Bede Griffiths OSB Cam (17 December 1906 – 13 May 1993), born Alan Richard Griffiths and also known by the end of his life as Swami Dayananda ("bliss of compassion"), was a British-born priest and

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

who lived in

ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...

s in South India and became a noted

yogi A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297-299, 331 Th ...

. Griffiths was a part of the Christian Ashram Movement.

Biography

Early years

Griffiths was born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, at the end of 1906, the youngest of three children of a middle-class family. Shortly after Griffiths' birth, his father was betrayed by a business partner and was left penniless. His mother took the children and established residence in a smaller home which she maintained, though she had to find work to support herself and the children. At age 12, Griffiths was sent to Christ's Hospital, a school for poor boys. He excelled in his studies and earned a scholarship to the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

where, in 1925, he began his studies in English literature and philosophy at

Magdalen College Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the st ...

. In his third year at university he came under the tutelage of

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

, who became a lifelong friend. Griffiths graduated from Oxford in 1929 with a degree in journalism. Shortly after graduation Griffiths, with fellow Oxford alumni Martyn Skinner and Hugh Waterman, settled in a cottage in the

Cotswold The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Juras ...

s and began what they called an "experiment in common living". They followed a lifestyle attuned to nature, milking cows and selling the milk to support themselves. They would read the Bible together as a form of literature. Griffiths noted a strong connection between the teachings of scripture and the rhythm of the nature around them. The experiment lasted less than a year, as one of the friends found the life too demanding. Nevertheless, the experience had a strong effect on Griffiths. As a result of this experience, Griffiths decided to seek

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

. He was advised, however, to gain some experience in the slums of London. This advice was so contrary to what Griffiths felt to be his vocation that it drove him to a crisis of faith, which nearly drove him to an emotional breakdown. Guided by the writings of

Cardinal Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, first as an Anglican priest and later as a Catholic priest and cardi ...

, he reached a point in this struggle where he had a spiritual breakthrough. He recounts the story of his conversion in his autobiography ''The Golden String''. In November 1931, Griffiths went to stay at the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

of Prinknash Abbey where he was impressed by the life. Despite the strong anti-Roman Catholic sentiments of his mother, he was received into the Roman Catholic Church and made his

First Communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin Church tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communi ...

at Christmas Eve

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

at the abbey.

Benedictine monastic life

Griffiths was received by the abbey as a postulant a month after his reception into the Catholic Church. On 29 December 1932, he entered the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

and was given the monastic name of "Bede". He made his solemn

profession A profession is a field of work that has been successfully ''professionalized''. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, '' professionals'', who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by ...

in 1937 (a year before the death of his mother in a car accident) and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

to the Catholic priesthood in 1940. In 1947 the abbey sent a group of 25 monks to give support to two monasteries in the United Kingdom which had been founded by monks from France. Griffiths was chosen to be the obedientiary prior for the monastery at

Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...

in Hampshire. He led that house for four years, but was unable to generate sufficient financial support to keep the community going. The abbot then sent him to the other monastery,

Pluscarden Abbey Pluscarden Abbey is a Catholic Benedictine monastery in the glen of the Black Burn, southwest of Elgin, Moray, Scotland. It was founded in 1230 by Alexander II for the Valliscaulian Order. In 1454, following a merger with the priory of Urqu ...

in Scotland. It was there that he wrote his autobiography. During Griffiths' time at Farnborough, he had come to know Father Benedict Alapatt, a European-born monk of Indian descent who was greatly interested in establishing a monastery in his homeland. Griffiths had already been introduced to Eastern thought,

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

and the

Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

and took interest in this proposed project. The abbot at first refused permission, but later changed his mind and authorised Griffiths to go to India with the Indian member of the community. There was one condition, though: Griffiths was not to be there as a member of the abbey, but as a priest subject to a local bishop, which meant that he would be giving up his vows.

