The Bede Griffiths Sangha...

T h eB e d e G r i f f i t h s S a n g h aN e w s l e t t e r

Summer 2007 Volume 10 Issue 3

CONTENTS:The Centenary Celebrations atShantivanam.

Silence

Meditat ion Groups

Fr John Main andChrist ianMediationSr Ishpriya Mataji

The Bede Griff i ths Trust

Sangha News and Coming EventsResourcesContacts

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4/5

6

7

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10

1112

The B e d e

G r i f f i t h sS a n g h a i s

commit ted to the search for

the truth atthe heart

of al l re l igions.

Dom John MainOn the 25th Anniversary of the death of Father John Main,we look at the contribution that he made to the revival ofmeditation as a universal practice for humanity and themanner in which he was able to make this available andacceptable again for Christians. See page 7

Dom John Main 1926-1982

“When I think ofFather Bede, myheart smiles”

Sister Stephanie Jones speaking at the Centenary Celebrations at Shantivanam last December. Seereport page 2. Sr Stephanie Jones

Silence Silently a flower blooms, In silence it falls away, The whole flower, The whole of the world is blooming, The truth of the blossom, The glory of eternal life is fully shining here.Zenkai Shibayama A Flower does not talk..Continuing our theme of meditation, we consider the mystery of silence. Pages 4/5.

InterconnectednessWelcome to the Summer 2007 edition of the Sangha Newsletter. Running through this issue is the theme of ‘interconnectedness’. Starting with a further report on the Centenary Celebrations at Shantivanam lastDecember from Michael Giddings, from there we move to the wonderful geographical and inner journeytaken by Trevor Smith after leaving Shantivanam. The interconnectedness that arises in ‘silence’ is then considered in quotes from the Masters and how this can happen in meditation - particularly when we meet ingroups to meditate. We recall the life and legacy of Father John Main, who Fr Bede met in 1979 and considered “one of the most important spiritual guides of the time” and we have an article about SisterIshpriya and her links with Fr Bede through the development of Christian Ashrams in India. There is a reportof the ongoing influence of Fr Bede as it flows out through the work of the Bede Griffiths Charitable Trust.Finally we invite your increased connectedness with the Sangha by joining with us at various events, particu-larly the SANGHA DAY in London on Sunday 30th September, at which the future direction of the Sangha willbe discussed with the Working Group and at which we can eat and worship together in true Sangha style.

Timothy Glazier [email protected]

“When I think of FatherBede my heart smiles!”

So saidSr.Stephaniewhen she sharedher experiencesof being aroundFather Bede.Her sentimentswere typical ofthe many speak-ers at theCentenaryCelebrations atShantivanam.

It was a wonderfully joyous event:for three days people from manyparts of the world spoke of thetremendous impact that Fr.Bede hadhad on them, either through meetinghim, or through his writings. I hadfirst met Father Bede in 1989, and the stories toldby those who knew himbrought back many vividmemories for me. I couldalmost imagine himappearing just around thecorner, clothed in kavi,walking purposefully tothe chapel!

The proceedings wereinaugurated by the presentBishop of Trichy, Rt RevAntony Devota. He litthe Kuthuvilakku, the traditional oil lamp, and then spokemovingly of the part that Fr Bedehad played in the Catholic Churchin India, and of the important rolethat Shantivanam can play in thelife of his Diocese. In fact a fewdays before, the Bishop had hosteda meeting at Shantivanam of over100 of his priests. This very visiblesupport by him of the ashram andits work moved me greatly. Hispredecessors have not always beenso supportive!

Among the many important guestswas the present Abbot ofKurisumala. His descriptions ofFather Bede's work with the cowsand in the fields at Kurisumala gavea new perspective on his life, andwhen he gently laid a wreath at FrBede's tomb, tears came to my eyes.

There had been someseparation and dis-tance over the yearsbetween Fr Bede andFr Francis Acharaya,Abbot of Kurisumala,and it was good to seesuch reconciliation.Fr George, Superiorof Shantvanam, alsoreferred to Fr Bede'stime at Kurisumala.He spoke movingly of the time he had first met Fr Bedethere as a young child when he hadgone with his parents to visit hisuncle Amaldass. Amaldass, togeth-er with Christudas, later came tojoin Fr Bede permanently atShantivanam. He, as a yogateacher, was instrumental in thebuilding of the Dhyana Mandir, thelarge palm leafed yoga hall, there.

Sr Marie Louise shared her ownspecial experiences of Fr Bede,describing his life in three distinctphases. As a 'Prophet in the mak-ing' when he remained mainly inIndia, with his involvement andsupport of the interfaith work of thelate Amalorpavadass, Sr Vandanaand Sara Grant: as a 'Prophetreaching the world podium' whenhis books sent out appealing shockwaves into many parts of the planetand when he played the music of theuniversal flute: and his 'Return tothe Promised Land' when shetalked in detail of Fr Bede's last fivemonths of life at Shantivanam, andin particular his last night when hewanted to be shifted to the chapel todie like his guru Benedict, sur-rounded by his monks chantingpsalms.

Speakers from India and furtherafield, including Thomas Mock andChristian Hackberth Johnson fromGermany, and Fr Cyprian fromUSA, added further personal detailsof Bede's impact on them and theirlives. Brother Martin, FrAlexander, Fr Selvaraj, Fr Thomas,and Sr Iona, each quoted an impor-tant incident when some word oradvice from Fr Bede had helpedthem immensely on their spiritualpath. For those present at this gath-ering, who had not had the privilegeof meeting Fr Bede personally,these and many other speakers con-tributions brought to life this won-derful amazing man. Indeed, every-one's heart was smiling, includingmine.

2 THE BEDE GRIFFITHS SANGHA NEWSLETTER

Shantivanam Centenary Celebrations Michael Giddings

Laying a wreath on Father Bede’s tomb.

Rt Revd Antony Devota, Bishop of Trichy, inauguarting the CentenaryCelebrations, with Father George and Sister Marie Louise.

