Author: Susan Visvanathan
Publisher: Indian Institute of Advanced Study
Year: 1998
Language: English
Pages: 121
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8185952531
Description
This book attempts to understand the problem of personal experience in religion. It takes the biography of a French monk in India, called Henri la Saux to understand concepts such a friendship and dialogue across different religions. Henri le Saux became known as Abhishiktananda (The Grace of the anointed One) and is bet remembered for his love for Ramana Maharshi the cerebral saint of India.
This book tries to understand Abhishiktananda's love for Ramana expressed through his writings and personal journeys. In order to comprehend mysticism, the author focuses on action and renunciations as two arms of the mystical journey. In this regard, it compares Abhishiktananda with Simone Weil, a great and heroic figure of our age, who dealt with fascism in Europe through personal intervention, liberating herself and other through the wisdom and grace of her encounter with God, and her courage in resisting Nazism
Can sociology understand the mystic? This is the question that the author tries to answer.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
Missionary Styles and the problem of dialogue
Simone Weil and Abhishiktananda the Mystical Journeys
The Encounter with Ramana
The Pilgrimages of the Later years
A Note on Language and Mysticism
Bibliography
Index