Christian yogi

After some painful inner debate, Griffiths agreed to this and, in 1955, he embarked for India with Alapatt. At the time, he wrote to a friend: "I am going to discover the other half of my soul." After arriving and visiting some spiritual centres in the country, they settled in Kengeri in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

, considered the garden spot of India, with the goal of building a monastery there. That project was eventually unsuccessful as Griffiths left the location in 1958, saying that he found it "too Western". Griffiths then joined with a Belgian monk, Father Francis Acharya, OCSO, to establish Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj, Kurisumala Ashram ("Mountain of the Cross"), a Syriac Rite monastery of the

Syro-Malankara Catholic Church The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, also known as the Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the worldwide Catholic Church possessing self-governance under the Code of Ca ...

in Kerala. They sought to develop a form of monastic life based in the Indian tradition, adopting the

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent i ...

garments of an Indian ''

sannyasi ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' As ...

'' (an

ascetic Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

or monk). At that point, Griffiths took the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

name "Dayananda" ("bliss of compassion"). During that time he continued his studies in the religions and cultures of India, writing ''Christ in India'' while there. He also visited the United States during the period, giving a number of talks about East–West dialogue and being interviewed by CBS television. Later, in 1968, Griffiths moved to the

Saccidananda Ashram Saccidananda Ashram (also called Shantivanam) is a Camaldolese Benedictine monastery in Tannirpalli, India founded in 1950. Description Located in the village of Tannirpalli in the Tiruchirapalli District of Tamil Nadu, on the bank of the Riv ...

(also known as ''Shantivanam'';

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

for "forest of peace") in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

, South India, which had been founded in 1950 by the French Benedictine monk

Abhishiktananda Abhishiktananda ( sa, अभिषिक्तानन्द, Abhiṣiktānanda; 30 August 1910, in Saint Briac, Brittany – 7 December 1973, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India), born Henri Le Saux, was a French monk who, having moved to In ...

(Dom Henri Le Saux, OSB), from the Abbey of Kergonan, along with another Frenchman, the

Abbé ''Abbé'' (from Latin ''abbas'', in turn from Greek , ''abbas'', from Aramaic ''abba'', a title of honour, literally meaning "the father, my father", emphatic state of ''abh'', "father") is the French word for an abbot. It is the title for lowe ...

Jules Monchanin. The two had developed a religious lifestyle which was completely expressed in authentic Indian fashion, using English, Sanskrit and

in their religious services. They had built the ashram buildings by hand in the style of the poor of the country. Monchanin had died in 1957 and Le Saux wanted to devote himself to a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

's life. Griffiths came with two other monks to assume life there and to allow Le Saux his wish. Griffiths resumed his studies of Indian thought, trying to relate it to Christian theology. At this point, he became known as "Swami Dayananda" ("bliss of compassion"). He wrote 12 books on

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

–Christian dialogue. During this period, Griffiths desired to reconnect himself with the Benedictine order and sought a monastic

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

which would accept him in the way of life he had developed over the decades. He was welcomed by the

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona ( la, Congregatio Eremitarum Camaldulensium Montis Coronae), commonly called Camaldolese is a monastic order of Pontifical Right for men founded by Saint Romuald. Their name is derived from the Holy Hermita ...

monks, and he and the ashram became a part of their congregation.

Final years

In January 1990, Griffiths suffered a stroke in his room at the ashram. A month later, to the day, he was declared healed. The following year, he began a period of extensive travel, making annual visits to the United States, then later to Europe, where he met the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

. He noted to a friend, "I do believe that he liked me." He continued his journey, giving lectures in Germany and England. He arrived back at the ashram in October 1992, where an Australian film crew were awaiting him to make a documentary about his life, which was released as ''A Human Search''. Three days after the completion of filming, on his 86th birthday, Griffiths had a major stroke. The following month, he had a further series of strokes. He died at Shantivanam on 13 May 1993, aged 86.

Legacy

The archives of the Bede Griffiths Trust are located at the

Graduate Theological Union The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is a consortium of eight private independent American theological schools and eleven centers and affiliates. Seven of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded in 1962 ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

. His contributions are promoted and developed by the Bede Griffiths Trust and by the Camaldolese Institute for East–West Dialogue based at the American Camaldolese hermitage of

New Camaldoli New Camaldoli Hermitage (formally called Immaculate Heart Hermitage) is a rural Camaldolese Benedictine hermitage in the Santa Lucia Mountains of Big Sur, California, in the United States. The Camaldolese branch of the Benedictine family was fo ...