A dancer performing at the Centenary Celebration

Sr Stephanie Jones

Correction: In our Spring issue it wassaid that Father Bede lived at

Shantivanam for 35 years: in fact thatwas the time that he was in India and he

was at Shantivanam for 25 years.

THE BEDE GRIFFITHS SANGHA NEWSLETTER 3

Following the Advent Retreat atPrinknash Abbey last December, onthe theme of Silence, Sound andScripture, I headed for India andthe Centenary Celebration atShantivanam on the life of FatherBede. The Advent Retreat was agood preparation for theShantivanam Celebration, and both,in their own way, represented theend of an era - the farewell toPrinknash where Father Bede livedand then an honouring of his lifeand contribution in the field of spir-ituality.

I had wanted to go to Shantivanamfor many years. I had seen FatherBede in a video on Gurus of Indiawhen I was living in Canada andwas impressed by what he said aswell as his enthusiasm. Morerecently I had read and was influ-enced by his books and the themeof the marriage of East and Westand the need to find the other halfof one’s soul, were particularlyappealing. I believe people in theWest are looking for a fullness oflife which is not always supportedby our own culture. There is adeep need for an integration so thatwe can live meaningful and fulfiledlives.

Father Bede had the vision, wisdomand understanding to follow thiscall. To discover the unity that is atthe heart of all religions and henceat the heart of all existence and atthe heart of all of us. In the wordsof T.S. Eliot - to return to thebeginning after all our journeyingand know ourselves for the veryfirst time. Shantivanam providesthis opportunity. It is peaceful andideal for quiet contemplation andreflection. Swami Abhishiktanandaone of the original founder’s cabinis still there and together withFather Bede’s cabin give a sense ofcontinuity. It was special to sit insilence where Father Bede hadstayed and meditate on his pres-ence.

In fact it is this timeless quality thatimpressed me the most. Indianspirituality through the Sanata

Dharma - the perrenial philosophy -addresses this point. That some-thing exists that permeates all oflife. If we can surrender and bereceptive to this something and/oreverything then we can inhabit aworld which is ever present andaccessible. Perhaps this is bestachieved through silence and afreeing up of all our concepts andnotions of what spirituality is andwho we are. A silencing of themind seems to be a precondition fora greater awareness that allows truewisdom to emerge.

After the Celebration I was sorry toleave Shantivanam but I had madearrangements to go to Rishikesh forthe Christmas Retreat at SivanandaAshram - Swami Sivananda wasthe great sage and saint and founderof the Divine Life Society. I alsovisited Ajanta Ashram - SwamiAjanta had been a disciple ofAbhishiktananda and thus therewas a strong connection withShantivanam. Actually the more Itravelled the more I realised theinter-connections that do exist.This included a chance encounterwith one of the participants fromShantivanam and a sighting ofanother: I wonder if many of ourmeetings were previously deter-mined. Part of the web of lifewhich underpins and supports andstructures our relationships.

Brindavan was my next destination.The place of Krishna’s lila andnearby Mathura where he incarnat-ed. Much has been written aboutKrishna. Perhaps the only trueresponse is a silence and awe at thisdivine personage.

I then proceeded to Hyderabad atthe invitation of Dr.Raja Reddy theFounder Director of the ShantiAshram Charitable Society, who Ihad met at Shantivanam. He hadbeen encouraged by Father Bede tostudy medicine and Father Bede,who had anticipated the problem ofAids in India, had visitedHyderabad to bless Dr.Reddy’sAids projects. I visited many ofthese which included the clinic, res-

idential and school programmesand community support in affectedslum areas. The visit coincidedwith my own birthday and the visitof Mata Amritanandamayi orAmma, the hugging saint. It waswonderful to receive her darshan.She is a tireless worker and showsgreat compassion in helping asmany people as she can in all partsof the world

From there I proceeded toPondicherry and the Ashram of SriAurobindo. Aurobindo’s yoga isunique. His outlook is that the nextstage in human evolution is to bringthe divine energy or what he callsthe supramental down to earth.The vastness, the overwhelmingcalm and silence in which you feelmerged is called the Atman or thesilent Brahman and it is the aim ofyoga to achieve this realisation andlive in it. Father Bede had been incorrespondence with the AurobindoAshram and this series of lettershas been published by them.

In addition I met an Ashram resi-dent who had heard of and hadbeen drawn to visit Father Bede.After many months he had heededthe call. He arrived on the day thatFather Bede had passed away. Itwas a remarkable story. Perhaps it also points to the knowingbeyond all names and forms. Thedeep intuition that bypasses therational mind of which we can betoo fond.

The most recognised exponent ofthis approach was RamanaMaharshi and the final stage of myjourney was to visit the caves ofArunachala where he meditated:Arunachala is Shiva’s sacred moun-tain loved by Ramana. The peacethat pervades these places is palpa-ble even overpowering - the gift ofa liberated sage that, I trust, willremain with me always. While Iwas there I got talking to a youngDane who had been to England.He asked me if I knew PrinknashAbbey which he had visited. Thejourney had come full circle.

Inner Connections - a personal journey Trevor Smith


What the Masters say:When you become aware of silence, immediately there is thatstate of inner still alertness. Youare present. You have steppedout of thousands of years of collective human conditioning.Eckhart Tolle.

There is nothing so much like God as silence. Meister Eckhart (1260 - 1327) Sermons and Treatises.

We are what we do in silence.Friedrich von Hugel¨(1825-1925) Mystical Elements of Religion.

The great silence itself in which God himself is, is not thenegation of thought. It is itstranscendence. Henri Le Saux /Abhishiktananda (1910-73)

I think what all of us have tolearn is that we do not have tocreate silence. The silence isthere within us. What we have todo is to enter it, to become silent,to become the silence. The pur-pose of meditation and the chal-lenge of meditation is to allowourselves to become silentenough to allow this interiorsilence to emerge. Silence is thelanguage of the Spirit. Dom John Main (1926-82) Moment of Christ.

I saw many saved by silence, butby much speaking not a singleone. Bishop Ambrose.

