It is always interesting when a monk “goes walkabout” and explores a tradition that is not his own and finds something worthy of revelation. It may not be what many expect or desire from a Christian holy man, but it does open our vision as to the breadth of possibility.
In my profession I have served in almost every capacity in which a priest may, from parish to chaplaincy to pedagogy. I have known times of fulfillment and times of despair spent with my parishioners, students, and patients as they have encountered the vagaries of life and attempted to reconcile themselves on the path to righteousness.
What has anchored me through all of this is the routine I knew when I was a monk. In the most hectic and desperate of times, I can still find solace in recalling and resurrecting those quiet moments that I spent as Brother Peter, SSB.1
So it was with Father Henri Le Saux, although in a more major key. He was of a humble and faithful French family, who discerned a vocation in his childhood and in 1929 professed as a Benedictine monastic at the age of 19. It was in that spiritual community that he hoped that he would find "the presence of God more immediately than anywhere else."
Upon the profession of his vows and having received the appropriate training and education, he entered into Holy Orders at the abbey of Sainte-Anne de Kergonan in Brittany.
We should pause in the story of Fr. Le Saux to speak about the Benedictine form of monastic practice, as its austerity and discipline offer a key to Le Saux's future spiritual endeavors and the manner in which he found mystic fulfillment.
Benedictine spirituality, founded in the 6th century on the principles of study, prayer, and meditation, is ratified through The Rule of Benedict2, a day and night routine of daily devotions.
In its original form, Benedictine monks would pray in choir at the following times:
Matins (about 2 a.m.)
Lauds (at dawn)
Prime (6 a.m.)
Terce (9 a.m.)
Sext (12 noon)
None (3 p.m.)
Vespers (6 p.m.)
Compline (7 p.m.)3
Le Saux found liberation in this discipline and, as is the experience of those with an ascetical4 calling, was pulled more deeply into the spiritual experience of corporate prayer, deeply introspective concentration, and holy work.
While ecumenism was not common in the secular church in the 1930's, monastics had begun to indulge their curiosity in the prayer and contemplation techniques of Judaism, Islam, and the Eastern religions, seeking to find commonalities that would enrich their prayer life and enable conversations between the religions.
During this decade, Le Saux read the sacred literature of Hinduism and received correspondence from mission clergy in India and Ceylon [now Sri Lanka] that convinced him that he was being called to a liminal form of monastic life, one so informed by the sub-continent that he needed to be transferred.
His desire was delayed by the Second World War, however, and as even members of a religious community had to serve the republic, Le Saux spent those years as a sergeant with the Free French, eventually returning to monastic life and, with the aid of a Benedictine mission priest in India, managing to secure a transfer in 1948 to the state of Tamil Nadu, there to study as a hermit the ancient practice of sannyasa, an extreme form of surrender that had been adopted by the local Benedictines.
As with the Benedictine rule, Hindu monasticism has its own structure. In this, Le Saux wished to practice Advaita Vedanta, a way to discern the true self in the midst of illusion, and apply it to mystic teachings in Christianity.
Following a four portion construction, a Hindu spiritual pilgrim travels through:
Brahmacharya - youth with few possessions and light responsibility.
Grihastha - the time of family, responsibility, and ownership.
Vanaprastha - the gradual withdrawal from responsibility and possessions.
And the final, elusive stage is Sannyasa, usually attained in our final years when the total surrender of everything, from possessions to misconceptions to unruly passions, permits wisdom.
After a few years of studying with some of the most enlightened Hindu and Christian teachers and thinkers, Le Saux, along with his mentor, Father Jules "Parama Arubi Ananda" Monchanin, established their own center for study and education, or asram, on the Kaveri River.5
To further his commitment to this new expression of Indian Christianity, Henri Le Saux ceased to wear the habit of a Benedictine and took up the saffron robes of an Indian mendicant. Further, from 1950 forward, he would be known as Abhishiktananda, or "The Contentment of One Who is Holy".
For twenty years, Abhishiktananda would study under a Hindu guru, Sri Gnanananda Giri, with whom he continued to expand his knowledge of how the Hindu way could be used in Christian mystical action. The Hindus with whom he worked never expected nor wanted him to surrender his Christian priesthood, as they realized he was working towards something that was yet to be defined.
Abhishiktananda would take on disciples, including fellow Benedictine Bede “Dayananda” Griffith, to whom he would one day entrust the asram, and spend much of his time in silence and meditation.
During this period, he began a lively correspondence with many of the spiritual thinkers of the mid-century, and published books that are defiant of easy categorization.
While an ordained priest in the Church of Rome, Abhishiktananda was also recognized as a holy man and teacher in the Hindu tradition. He had become that which he had envisioned while still a teenager, a monk dedicated to a greater truth than could be contained by a singular religious definition.
After surrendering authority in the Christian asram to Bede Griffith, Abhishiktananda moved to a hermitage not far away. It was here, in the midst of solitude and intense mediation, that he realized Sannyasa as he was able to reflect on his spiritual journey, witness the influence that he had enjoyed in creating a foundation for Christian/Hindu relations, and realize the toll that self-mortification had on his physical being.
In 1973, in his final moments during the season of Advent, he recited The Lord's Prayer and died.
Abhishiktananda's life and works inspired a number of the high profile ecumenists who taught and wrote through the remainder of the 20th century and into the next, not the least of whom was Raimondo Panikkar, profiled earlier in The Wandering Coracle.
Panikkar ensured that Abhishiktananda's notes, stray writings, and correspondence were gathered and archived by the Delhi Brotherhood Society, a venerable project for Christian/Hindu relations and good works begun by the Anglican Church in the 1870's.
Many translations of Abhishiktananda's works are in print, with his volume Prayer: Exploring Contemplative Prayer through Eastern and Western Spirituality still appearing on graduate and seminary reading lists and still widely available.
SSB = The Society of St. Barnabas.
The Rule is still in print and currently ranked #4 in its field at Amazon.com. If I may, I would recommend a contemporary translation that contains helpful reflections by Sister Joan Chittister of Wisdom House in Litchfield, CT.
My order followed the modified Benedictine rule, as we were a mission order whose members were out of the monastery during the day. We gathered for Matins and Mass at 8am, if possible Diurnum at noon, Vespers at 5pm, and Compline at 9pm.
Ascetical Theology, or asceticism, is the original, academic name for the formal study of mysticism. It is taken from the Greek “askesis”, which means “self-discipline.” These days the academic study of mysticism is more often referred to as “spirituality.”
The Shantivanam Ashram is still in operation and accepts visitors during the year. My only warning, other than to bring an open mind to such exploration, is to be reminded that India only has two weather systems: hot and very hot. Save room in your budget to purchase some local clothing better suited to the enviroment.
Another great Mystic Monday! I have always been curious about how some of these disciplines seem to be very self-centered--escaping to a mountain to follow your own spiritual journay etc.--but it seems that much of what is gained is shared with others via written word (communications, journals, books). Definitely not typical, but seems very impactful since many continue to be moved to follow the path of monasticism!
Thank you . I find monasticism fascinating. A. Looks like he needs to eat more. My knees are healed.