, located in

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...

, California.Bede Griffiths' Trust website
/ref>

Bibliography

Primary

*''The Golden String: An Autobiography'', (1954), Templegate Publishers, 1980 edition: , Medio Media, 2003: *''Christ in India: Essays Towards a Hindu-Christian Dialogue'' (1967), Templegate Publishers, 1984, *''Return to the Center'', (1976), Templegate Publishers, 1982, *''Marriage of East and West: A Sequel to The Golden String'', Templegate Publishers, 1982, *''Cosmic Revelation: The Hindu Way to God'', Templegate Publishers, 1983, *''A New Vision of Reality: Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and Christian Faith'', Templegate Publishers, 1990, *''River of Compassion: A Christian Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita'', (1987), Element Books, 1995 reprint: *''Bede Griffiths'', Templegate Publishers, 1993, *''The New Creation in Christ: Christian Meditation and Community'', Templegate Publishers, 1994, *(co-editor with Roland R. Ropers), ''Psalms for Christian Prayer'', Harpercollins, 1996, *John Swindells (editor), ''A Human Search: Bede Griffiths Reflects on His Life: An Oral History'', Triumph Books, 1997, (from 1992 Australian television documentary) *Bruno Barnhart, O.S.B. Cam. (editor), ''The One Light: Bede Griffiths' Principal Writings'', Templegate Publishers, 2001, *Thomas Matus, O.S.B. Cam. (editor), ''Bede Griffiths: Essential Writings'', Orbis Books, 2004, *"The Relation of Ultimate Truth to the Life of the World." Arunodayam (Sep. 1962) 7–9; (Nov. 1962) 5–8. *"God and the Life of the World: A Christian View." Religion and Society 9/3 (Sep. 1962) 50–58. *''India and the Sacrament''. Ernakulam: Lumen Institute, 1964. *''Christian Ashram: Essays towards a Hindu-Christian Dialogue''. London: DLT, 1966. 249 pp.

Secondary

* Kathryn Spink, ''A Sense of the Sacred: A Biography of Bede Griffiths'', Orbis Books, 1989. * Beatrice Bruteau (ed.), ''The Other Half of My Soul: Bede Griffiths and the Hindu-Christian Dialogue'', Quest Books, 1996. (Essays in honour of Griffiths by Matthew Fox, Thomas Keating,

Rupert Sheldrake Alfred Rupert Sheldrake (born 28 June 1942) is an English author and parapsychology researcher who proposed the concept of morphic resonance, a conjecture which lacks mainstream acceptance and has been criticized as pseudoscience. He has worke ...

Thomas Berry Thomas Berry, CP (November 9, 1914 – June 1, 2009) was a Catholic priest, cultural historian, and scholar of the world’s religions, especially Asian traditions. Later, as he studied Earth history and evolution, he called himself a “geolog ...

, Judson Trapnell,

Wayne Teasdale Wayne Robert Teasdale (16 January 1945 – 20 October 2004) was a Catholic monk, author and teacher from Connecticut, best known as an energetic proponent of mutual understanding between the world's religions, for an interfaith dialogue which he te ...

, and others). * Jesu Rajan, ''Bede's Journey to the Beyond'', Bangalore, India: Asian Trading Corporation, 1997. * Judson B. Trapnell, ''Bede Griffiths. A Life of Dialogue'', Albany: State University of New York Press (SUNY Press), 2001. (Collection: SUNY Series in Religious Studies). *

, ''Bede Griffiths: An Introduction to His Interspiritual Thought'', Skylight Paths Publishing, 2003. *

Shirley du Boulay Shirley du Boulay (4 March 1933 – 7 March 2023) was a British author and biographer, resident in Oxford. Educated at Downe House School and the Royal College of Music, she embarked on a career with the BBC in 1954, initially as a studio manage ...

