Bede Griffiths was an extraordinary English Benedictine monk who somehow avoided excommunication on his journey to a new god view at his Christian/Hindu ashram called Shantivanam near Trichy in Tamil Nadu. Now with Brother Martin at the helm it's possible to do a retreat there. I stayed for a week in early 2010 and was impressed yet struggled to reach even the simplest level of meditation. What is so important about myself that I cant let me go?
Video of Father Bede Griffiths www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi1012046873/
The chapel follows many aspects of a Hindu temple, including the shadowy sanctuary where the Blessed Sacrament is kept and honoured with flaming lamps and bell tintinabulation.
Statues of meditating monks and nuns with sitars replace the ferocious temple guardians
The tower over the sanctuary is typical of Hindu temples but Jesus and saints sit in places where gods of the Indian Olympus normally perch.
Statues of meditating monks and nuns with sitars replace the ferocious temple guardians
Inside the chapel monks and guests attend mass where both Veda and Gospel are read.
The window grill depicts the Cosmic Christ and the Holy Spirit protecting the earth.
The beautiful carved formal doors of the chapel are softened by a simple welcome mat
Father Bede's grave is near the Chapel. He lies beside other monks of the
congregation including co-founder of Shantivanam - Abbe Jules Monchanin.
The library dating from bede's time is important for monks and guests alike.
the meditation halls doubles as lecture hall for Brother martin's talks
the same conical roof form covers the tiffin hut where geusts and monks
meet twice a day and the silence is broken with animated chat.
More formal dining in the refectory, where monks and guests share in
silence the simple but delicious vegetarian breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Pictures of Bede Griffiths ( swami Dayananda) and Sri Aurobindo preside over the meals
after the meals where monks and guests take turns to serve, all wash and scald their utensils
guests are biletted in simple rooms around the property and close to ablution blocks
The monks live in simple huts like this one - which was Bede's. It overlooks the cow yard.
It is maintained as it was on the day of his death in 1993. Guests may meditate here alone.
His narrow bed and sleeping mat holds a childhood photo of him with his mother.
Although Bede was buried in the grounds of the ashram, his daily walks took him past the stone pillared cremation site for the local villagers on the banks of the holy Kauvery river.
the banks of the Kauvery River where Bede often took his daily walks
Father Augustine OSB and JJ
Brother George and visiting seminarians
Brother George and guest Bela
Kieran and Pamela with a sister at the nearby convent
Local school children on an excursion to the ashram
Brother Martin and a study group at his talk in the meditation hall
To walk on the water one must be very light, very humble and
egoless,because the ego cannot walk on the water. The ego is
like a stone, but our real self, the real "I" is light like a feather.
Girls want to display their henna hands especially decorated for
New Year and a boy wants an excuse to join in for the photo.
Two boys pose beside the fresh green bunting on the eaves of their house
and another just wants to pose proudly for a photo. I was amazed by these children who never asked for money after these pictures were taken. They all wanted however to see the images on the back of the digital camera. That achieved, they were all content. .
I hope to drop some print copies in to the village next time I visit Shantivanam.
Though I fear there will be a new generation of chickens in the village by then.
Whitewash and thatch makes for proud cottages by the roadside
but inconceivably yellow paint marks a rural shrine transcendental.
the flashiest truck in the village deserves to pose in front of the village Durga temple.
Hannuman's temple reflects on the recent defeat of boys who were somebody's heroes.
We hope this village boy is a devotee of Hannuman and not of the Tigers.
Happy Tamil New Year 2011
Father Bede's grave is near the Chapel. He lies beside other monks of the
congregation including co-founder of Shantivanam - Abbe Jules Monchanin.
The library dating from bede's time is important for monks and guests alike.
the meditation halls doubles as lecture hall for Brother martin's talks
the same conical roof form covers the tiffin hut where geusts and monks
meet twice a day and the silence is broken with animated chat.
More formal dining in the refectory, where monks and guests share in
silence the simple but delicious vegetarian breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Pictures of Bede Griffiths ( swami Dayananda) and Sri Aurobindo preside over the meals
after the meals where monks and guests take turns to serve, all wash and scald their utensils
guests are biletted in simple rooms around the property and close to ablution blocks
The monks live in simple huts like this one - which was Bede's. It overlooks the cow yard.
It is maintained as it was on the day of his death in 1993. Guests may meditate here alone.
His narrow bed and sleeping mat holds a childhood photo of him with his mother.
Although Bede was buried in the grounds of the ashram, his daily walks took him past the stone pillared cremation site for the local villagers on the banks of the holy Kauvery river.
Shantivanam January 2010
Brother George and visiting seminarians
Brother George and guest Bela
Kieran and Pamela with a sister at the nearby convent
Local school children on an excursion to the ashram
Brother Martin and a study group at his talk in the meditation hall
To walk on the water one must be very light, very humble and
egoless,because the ego cannot walk on the water. The ego is
like a stone, but our real self, the real "I" is light like a feather.
Brother Martin on the miracle of Christ walking on the Sea of Galilee
leaving the ashram for Trichy
Tamil New Year at the Village near Shantivanam
The street in front of every house in the village has had a Kolam
described in rice powder, usually by the mother of the family.
Here two daughters watch their mother filling her design with coloured powder from a design kept safe for centuries in the memories of mothers' mothers like crochet patterns in the west.
House after house the patterns appear with scarcely room to park a motorbike.
The children turn out to proudly pose beside their family kolams
Girls want to display their henna hands especially decorated for
New Year and a boy wants an excuse to join in for the photo.
Two boys pose beside the fresh green bunting on the eaves of their house
and another just wants to pose proudly for a photo. I was amazed by these children who never asked for money after these pictures were taken. They all wanted however to see the images on the back of the digital camera. That achieved, they were all content. .
I hope to drop some print copies in to the village next time I visit Shantivanam.
Though I fear there will be a new generation of chickens in the village by then.
Whitewash and thatch makes for proud cottages by the roadside
but inconceivably yellow paint marks a rural shrine transcendental.
the flashiest truck in the village deserves to pose in front of the village Durga temple.
Hannuman's temple reflects on the recent defeat of boys who were somebody's heroes.
We hope this village boy is a devotee of Hannuman and not of the Tigers.
Happy Tamil New Year 2011
Stop defrauding India and fooling gullible Indians. Christianity is based on history-centric dogma of Nicene creed and original sin. Hinduism and Aurobindo's ideas of Hinduism are based on dharma and Yoga, which helps man realizes his original divinity and realize God without need for an intermediary bible or church or such man-made objects, which completely contradicts Christianity. So stop this nonsense immediately.
ReplyDeleteThe commentator reflects Bede's own attempts to face the contradictions in the West's version of Christianity. He didn't defend Christianity as the only wisdom but rather as one of the great insights. A portrait of Sri Aurobindo graces the wall of the refectory at Bede's Ashram. I am glad that the comment defends "Aurobindo's ideas of Hinduism" because to present all of Hinduism in its indigenous form as having any single or cohesive point of view really misrepresents this great cultural adventure. Shantivanam daily celebrates aspects of Hindu philosophy with readings from the Upanishads and I, and Bede himself, was amazed that he was not excommunicated for his loving and liberal embrace of all the great wisdoms.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the nice pictures.
ReplyDeleteI am also a friend of Brother Martin, but never visited the ashram.
much greetings,
Sybille