He enfolds the whole universeand, in silence, is loving to all.Upanishads.

“There was Silence in heaven about thespace of half anhour.” Revelations 8:1 AV:

Commentaries by two otherMasters on that ‘mysterious’passage in Revelations:

St Gregory the Great (c. 540-604CE) wrote:

“If we wish to contemplate thingswithin, let us rest from outwardengagements. The voice of God isheard when, with minds at ease, werest from the bustle of this world, andthe divine precepts are pondered byus in the deep silence of the mind.”

In another place he writes that inthis life we cannot expect to seeGod as he is, but we can contem-plate something of his glory:

“In that contemplation already thetaste of inner quiet is experienced.And as it is, so to say, partial andcannot now be perfect, rightly is itwritten in the Apocalypse: ‘Therewas silence in heaven about half-an-hour.’ For heaven is the soul of therighteous. When therefore the quietof contemplation takes place in themind, there is silence in heaven;because the noise of earthly doingsdies away from our thoughts, that themind may fix its ear on the inwardsecret. But because this quiet of themind cannot be perfect in this life, itis not said that there was silence inheaven a whole hour, but about halfan hour: because as soon as the mindbegins to raise itself, and to be inun-dated with the light of interior quiet,the turmoil of thoughts soon comesback, and is thrown into disorderfrom itself, and, being disordered, isblinded”.

How reassuring that even thisgreat saint could not hold himselfin contemplation for more thanhalf an hour, but found as we do,that after such a period of time allthe wandering thoughts comecreeping back in! I wonder if this

is the reason that it is suggestedthat we meditate for just half anhour, two or three times a day?

St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 CE) also wrote about thispassage, in the context of experi-encing the indescribable joy oftruly hearing a passage ofScripture:

“In that day, in that hour – if there isan hour then, and it may not be evenan hour but half-an-hour, accordingto the words of Scripture: ‘There wassilence in heaven for the space ofabout half-an-hour’ – in that hourmy mouth shall be filled with joy andmy tongue with gladness, for I shallsense the fragrance of every Psalm,every verse more fragrant than anyperfume.”

I think we may recognise this joyand love which blazes up whenScripture comes alive to us.Bernard calls this ‘the taste of con-templation.’ In The Steps ofHumility he describes contempla-tion more fully:

“ ….the soul is led into the chamberof the King for whose love she pines.Then, while silence reigns in heavenfor about half-an-hour, she restssecure in the King’s embrace; andalthough she may fall asleep, herheart remains alert and watchfulwhile it searches the secrets of truth.Returning to herself, she delights tosavour the memory of these things,while in this chamber she sees thingsthat man’s eye cannot see, and hearsmysteries that no tongue can repeat,and secrets greater than any onenight can pass on to the next”.

1 Moralia in Job xxiii.372 Revelation 8:1 AV: ‘And when he hadopened the seventh seal, there wassilence in heaven about the space of halfan hour.’3 Homilies on Ezekiel, Bk II, Hom ii.144 Sermons on the Song of Songs, 67.75 Steps of Humility and Pride, chapter 7

Hilary Knight

Silence Continuing our theme of meditation we consider the ‘mystery’ of silence.

People may have heard of theword muni used generally for awise person but it refers especiallyto one who has taken a vow ofsilence, mauna. This vow may beseen as a progression of restraintin speech to restraint from speechuntil one rests in silence, unmov-ing but being everywhere as one.

While Ramana Maharshi may bethe first name to come to ourminds we know also how thedirect experience of ‘the ground ofbeing’ left St Thomas Aquinassilent:

‘All that I have written seemsto me nothing but straw....com-pared to what I have seen andwhat has been revealed tome.....’

This depth of silence is not just anemptiness but a fullness to whichno word can be added withoutsubtracting from that fullness. It isthe silence known by those inlove.

The ultimate silence can only everbe Self-revealing but this fact doesnot negate the use of spiritualpractice, sadhana through suchdisciplines as the vow, mauna,prayer, meditation and study etc.These polish the mirror and wemay take the example of the lateSwami Nirmalananda ofKarnataka who served in theArmy Postal Service in Europeduring World War II. He travelledthe world and studied the world'sreligions and philosophies. In theend, his burning search for truthculminated in silence.

“If you desire to live in peace,hear all that falls on your ears,see all that appears beforeyour eyes, realize that every-thing is in accordance with theeternal law of nature, and besilent."

He did not speak for eleven years,and thereafter spoke sparingly.When he did, it was with clarity

and conviction. "Wisdom to me isnot a set of words, but freshnessand emptiness of the mind. Emptythe mind by self-observation, self-awareness and inner attention.Thus make the mind shine like amirror. Then nothing is seen orknown but the limitless radianceof eternity. This is a wonderfulsource of ever-renewed joy andinspiration beyond words."

Abhishiktananda in his visits toRamana enquired about the prac-tice of silence and wrote:

‘I used to visit a nearbymonastery where the Abbot,Sri Ramasami, kept two daysof silence each week. On oneoccasion there we met an oldmonk who had spent 10 yearsin total silence and was there-fore called ‘muni’.

With Sri Ramasami I discussedsilence and he explained:

‘There are three types of peo-ple who keep silent:Firstly there are those whokeep silent out of their dislikefor their fellow-men, or at leastas a way of protecting them-selves from others. Such asilence is always accompaniedby some degree of egoism.Then there are those who bindthemselves to keep silenceunder a vow and observe it byan effort of will with a view totheir spiritual advancement;such a silence is praiseworthy.Finally there is the true silencewhich is no more a matter ofobligation but is spontaneous;the silence of one who hasplunged so deeply within that itis well nigh impossible for himto abandon it for conversationwith others.’

The Secret of Arunachala 130-131

Such a muni is at that point fromwhich the eloquence of silence isthe Guru, as this story of Ramanaillustrates:

‘A devotee once askedRamana, "Research on Godhas been going on from timeimmemorial. Has the finalword been said?" After a longinterval, in which Ramana didnot respond, the visitor asked,"Should I consider SriBhagavan's silence as the replyto my question?" Ramanareplied, “Yes, Mauni is Isvara-svarupa [God-state]. Hencethe text: "The Truth of SupremeBrahman proclaimed throughSilent Eloquence."