, ''Beyond the Darkness: A Biography of Bede Griffiths'', Alresford, UK: O Books, 2003. . * Albano Fernandes, ''The Hindu Mystical Experience: A Comparative Study of the Approaches of

R. C. Zaehner Robert Charles Zaehner (1913–1974) was a British academic whose field of study was Eastern religions. He understood the original language of many sacred texts, e.g., Hindu (Sanskrit), Buddhist (Pali), Islamic (Arabic). At Oxford University his ...

and Bede Griffiths''. New Delhi, India: Intercultural Publications, 2004. * Dion Forster
''Christ at the centre: Discovering the Cosmic Christ in the spirituality of Bede Griffiths''
Kempton Park: AcadSA Publishers, 2008. . *

Pandikattu Kuruvilla Pandikattu Joseph, SJ, (कुरुविला पांडिक्काट्ट or കുരുവിള പാണ്ടിക്കാട്ട്) (born November 28, 1957) is an Indian Jesuit priest. He is Chair Professor of ...

, Kuruvilla, ''Religious Dialogue as Hermeneutics: Bede Griffith's Advaitic Approach to Religions.'' Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change. (Series IIIB, South Asia). Washington, D.C.: Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 2001. . Availabl
online
*Ivo Coelho and Banzelao Julio Teixeira, "Review of Albano Fernandes, ''The Hindu Mystical Experience: A Comparative Study of the Approaches of R. C. Zaehner and Bede Griffiths''". '' Divyadaan: Journal of Philosophy and Education'' 17/1 (2006) 109–112.

References

External links

Website dedicated to the memory and legacy of Dom Bede Griffiths"Christian yogi Bede Griffiths"
by Arthur Jones, ''National Catholic Reporter'', 5 April 2008

* ttp://www.vatican2voice.org/8conscience/magister.htm "The M-word" Griffiths about authority in the Church and the ''Magisterium''
"The Swami from Oxford"
by Robert Fastiggi and Jose Pereira (a negative critique of Griffiths from

Crisis magazine Sophia Institute Press is a non-profit publishing company based in Nashua, New Hampshire, United States. It publishes Catholic books, the online opinion journal ''Crisis Magazine'', the traditionalist Catholic website ''OnePeterFive'', the Trid ...

)
"Bede Griffiths, Henri Le Saux and Jules Monchanin Sangha"
Russian site
Oblates of Shantivanam

Bibliography

* ''Bede Griffiths'' (Modern Spirituality Series) * ''Bede Griffiths: Essential Writings'' (Modern Spiritual Masters Series) * ''Christ in India'' * ''The Cosmic Revelation: The Hindu Way to God'' * ''The Golden String: An Autobiography'' * ''Human Search: Bede Griffiths Reflects on His Life'' * ''Marriage of East and West'' (sequel to ''The Golden String'' * ''The New Creation in Christ: Christian Meditation and Community'' * ''A New Vision of Reality: Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and Christian Faith'' * ''On Friendship: The Letters of Bede Griffiths to Richard Rumbold 1943-1961'' * ''One Light: Bede Griffiths' Principal Writings'' * ''Pathways to the Supreme'' (Collins Pathways) * ''Psalms for Christian Prayer'' * ''Return to the Centre'' * ''River Of Compassion'' * ''The Universal Christ: Daily Readings with Bede Griffiths'' (Modern spirituality series) * ''Universal Wisdom: A Journey Through the Sacred Wisdom of the World'' * ''Vedanta and Christian Faith'' (The Basket of Tolerance Series) {{DEFAULTSORT:Griffiths, Bede 1906 births 1993 deaths 20th-century Christian mystics 20th-century English Roman Catholic priests Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Benedictine mystics Benedictine theologians Camaldolese Order Christian and Hindu interfaith dialogue Converts to Roman Catholicism English Benedictines English expatriates in India English Christian mystics English religious writers English Roman Catholic missionaries 20th-century British Roman Catholic theologians Founders of Christian monasteries British yogis Hindu studies Indian Benedictines 20th-century Indian Roman Catholic priests 20th-century Indian Roman Catholic theologians People educated at Christ's Hospital People from Walton-on-Thames Roman Catholic missionaries in India Syro-Malankara Catholic Church