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How Henri Le Saux Wanted To Bring Salvation To Heathens

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How Henri Le Saux Wanted To Bring Salvation To Heathens

by Aravindan Neelakandan

Catholic missionary J Monchanin (1895-1957) had established the 'Saccidananda Ashram' in 1950 and had started an elaborate mission to 'Christianise' Hindu spirituality. He wanted Hinduism to die, shed Vedanta and get resurrected in Christianity. In 1957, he died and was succeeded by another French Catholic missionary Henri Le Saux (1910-1973). Henri Le Saux assumed the Hindu name 'Swami' Abhishiktananda as part of his mission strategy.

When Henri Le Saux first came to India, Monchanin took him to Sri Ramakrishna Tapovan so that the former could observe first hand a Hindu ashram. At the same time Monchanin was also observing Henri Le Saux to see what effect the place was having on him. Monchanin made the following observation:

(Henri Le Saux) senses quite independently of me, the human impossibility of the conversion of a Hindu who is truly a Hindu (…): the more spiritual a Hindu becomes, the further in a sense he distances himself from Christianity.

James Stuart, Swami Abhishiktananda : His Life Told Through His Letters, ISPCK Delhi:2000, P.28

Henri Le Saux hence decided to understand and dismantle the Hindu spirituality so that it could be Christianised. So as part of the project, he started visiting Hindu pilgrim places in South India. Wearing the saffron robes of a Hindu sanyasin he visited the temples of Chidambaram, Kumbakkonam and Thanjavur enjoying the hospitality of gullible Hindus who welcomed him into their temples. He recounts in a letter of this experience in Chidambaram – the great Saivite temple:

…[At Chidambaram] they were very liberal and showed us every thing. They even wanted to give rice and cakes presented to the images. You can understand that all the same our devotion could not go as far as that!

Henri Le Saux : Letter Dated 9.11.1949

At Srirangam – the great Vaishnavite centre he purportedly violated the explicit notice at the entrance that non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple. He went into the inner corridor. His hagiographer James Stuart admiringly writes how “clad in Kavi (saffron robes) he followed a group of children into the inner sanctuary of the temple at Srirangam (carefully averting his eyes from the notice which prohibits entry to all non-Hindus.”
Nevertheless, standing right before the sacred statue of Vishnu he refused with derision to accept the aarti . In his words:
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Read more at: https://swarajyamag.com/ideas/how-henri-le-saux-wanted-to-bring-salvation-to-heathens
 
Biography of Henri Le Saux

Henri Le Saux was born in 1910, in Brittany, France. In 1929 he decided to become a monk and entered the Benedictine Monastery of St. Anne de Kergonan.

His attraction to India and her spiritual riches started as early as 1934. He came in contact with Fr. Jules Monchanin, who was then working as a village priest in Tamil Nadu, and who was longing for a contemplative life in the way of Indian asceticism or sannyasa. Fr. Le Saux was finally given permission by his abbot to go to India in 1948.

A profoundly decisive event in his life was his meeting with Sri Ramana Maharshi. Swami Abhishiktananda spent several weeks and months in the caves of Arunachala between 1950 and 1955 in deep meditation. He then made several pilgrimages to the Himalayas, to which he was strongly attracted. In 1971 a French seminarian, Marc Chaduc, came to meet him after a long correspondence, and Abhishiktananda found in him a disciple.

In 1973 Abhishiktananda suffered a heart attack on the road in Rishikesh, which he survived for only six months. He described this experience as a great “spiritual adventure,” a “state beyond life and death,” an “awakening.” Fr. Le Saux had come to experience Christ within the context of Advaita, the Vedanta of non-duality, and, after overcoming the tensions brought about in him by the differences between the two traditions, he found an inner integration.

Henri Le Saux (Swami Abhishiktananda) was the author of many books including Saccidananda: A Christian Experience of Advaita, The Secret of Arunachala, and The Further Shore. A collection of several of his essays appeared posthumously as The Eyes of Light.

A unique biography of his life, A Christian Pilgrim in India: The Spiritual Journey of Swami Abhishiktananda (Henri Le Saux) was written by Harry Oldmeadow . Other World Wisdom books containing contributions from Swami Abhishiktananda are:

http://www.worldwisdom.com/public/authors/Henri-Le-Saux.aspx



His initial mission might have been different, but in the end, Hinduism converted him.
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Henri Le Saux (1910-1973) was a remarkable French Benedictine who spent the last twenty-four years of his life in India where he became known as Swami Abhishiktananda. After an early encounter with Ramana Maharshi and a series of intense mystical experiences on Mt Arunachala, Abhishiktananda immersed himself in traditional Indian philosophy and spirituality. He retained his Christian commitments but sought to reconcile these with the teachings and practices of Advaita Vedanta, and to live out the Hindu ideal of sannyasa (renunciation).

