......................................................................................................................................................... 427
4. Prayer ........................................................................................................................................................................... 430
5. Eucharist ....................................................................................................................................................................... 431
6. Institutions .................................................................................................................................................................... 432
7. Resurrection and Afterlife ............................................................................................................................................ 434
X. CONCLUSION AND FURTHER EXPLORATIONS ............................................................ 439
A. SEEKING A COHERENCE ..................................................................................................................................................... 439
B. CHRISTIAN TR!Nrr ARIANISM ............................................................................................................................................. 441
C. EQUIVALENTS TO NON-MONISTIC ADV AITA WITHIN HINDillSM ....................................................................................... 444
viii
I. The Upanishads ............................................................................................................................................................ 444
2. Aneka ............................................................................................................................................................................ 446
D. THE INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN KEV ALA AND SAHAJA ..................................................................................................... 449
]. Pure Consciousness versus the awareness of interrelation ........................................................................................ 449
2. Inconsistency within Hinduism itself. .......................................................................................................................... 450
3. Inconsistencies in RamalJa's Story .............................................................................................................................. 452
4. The return ..................................................................................................................................................................... 453
5. Abhishiktiinanda 's own experience ............................................................................................................................. 456
E. BEING AND THE ISSUE OF LEVELS OF REALrIY .................................................................................................................. 457
F. THINKING AND THE ADV AITIC EXPERIENCE ...................................................................................................................... 460
1. Apophaticism ................................................................................................................................................................ 460
2. The dualistic nature of concepts .................................................................................................................................. 462
3. A positive valuation of concepts .................................................................................................................................. 463
4. Rejection of logicism .................................................................................................................................................... 465
G. ACOSMISM AND ETil!CS .................................................................................................................................................... 470
H. THE RELATIVIZJNG OF RELIGION ...................................................................................................................................... 474
I. Religions are different views ........................................................................................................................................ 474
2. The Challenge for Christianity .................................................................................................................................... 477
3. The Challenge for Hinduism ........................................................................................................................................ 479
4. The Challenge to Buddhism .................................................................................................................. :. ..................... 48I
5. Not a meta-religion ...................................................................................................................................................... 483
I. SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................................................... 485
APPENDIX: THE INFLUENCE OF C.G. JUNG ON ABHISHIKTANANDA ............................ 489
A. ABllISllIKTANANDA'S DISCOVERY OF JUNG ......................................................................................................................... 489
B. JUNG AND HINDUISM ......................................................................................................................................................... 493
1. The Idea of the Self. ...................................................................................................................................................... 493
2. Jung and Rama1_1a ......................................................................................................................................................... 496
3. Possible influence of Rama~a on Jung. ....................................................................................................................... 497
4. Jung's evaluation of Rama1_1a 's religious experience ................................................................................................. 499
c.
JUNG'S UNDERSTANDING OF CONCEPTS ........................................................................................................................... 500
D. JUNG AND SYMBOLS .......................................................................................................................................................... 502
E. ARCHETYPES ...................................................................................................................................................................... 505
1. Jung's explanation ofa rchetypes ................................................................................................................................ 505
2. Abhishiktiinanda 's reliance on the idea of archetypes ................................................................................ :. ............. 506
3. Going beyond the archetype ........................................................................................................................................ 507
4. Necessity but relativity of Archetypes ......................................................................................................................... 509
5. The relativity and necessity of concepts ...................................................................................................................... 5 I 3
IX
F. SUPERCONSOOUSNESS AND IDENTIFICATION WITH BRAHMAN ..........•.•.••..........•.....•..•...•..........•........••.•..•.•••••.••..•..••••.•• 516
1. Jung and Kundalini yoga ............................................................................................................................................. 516
2. Superconsciousness and nirvikalpa sanliidhi .............................................................................................................. 517
G. TELEOLOGY .........••.••................•••..•..•..•.•••.•..•..••.•.••••••••••••••••..•••..•..•..•..•..•....••••••.••••.••.••••..•••••..•.•.•••.••••••.••••....••.............. 520
1. Jung's idea oft eleology ............................................................................................................................................... 520
H. TRANSCENDENCE .....••.••••..••.•••..•..••••.••••...•...••.....•...............•.......•..•••........•......................•..•.•..•.•...............................•••••• 523
I. TENTA TlVE CONCLUSIONS ..••••...................•....•.....•..•..•..•..•.••.•..••..••••.•••••••.......•..•..•..•..•..•...•..•....•..•.....•..•..••••••.•.•..•.•••••.• 525
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................ 526
ll'J])E:~ ................................................................................................................5 44
I
I. Introduction
A. A Brief Biography of Abhishiktiinanda
The twentieth century saw levels of interaction between religious traditions unparalleled
in the history of religions. Two such traditions that had long been separated by geography and
ideology were Catholic Christianity and Hinduism. In few instances can the dynamic interaction
between these two be seen more clearly than in the life of Abhishiktananda.
Abhishiktananda means "Bliss of the Anointed One, the Lord." It is the name that was
used in India by the French Benedictine monk Henri Le Sawi:.1 There is an ambiguity in this
name, an ambiguity that perhaps reflects the tension felt by Abhishiktananda in reconciling his
Hindu advaitic experience with his Christian religious experience. Panikkar says that the name
means, "He whose joy is the Lord's anointed, Christ."2 That would suggest the joy of devotion
to Christ. Or the name may mean "He who is the bliss of the Lord's Anointed", thus going
beyond devotion to Christ to an actual sharing of Christ's experience. This second meaning is
more in keeping with Abhishiktananda's emphasis on the importance of this experience for
himself.3 Christ's 'anointing' was his experience of Sonship with the Father. Abhishiktananda
equated this experience of Sonship with the Hindu advaitic experience. In his view, this
experience is the most important goal of human life; it is an experience that is open to anyone
who will on! y realize it.
This thesis will examine Abhishiktananda's understanding of his advaitic experience.
How does he describe it? What does he mean when he says that advaita is non-monistic? How
1 The original name was Abhishikteshvarananda (The Sanskrit abhisikta means 'anointed', i.e. Christ; rsvara means
'Lord'; ananda means 'bliss"). This was shortened to Abhishiktiinanda. See James Stuart (ed.): Swami
Abhishiktananda: His life told through his letters, (Delhi: ISPCK, 1989, 2nd edition 1995), p. 40. (This book will
be referred to in this thesis as Letters.) Sannyasis (Hindu monks) frequently have names ending with 'Cinanda '.
2 Raimon Panikkar (ed.): Ascent to the Depth of the Heart: the Spiritual Diary ( 1948-73) of Swami Abhishiktananda
(Dom Henri l.e Saux), ed. (Paris: OEIL, 1998), p. 19. This book will be referred to in this thesis as Diary.
3 Abhishiktiinanda himself explained his name as "Celui-qui-est-dans-la-Beatitude-de-l'Oint-du Seigneur." This
seems to emphasize a sharing of Christ's experience. See Alain Chapellier in Marc de Smedt (ed.): Christ et
Vedanta: L'experience d'Henri l.e Saux en /nde (In the series "Question de", No. 85, Albin Michel, 1991). There
may be a development here from a devotional approach to an interiorization of Christ's experience. In any event,
both meanings may be correct. Even as he interiorized the experience, Abhishiktananda continued to be devoted to
Christ, whom he called his Sadguru (which literally means "True/Rea! Teacher").