To Ramana, silence is not a nega-tion but truth itself, it is ever-speaking, it is the perennial flowof "language." It is interrupted byspeaking, for words destroy thismute language. Silence is unceas-ing eloquence. It is the best lan-guage. There is a state whenwords cease and silence prevails.

Study Days with KenThe first Sangha Study Day washeld at the beautiful Fintry TrustCentre in Surrey. Ten of us metto study bhakti - devotion, theKaivalya Upanishad and conclud-ing with the consideration of achapter from the Bhagavad Gita.Ken, with his deep knowledge ofsanskrit and the vedantic tradition,taking us to a deep level of under-standing.

The Next Study Day will be held at theFintry Trust on Sunday 27th October.If you would like to attend please contact him at his email address aboveor on 01689 861004.


Sanskrit Corner - ‘Muni’ and ‘Mauna’ Ken Knight. [email protected]

Ken Knight leading the Study Day at Fintry

In the Spring Newsletter westressed how helpful it is to havea meditation group that you canattend on a regular basis and alsothat you might consider startingyour own group. The followingare reports from those who attendor run groups:

Ken and Hilary Knight wrote:The group started about twelveyears ago as a ChristianMeditation group of RomanCatholics and Anglicans. It haschanged and evolved over theyears; we have different ‘regu-lars’, and we often welcome visi-tors. As well as those followingthe Christian path, some membersare Hindu and some advaitin –although they would not like tohave such a label attached! Wemeet once a week and start withmusic. Sounding the Tibetan bowlstarts and ends the half-hour peri-od of meditation. We end withmore music and readings from allmembers of the group present.Although we come from such avariety of traditions, we find thereis great unity in the group.

Shirley du Boulay wrote:Our group is held at my flat,which is quite small so we cannoteasily have more than eight peo-ple. Before they arrive I light acandle and some incense, switchoff the telephone and put somemusic on. I leave the door on thelatch so there is no need to ringthe bell and people can arrive qui-etly to an atmosphere that isalready peaceful. We try not toengage in conversation yet,though, as we have become goodfriends, this is sometimes hard!

At 5 o’clock one of us strikes abell and we sing the GayatriMantra and settle down for 30minutes meditation, each of us fol-lowing our own practice. This isthe heart of our meeting and themain reason why we are theretogether, but after the meditationwe also read sacred texts such asthe Upanishads. At about 6.15 westop talking and end with ten moreminutes of meditation, so that ourdiscussion is framed by silence.

Then we have a drink and chat fora while.

Thérèse O'Neill wrote: We started getting together nearlyfive years ago, we are a smallgroup, our numbers have fluctuat-ed and there are now five of us;living in the country we are allrather far apart.

We meet once a month at 12.30and usually begin by celebrating a"Kiddush" (sharing bread andwine after the jewish tradition). Itincludes a reading (chosen by oneof us in turn) and reflection on thetext, and bidding prayers or inter-cessions. After the Kiddush weenjoy a meal and the opportunityfor sharing our problems, joys,family events or "putting the worldto right".

We end with a period of silenceand meditation.

Once during the summer, we havea picnic outside an old and beauti-ful small church, an idyllic setting,and this has become a sort of tra-dition!"

Timothy and Victoria Glazierwrote:Our group has developed becauseof the beautiful sacred space nearto us in South Gloucestershire. Itis a dedicated meditation room atthe Matara Centre that has beenestablished for workshops, healingand spiritual work. Created fromthe outhouses of a large GeorgianHouse, these have an orientalserenity and the meditation spaceitself, in the loft of the old stables,has cushions round the wall with aBuddha on the window sill/altarthat has been blessed by a seniorLama and other sacred objectfrom various traditions. To enterthe space is to become quiet.

Each Monday at 6.30pm peoplefrom various meditation back-grounds gather for half an hour:we commence with the sounding ofthe singing bowl or someone may

be invited to chant. We concludewith the sounding of the singingbowl and usually some conversa-tion develops. We then leave -wonderfully energised and nour-ished.

We are delighted to be able toannounce several new meditation

groups - for details of these, and thegroups described on this page, see the

back page. Below is a letter fromRoger Layet of the WCCM, with the

kind invitation to Sangha members toattend Christian Meditation Groups.


Meditation Groups

Dear Tim,

As UK coordinator of the WorldCommunity for ChristianMeditation I read the articles inyour spring newsletter with greatinterest.

I write to emphasise that membersof the Sangha who would like tocome to any of the meditationgroups in the Community would bemost welcome.

The groups exist to support medita-tors on their individual paths, andto pass on John Main's teaching onmeditation, which was based onthe use of a prayer word, ormantra. They include many whouse slightly different approaches,for, as the Dalai Lama memorablysaid at one of our seminars yearsago, "in the silence, we do what wedo".

There are about 260 groups inGreat Britain in the Community.Our office will provide contactinformation: email [email protected] call 020 7833 9615

For those interested in setting uptheir own group, may I recommenda booklet called The Pearl of GreatPrice, by Laurence Freeman,which is about starting a medita-tion group, and can be orderedfrom our office.

Peace

Roger Layet

The Legacy of Fr John MainAs we considered in the Spring edition of the Newsletter, the phe-nomenon of the revival of the practiceof meditation throughout the world,has possibly been the most significantspiritual event of recent decades.One must assume that this had comeabout because of the great need in ourworld today for some form of con-templative practice that can counter-act the downward spiral into material-ism. But it is also clear that it hasbeen consciously facilitated by theinsight of spiritual masters from anumber of traditions: Fr John Mainbeing one.

This year marks the 25th anniversaryof the death of Father John Main, andhis life and remarkable legacy arebeing celebrated by those whoacknowledge his great contribution tothe renewal of Christian contempla-tive life.