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http://www.worldwisdom.com/public/products/1-933316-45-4_A_Christian_Pilgrim_in_India_Swami_Abhishiktananda.aspx?ID=182
 
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His initial mission might have been different, but in the end, Hinduism converted him.

Henri Le Saux (1910-1973) was a remarkable French Benedictine who spent the last twenty-four years of his life in India where he became known as Swami Abhishiktananda. After an early encounter with Ramana Maharshi and a series of intense mystical experiences on Mt Arunachala, Abhishiktananda immersed himself in traditional Indian philosophy and spirituality. He retained his Christian commitments but sought to reconcile these with the teachings and practices of Advaita Vedanta, and to live out the Hindu ideal of sannyasa (renunciation).

http://www.worldwisdom.com/public/products/1-933316-45-4_A_Christian_Pilgrim_in_India_Swami_Abhishiktananda.aspx?ID=182

Prasad Ji,

Thanks for the Biography....

There are lot of other celebrities who accepted Hinduism..

And here is the list..

[h=2]Celebrities who accepted Hinduism, Believes Hinduism is a way of life[/h]

cf5a3012bd11b4e28ce6742173923318-675.jpg


The List of Celebrities who accepted Hinduism (They did not convert just accepted this HINDU way of LIFE !) We never asked them, it is the influence of this SANATAN DHARM that made them realize they should now accept what is the true philosophy of a great and good Life !

Hinduism is a unique faith! The most obvious misconception about Hinduism is that we tend to see it as just another religion. To be precise, Hinduism is a way of life, a dharma. Dharma does not mean religion. It is the law that governs all action. Thus, contrary to popular perception, Hinduism is not just a religion in the tradition sense of the term. Out of this misinterpretation, has come most of the misconceptions about Hinduism.

From Christianity
# Chantal Boulanger - French anthropologist who wrote widely on Tamil culture
# Russell Brand - British actor and comedian.
# Claudia Ciesla - German model, actress, and singer embraced Hinduism and believes in Karma.
# Job Charnock - British trade agent who has been controversially described as the founder of Calcutta

Read more at: http://www.ibtl.in/news/bhakti/1595...hinduism--believes-hinduism-is-a-way-of-life/
 
[h=1]'I'm a Hindu': Julia Roberts reveals that she converted to the religion while making her new film Eat, Pray, Love[/h]
She was born to a Baptist and Catholic couple in the Bible Belt of the United States.

But Julia Roberts has revealed that she is now a practising Hindu after filming her new movie in India and Bali.

The actress, 42, is believed to have converted to the religion while shooting her upcoming release Eat, Pray and Love.
Spiritual: Julia Roberts meets with ashram owner Swami Dharmdev at Hari Mandir Ashram in New delhi

Read more at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...erted-Hinduism-making-Eat-Pray-Love-film.html
 
Thanks, V. Balasubramani for this thread.
The original post by Aravindan Neelakandan was not very complimentary to a great man Swami Abishekananda.

On reading more about this remarkable Swamiji I am impressed.


The original post reminds of Kabirji's Doha:

Kabir Dohas

Bura Jo Dekhan Main Chala, Bura Naa Milya Koye
Jo Munn Khoja Apnaa, To Mujhse Bura Naa Koye

doha2_1.gif

Translation
I searched for the crooked, met not a single one
When searched myself, "I" found the crooked one
My Understanding
This doha deals with our perception behavior and tendencies. It has been invariably noticed that we tend to find fault with someone else for our situations and circumstances. Our "I", the ego, always tries to put blame on others. Non-awareness of our own self is the cause of this attitude. Resultantly, we find ourselves being busy in criticizing and condemning others and conveniently term them as crooked or evil.
doha2_2.jpg
So Kabir says that instead of finding fault and maligning others, dive deep into your own-self. Amazingly, an honest introspection will reveal that all fault lies with "me" and "my" own perceptions and attitudes. If there is any evil or crookedness, it is in "me". Correcting this and opting for a loving and compassionate attitude will change one's perceptions and the world will appear wonderful all over again.

http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=DohaDetails&DohaID=2
 
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