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Kirtanman
USA
1651 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 31 2009 : 9:03:12 PM
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I didn't know there were so many open-minded/realized Catholic priests ... awesome!
Anthony Demello
John R. Dupuche
& Now ....
Raimon Panikkar
"Panikkar, as a Catholic priest who considers himself equally a Hindu, Buddhist, and postmodern secularist, exemplifies the new dialogical, transcultural consciousness that is emerging in our age. "
Blog Entry w/Great Video Interview w/Raimon Panikkar
Advaito'ham*,
Kirtanman
*I Am Non-Dual(ity).
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chinna
United Kingdom
241 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2009 : 6:17:38 PM
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See my other post under your topic on Christian Saivism. There are tons of Catholics, priests included, who have explored their faith in the light of Eastern and non-dual traditions.
But they have gone underground under Popes John-Paul II and Benedict XVI, who have shifted the official Church to the right, abandoned the most interesting parts of Vatican II, and assiduously persecuted anyone who doesn't toe the party line and uphold 'pure' catholicism. There have been a series of priests who have experienced this persecution by being banned (and nuns who dare to suggest women might be priests too). Anthony de Mello's work was banned, though thankfully he died and so couldn't be banned from saying Mass, and everyone has ignored the ban on his books. More recently a very distinguished Jesuit scholar who offered a very subtle nuanced theology which drew on Eastern traditions, Jean Dupuis SJ, was banned and silenced by the Vatican, in his 80s after a very distinguished career. Such was the outcry at this characteristic Ratzinger bullying that in the end he was reinstated, but continues under a cloud.
There are many catholic priests and nuns who are also recognised Zen masters and priests, and I once met a catholic priest who was also a Hindu priest. The Prison Phoenix Trust which ministers in gaols in USA and elsewhere teaches zazen, and was set up by a catholic nun who is also a zen master. There have also been many who have trod a similar path in Islam, though I am less familiar with them. I also once met a catholic priest who had been on the missions in Papua New Guinea for rather too long and who did some very strange things with shrunken heads as part of his 'Mass'.....
The catholic church includes many thousands of missionary priests and nuns who are right at the cutting edge of inter-faith and inter-cultural exchange, and it has been accepted by missionaries since the 16th century, such as Matteo Ricci the Jesuit in China, that this work must involve becoming inculturated in the host religion and culture, rather than being 'preachy' - it is a two-way exchange. So this merging of religions within catholicism is a very longstanding tradition, punctuated by occasional persecutions emanating from the Vatican.
The thing about catholicism is that it is a lot bigger and more generous a space than is suggested by the propaganda that issues forth from Rome or from its 'official spokesmen' (and they are always men).
chinna |
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Parallax
USA
348 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2009 : 09:48:06 AM
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Hey Kirtanman,
Thanks for all of the posts, insights, and access to amazing information!!!
I would add Fr. Thomas Keating to the list as well, he has been leading the Christian Contemplative Prayer movement (ie, mantra meditation...you can choose your own mantra in the Contemplative Prayer method <of course they don't call it a mantra>, and if you pick 'i am' as your mantra, you've already started AYP  ), so its pretty clear where his heart is...and some of the video clips I have seen of him seem to indicate that he "gets IT"
Much Love |
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chinna
United Kingdom
241 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2009 : 4:03:53 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Parallax
Hey Kirtanman,
Thanks for all of the posts, insights, and access to amazing information!!!
I would add Fr. Thomas Keating to the list as well, he has been leading the Christian Contemplative Prayer movement (ie, mantra meditation...you can choose your own mantra in the Contemplative Prayer method <of course they don't call it a mantra>, and if you pick 'i am' as your mantra, you've already started AYP ), so its pretty clear where his heart is...and some of the video clips I have seen of him seem to indicate that he "gets IT"
Much Love
You remind me of another one, with a big movement behind him - the late Dom John Main OSB, originally of Ealing Abbey in London and then in Canada I think, and his worldwide Christian Meditation movement, now led by Dom Lawrence Freeman of Christ the King Priory in Cockfosters, North London.
It was in reference to this very significant movement that the present pope, then Cardinal Ratzinger, opined that 'meditation is a form of self-abuse', which perhaps tells us more than we want to know about his anxieties.
chinna |
Edited by - chinna on Aug 03 2009 4:08:23 PM |
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otter
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - Aug 22 2009 : 12:30:27 AM
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Dear Kirtanman,
What an amazing thing to find this thread about Raimon Panikkar after just joining this forum today! When I knew him he was using the Spanish version of his name and we grad students called him Raimundo. My old mentor and benefactor! To see the video of him again after all these years--I can't tell you how moving it was. I was his research assistant for a few years in the mid-1970's. Mostly I did editing and translating of his articles (English was his 6th language), and worked quite a lot with him on the second edition of his book, The Unknown Christ of Hinduism, as well as on the translation of El Silencio del Dios. Raimundo's whole career seems to have grown from the effort to reconcile his father's Hindu heritage with his mother's Spanish Catholic heritage. He worked tirelessly toward opening the possibility of true understanding among people holding assumptions that are diametrically opposed, the possibility of a cross-cultural language that does not betray the views of any culture engaging in such dialog.
And clearly, clearly his efforts have gone beyond words.
Thank you so much for your posting.
Respectfully,
otter
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Raimon Panikkar