John Main’s journey towards becom-ing a teacher of Christian meditationbegan when he was in the BritishColonial Service in Malaya in 1955.One day he was sent by the governorto deliver a goodwill message to theSwami Satyananda, a Hindu monkand justice of the peace who hadstarted an interfaith school andworked for religious and racial har-mony in his divided country. Itturned out that Satyananda was also ateacher of meditation so John Mainasked the Swami to teach him to med-itate, immediately realising that thiswas something that he had been seek-ing. Swami Satyananda had a lastinginfluence on Father Main, who wrotehe was "deeply impressed by hispeacefulness and calm wisdom” andthis encounter bore fruit in Main’slater discovery of his own Christiantradition of meditation.

When Main returned to Ireland in1956, he taught law at TrinityCollege, continuing to meditate.However, when he brought the topicup with priests he sometimes encoun-tered suspicion and hostility but most-ly lack of understanding. Later, whenhe became a Benedictine monk atEaling Abbey in London, John Mainwas advised that as this was “not aChristian form of prayer” and heshould give it up, which for a numberof years he obediently, but reluctantly,

did. However, in the 1970s, whilestudying the work of the 4th Centurymonk John Cassian, John Main notedCassian's description of “pure prayer”as a method that "restricts itself to thepoverty of a single verse." Readingfurther, he found this same traditionin the Cloud of Unknowing. Writtenin the 14th century by an anonymousmystic, this work suggested to “usethis little word and pray not in manywords but in a little word of one syl-lable."

By 1975, Fr John Main was teachingothers to meditate and to repeat interi-orly and silently the Aramaic word“Maranatha” which comes at the endof St. Paul's first letter to theCorinthians, and translated meansboth “Come Lord’’and “The Lordcomes.” From this beginning grewthe Christian meditation movement,and the prayer practice he developedhas spread to be practiced throughoutthe world. Although Fr Bede methim only once in 1979, he consideredhim “one of the most important spiri-tual guides of the time” and whom hecredited with with being the personresponsilbe for bringing Christiancontemplative life to lay people.

My personal introduction to meditation also came in the 1950’s, afew years after John Main had metSwami Satyananda, with the arrival inthis country of Maharishi MaheshYogi and his ‘Spiritual RegenerationMovement’, later to be known asTranscendental Meditation or TM.He had been sent to take meditationto the West by his Master, the greatteacher known as Guru Deva - SriSwami Brahmananda Saraswati, whoapparently was also the teacher toSwami Satyanda. Subsequently I was

involved with the founding of TheSchool of Meditation in London thatalso taught meditation from the sameHimalayan tradition.

As John Main discovered when hespoke about meditation on hisreturned to Ireland, the reponse to theidea of meditation at that time wasvery ‘challenging’ - meeting resis-tance and often ridicule from a some-what cynical society and, to my greatsadness, a great deal of suspicion andlack of comprehension from theChristian community.

Some years later I was delighted tobecome aware of the work and storyof Father John Main: I visited theChristian Meditation Centre inKensington, (which also gave me oneof my first introductions to theSangha when I met Jill and Adrianthere) and in due course I helped toestablish and run a ChristianMeditation Group in HemelHempsted, following a visit to StAlbans Abbey by Fr LaurenceFreeman, the spiritual leader of TheWorld Community for ChristianMeditation, which was founded in1991 as a development of FatherMain’s work.

Meditation for the Householder.Today the awareness of and attitudeto meditation is quite different and ithas become an accepted part of mod-ern society. But perhaps the mostimportant factor is, as Fr Bede says,meditation has been made available tothe laity, or as they would bedescribed in the East, the ‘household-er’ - one who is not a monk or renun-ciate. This, as Sangha Member RevAdrian Smith, who has researchedthis says, is what happened within thetradition of the Maharishi and SwamiSatyananda in which they had delib-erately“simplified the practice ofmeditation so that it would better suitthe life of the householder.”

Since that time, through manysources of meditation teaching fromthe East and West, the remarkablework of the WCCM and other con-templative Christian organisations,millions of ‘householders’ throughoutthe world now practice meditation -the impact of which upon the planetcan only be wondered at. Timothy Glazier


Dom John Main 1926-1982

Fr John Main and the revival of the practice of Meditation.

Throughout his life Father Bede came in contactwith, helped and communicated with innumer-able Christians throughout the world - particular-ly those who were working in India: one such wasSister Ishpriya Mataji. Elizabeth West has written this account of her life and current workwhich she felt would be of interest to readers ofthe Sangha Newsletter.

Some members of the Bede Griffiths Sangha, I amsure, will be familiar with the name of Ishpriya andalso Vandana Matajis, two sisters of the Society of theSacred Heart. Together they were part of the develop-ment of Christian Ashrams in India along with Fr Bedeand Swami Abhishiktananda and others. They began atthe Christa Prema Seva Ashram in Pune along with theAnglican Sisters from Wantage. SwamiAbhishiktananda spent ten days with them in the earlydays exploring ashram lifestyle in a Christian context.

Later they both moved north and spent six months ofthe year living in Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh andstudying with Swami Chidanandaji. The rest of theyear they spent leading retreats in India and the West.Later they had their own small ashram in Rishikesh,and also founded a larger ashram higher in theHimalayas at Jaiharikhal.

Ishpriya Mataji, being English by birth, began workingmore in the West and in 1991 together with Sr GittiLinhart, founded the International Satsang Association(ISA), from the people in various countries who werefollowing her teaching. The ISA is now a world-widecommunity of people seeking genuine wisdom andguidance for their spiritual journey. It is open to peopleof any faith or none. Members of the ISA make a triplecommitment to: i) their personal growth in spiritualawareness and practice; ii) helping remove the barriers

of prejudice and ignorance which divide persons fromeach other, wherever they encounter them in daily life;and iii) to building up relationships of compassion andappreciation across frontiers of race, language, culture,religion or economic status.

In 1996 along with members of the ISA, Sr Ishpriyaand Sr Gitti, opened the spiritual resource centre DieQuelle (The Source). In the last 10 years it has becomeknown as an open door between east and west throughwhich to enter the richness of our universal spiritualinheritance.

This year, in addition to being a home for the ISA, DieQuelle, will be a Sadhana Ashram in Central Europe.For periods during the year it will be open to all whoare seriously seeking a space, the silence and an atmos-phere conducive to spiritual practice and guidance.The life style in Die Quelle, while guarding the essen-tials of the authentic eastern ashram tradition, is rootedin the contemporary Global reality. In her teachingIshpriya Mataji transcends religions and draws on allthe wisdom traditions of the world. She sees this as theway forward for the future of religious traditions asresources for everyone, but not restricting or limiting.

Die Quelle – The Source – La Fuente, A-8241Dechantskirchen, Hohenau 25, is situated betweenVienna and Graz and is accessible from either by pub-lic transport. It is in the foothills of the alps, and amost remarkably silent place with beautiful views andwalks in the pine forests around. The Centre itself is aplace of beauty and simplicity of life. The life-styleincludes 3 periods of meditation daily and regular con-ferences on spiritual life and practice. There is plentyof time for personal practice and the days include timesfor service to the community. Personal guidance is alsoavailable from Sr. Ishpriya. It is truly a Source of lifeand refreshment to all.

If you are interested in participating in any of theAshram times or meditation courses at Die Quelleplease contact: Sr Gitti Linhart, Schorgelgasse 58, A-8010 Graz Austria. Or email: [email protected]. If youwish to know more about the Centre or the ISA visitthe website: www.international-satsang.org.

Elizabeth West

Elizabeth in the organiser of the Buddhist Christian VedantaNetwork which is for those who are on a spiritual journey usingthe resources of more than one faith and which publishes a reg-ular Newsletter For more details visit:

www.buddhist-christian.org or email [email protected]


Sister Ishpriya and Father Bede.

Sr Ishpriya and the International Satsang Association.

Adrian and I spent a rich and wonderful three months inShantivanam and Muttom over thewinter and wanted to bring you upto date with the work of theCharitable Trust. There is so muchgood news that it is hard to knowwhere to start and I can only giveyou the highlights.

For the 100th anniversary of FrBede’s birth, Senthil Kumar, the ini-tiator of BLESS, the educational trustat Inungur, was determined to build anew English medium school in hishonour. Bede had sponsoredSenthil’s education and given him somany opportunities for which he iseternally grateful. We were thrilledto be present on 18th December at theinauguration of the new land boughtby BLESS with £3500 from theBGCT, thanks to the hard work ofJoan Plunkett, Sangha member fromLondon.

Because of a the wonderful donationof £7000 to the Trust from visitorsfrom Chigwell School, Senthil hasbeen able to build the first new class-rooms, one of which will be namedafter a donor’s son who died verytragically last year. Lessons willbegin in June. The family have alsovery generously decided to sponsor a14-year-old boy’s education.

In Veerambur, a small dhalit villagebuilt by Fr Bede, 23 children contin-ue to be sponsored for their educa-tional needs, school books, uniformsand after school tuition and a newteacher. In response to a requestfrom parents the Trust is to donate£1500 towards building shelter andprovide lighting for the children whocurrently do their homework under

street lighting!The Home for the Aged isnow completed, furnishedand staffed thanks to themoney donated specifical-ly for this project.

The news from Muttom isequally exciting. OnJanuary 9 just over twoyears since the tsunamistruck these villages, StAdrian’s Reachout Centrewas formally inaugurated.It was a fantastic, miracu-lous, joyous day. TheMass was celebrated by Fr Arul and Fr George, who camefrom Shantivanam, 6 coconut treeswere planted. milk was boiled over tosymbolise the abundance of God’slove, ribbons cut, plaques unveiled,children danced and a wonderful veg-etable biryani was enjoyed by every-one, the children, their parents , thelocal community and the four visitorsfrom the UK who had a really memo-rable time. So phase one is up andrunning.

To complete the Centre we need tobuild upstairs. Selvi needs a schoolhall large enough to accommodate allthe children, a chapel and rooms forthe tailoring and computer centresplus a changing room for the oldergirls. The outside fire kitchen blewdown in the storms so we urgentlyneed to rebuild something more sub-stantial. All this will cost about£30,000, which sounds a lot, but sofar £50,000 has been raised to com-plete phase one and clearly this is“God’s work” as Selvi calls it, so wetrust all will be well.

The 30 children are fantastic and lit-erally growing in stature and confi-dence. They stay at SARC all weekgoing to their schools during the day.The mothers come frequently to visittheir children and are so happy withthe Centre and the local communityare very eager to be involved. TheSangha’s Chris Collingwood fromChigwell School observed, echoingFr Bede’s words that “he felt over-whelmed by love at SARC”.

Visiting the many and varied projectsit is very clear that the Bede GriffithsCharitable Trust is really making adifference to many people’s lives.£20,035 was donated to different pro-jects at the Trustees Meeting inFebruary 2007. Total income for

2006 was £58,600 of which £7,200came from Standing Orders. Totalgrants made in 2006 were £55,400and the Trustees would like to thankall those who have contributed sogenerously for their wonderful sup-port.

The AGM will be held on Saturday21st July at the Park Place retreat at2.00pm everyone is most welcome. Ifyou would like more informationabout the work of the Trust please getin touch.

The Trustees are very keen to main-tain the Trust’s support for all theprojects and expand its commitmentwhen requested. If you would like tohelp with this work and StandingOrders are particularly welcome, doplease get in touch with us: Jill and Adrian, Beech Tree cottage, Selling ME13 9RH 01227 752871 [email protected]


Report in the work of the Bede Griffiths Charitable Trust

Fr Cyprian blessing the new school at Inungur

The children at the new St Adrian’s Outreach Centre

Brother Martin with Jill and Adrian and the children of Veerambur


Sangha News‘HERMITS IN COMPANY’The Stanton Guildhouse, Worcs.

May 4 – 7th 2007We came; fourteen pilgrims from North, South, East andWest, travelling through brilliant sunshine and gloriouscountry-side to our oasis of peace – at the StantonGuildhouse. Pilgrim hermits seeking silence, solace andsolitude – in company.

The joy of greeting the day with the Guyatri Mantra; thenmeditation, before sharing in the chants, together withreadings and prayers, returns us to the centre – not just ofour being but also of our universe. And it is in this thatwe rested; while preparing, eating and clearing awaymeals; resting, relaxing - and for those who wished to,sharing yoga, sacred music and meditative movement.

Stanton Guildhouse is a beau-tiful traditional Cotswoldstone house – filled with mar-vellous paintings, pottery andfurniture. The fruits ofcraftsmen and women whocame together to give expres-sion to their ideals of preserv-ing ancient crafts. This wasthe vision of Mary Osborn,

the founder of the Guildhouse, who sharedher dream of giving impoverished people themeans of recovering the essence of commu-nity life in shared enterprise and activity, avision she shared and was inspired in byMahatma Ghandi. In a letter that was readout during the gathering he heartily endorsedher work, describing it as a “cell of good liv-ing in the chaos of our world.”

Mary and theMahatmashared theirbelief in spin-ning, as a med-itative exerciseand in theUltimate Truthat the heart ofevery religion.How appropri-ate then, forthe Sangha to

come, so many years later, to live and pray for that visionat the Guildhouse, so close to Eastington where Fr Bedebegan his own journey.

As we were captivated by the newlife on the hills all around us - witha foal in the field below the houseprancing around it’s mother onwobbly legs and the lambs gambolling on the slopes of thehills - we were filled with the presence of the new Lifewhich surrounds us every day – if only we can make timeto appreciate it… Gillian Maher

Coming Events

The Stanton Guildhouse

A spinning wheel that belonged to Mahatma Ghandi.

Around the Mandala build at the end of the retreat - each oneof us having a section in which we could tell the story of ourexperience as Hermits in Company.

Caldey Silent Retreat10th September - 17th September 2007

Enjoy the magic and peace of the holy Island of Caldey in the silent company of others. Places limited.

Contact Joan Walters for full details.Joan Walters, Church House, Steynton, Milford Haven,

Pembs SA73 1AW 01646 692496 [email protected]

Sangha Study Day with Ken KnightThe Fintry Trust Centre, Brook, Surrey.

Sunday 27th October 2007contact Ken Knight on [email protected]

or 01689 861004

Sangha Advent Retreat The Ammerdown Centre, Radstock, Bath.Friday 7th - Sunday 9th December 2007

Prepare for the Christmas Season at the Sangha’s Annual Advent Retreat at the beautiful new venue of the

Ammerdown Centre. Extensive grounds and single anddouble en-suite accommodation.

Booking Form and full details in the Autumn Newsletter.To make a provisional reservation contact:

Victoria Glazier, 2 Tynings Road, Nailsworth, Glos GL6 0EJ01453 839488 [email protected]

Three Events with Br MartinPark Place Summer Retreat

Park Place Pasteral Centre, Fareham, Hants. Friday 20th July - Sunday 22nd 2007

“Who do people think Jesus Christ was?”

Information from: Nick Sadler, Box Farm House,Birlingham, Pershore, WR10 3AB 01386 751443

[email protected]

A FEW PLACES REMAINING.

“From Becoming to Unfolding”Tuesday 17th July, 7.30 – 9.30pmLondon Christian Meditation Centre,

St Mark’s, Myddelton Square, London EC1R 1XXDonation on the evening.

Email or phone to book. 020 7833 9615 [email protected]

An Evening in Guildford CathedralWednesday 18th July 2007 at 7.45pm

Brother Martin will talk on the centrality and relevance of meditation today especially as

inspired by the work of Fr John Main and Fr Bede Griffiths.

There will also be time for meditation.

Booking Essential via Philip Kitchen 01372 200558 or [email protected]

Resources


DVD now available of:Fr Bede at the Mystics and Scientists Conference 1992. A NEW VISION OF REALITY. 2 Lectures - (3 hours)

Available from the Scientific and Meditcal Network, PO Box 11, Moreton in Marsh, GL56 0ZF 01608 652000

£20 + £2 post UK, £4 Europe, £7.50 rest of the world.

SANGHA DAY11.00am - 4.00pm

Sunday 30th SeptemberMARIA ASSUMPTA CENTRE,

23 Kensington Square, London W8 5HNwww.maria-assumpta.org.uk

Whither the Sangha?This is an invitation to meet with the Working Group who, since February 2006 have been

guiding the activities of the Sangha - taking overfrom the dedicated work of Jill and Adrian who

had fulfiled that role for nearly 10 years.

The purpose of the day is to give the opportunity for any one associated with the Sanghato come and join in discussing plans for its future

direction. There will be contributions from members of the Working Group including the

Group Co-ordinator, Treasurer, Newsletter Editorand others who look after Reception, Retreat

Organisation and many other roles.

During the day we will join together with Christopher Collingwood who will lead an

Indian style Eucharist.

We hope that many of you will wish to come tothis day of sharing ideas, celebration and prayer.

Please complete the form with this Newsletter, phone Jane or Andy on 01285 651381

or email [email protected] is no charge for the day.

Two New books by Sangha Members.“Dancing with your Shadow” – Integrating the

Ego and the Self on the Spiritual Path by Kim Nataraja, published by Medio Media

Joan Walters writes: Kim is no stranger to Sangha members being a founder member and having led some won-derful retreats at the Skreen in Wales.

Her book reflects her own deep understanding of what Meditation is and how we respond to it. It is a practical book,well written and inspiring and is an invaluable companion forthe Spiritual Journey.

Those of us who, like Kim, learned to Meditate in the John Main method, will find ita most welcome publication in the essentialrecovery of the spiritual dimension in theChristian tradition. Certainly Kim has muchto say about our mystical heritage, so thankyou Kim for providing this timely book whichI have no hesitation in recommending. Thecartoons by Carlos Siqueira are wonderful.

BOOKS, CD’s and VIDEOS:CD or Audio TapeMEDITATION AND THE NEW CREATION IN CHRIST Talks by Fr Bede Griffiths at the John Main Seminar 1991.3cds or 6 audiotapes £10.00 (plus £2.00 postage and packing)

A NEW VISION OF REALITY - Fr Bede on themes from thebook of the same name. Set of 3 CDs £18.00/set of 3 audiotapes £14.95

THE FUTURE OF HUMAN WISDOM - talks from the John Main Seminar given in Reading in 2003 in honour of BedeGriffiths, with the participation of Bruno Barnhart, Shirley duBoulay and Andrew Harvey. Set of 6 CDs £27.00/set of 6audio tapes £23.50.

BOOKSChrist in India - £14.95 River of Compassion - £12.99Bede Griffiths Essential Writings – Thomas Matus - £8.99Falling in Love with India from the Letters of Bede Griffiths,edited by Adrian Rance - £10.00The Mystery Beyond – On retreat with Bede Griffiths - £5.99The One Light: Bede Griffiths Principal Writings - £20.00Bede Griffiths, daily readings - £3.60

*The Golden String - £5.00, *Return to the Centre - £5.00. *Marriage of East and West - £9.99*All three titles can be purchased for £15.00

Dancing with Your Shadow. Kim Natataja. £7.99

VIDEOCHRIST IN THE LOTUS. Laurence Freeman in conversationwith Bede Griffiths. This interview reveals Bede’s extraordi-nary depth and clarity of vision. - £12.00

All available from:Medio Media, St Mark's, Myddelton Square, London

EC1R 1XX [email protected]; 020 7278 2070£2.00 postage will be added to all UK orders; postage on over-

seas orders will be charged according to weight

FR BEDE’S BOOKS also available from:The Inner Bookshop of Oxford,

111 Magdalen Rd, Oxford OX4 1RQ Tel. 01865-245301 www.innerbookshop.com

Swami Abhishiktanda - Essential Writings. Selected and introduced by Shirley du Boulay.

Published by Alban Books in the Modern Spiritual Masters Series.

A superb selection of writings from Swami Abhishiktanada’s books, diaries and letters show-ing the breadth, depth and passion of ‘this modernspiritual master’. “Many of you who have lovedAbhishiktanda’s writings in his individual bookswill find in reading this explosive collection thatyou are ‘plunged head over heels completely daz-

zled’, all but ‘consumed in the divine embrace’” SisterPascaline Coff OSB

Sangha ContactsSangha Contact and WelcomeJoan Walters, Church House, Steynton, Milford Haven, PembsSA73 1AW 01646 692496 [email protected]

Sangha Working GroupJane Lichnowski, 82 Gloucester Road, Cirencester, GL7 2LJ01285 651381 [email protected]

Bede Griffiths Charitable TrustJill Hemming, Beech Tree Cottage, Gushmere, Selling, Kent,ME 13 9RH. 01227 752871. [email protected]@btinternet.com

Editor of the NewsletterTimothy Glazier, 2 Tynings Road, Nailsworth, Glos GL6 0EJ 01453 839488 [email protected]

UK Contact with ShantivanamMichael Giddings 07810 366860 [email protected]

Regional and Overseas Sangha ContactsEnglandBeds: Bedford - Peter Forrest 01234 831361 Bucks:Cornwall: Penzance - Swami Nityamuktananda

01736 350510Devon: Exeter - Joan Uzzells 01392 276825

Totnes - Francis Kundert 07909 [email protected]

Dorset: Michael Giddings 07810 366860 or [email protected]

Essex: Chris Collingwood 020 8501 5771Gloucestershire: Timothy and Victoria Glazier

01453 839488 Hertfordshire Graham Thwaits. 01279 834315Kent: Canterbury, Jill & Adrian 01227 752871 London N4 - Ann O’Donoghue 0207 359 1929 London SE (Kent) - Hilary Knight 0168 986 1004 London N/Herts - Edgar Holroyd-Doveton

020 8386 4323Middlesex Pinner. Catherine Widdicombe

[email protected]: Chris Smythe 01493 664725Northants: Henry Worthy 01604 513032Oxon: Oxford - Shirley du Boulay

[email protected]: Taunton - Valeria Ives 01823 432468

Bath - Kevin Tingay 01761 470249Staffs: Stoke on Trent - Sr Sophia 01782 816036Suffolk: Wendy Mulford 01728 604169W. Sussex: Gillian Maher 01444 455334Chichester: Therese O’Neill 01730 814879 Worcs Nich & Mary Saddler. 01386 751443Yorks: Barnsley: Margaret Cadnam

01226 217042 GroupNorthern IrelandBallyhornan: Stan Papenfus 02844 841451

ScotlandAberdeen: Angelika Monteux 01224 867409Glasgow: Steve Woodward 01355 224937Edinburgh: Laird McLean 0131 478 1673Easter Ross: Revd George Coppen 01862 842381

[email protected]

WalesWest Wales: Joan Walters 01646 692496Mid Wales: Montgomery - Jonathan Robinson

01588 620779 (Holywell - Philip Francis 01352 711620

Channel Islands Jersey:Sean Arnold. 01534 747643. [email protected]

Overseas contactsArgentina Magdelena Puebla.

[email protected] Andrew Howie [email protected]

East St Kilda - Samantha Semmens [email protected]

Chile Carlos Carranza. [email protected]

Denmark Vicky Lasheras: [email protected] Michael Woods +35 312 888075France Nerte Chaix [email protected] Sabine Deller [email protected] Br. Martin: [email protected] Mario la Floresta [email protected] Godwin Genovese [email protected] Zealand Kevin Moran, Christchurch

[email protected] Florida - Michael Spillane

[email protected] Oklahoma - Carolyn Cowan: [email protected] Nevada - Jackie Greedy 775 883 0854

California Santa Barbara - Nicholas Dewey 805 898 0865 Big Sur - Father Cyprian [email protected]

If any one would like to have their names added as local con-tacts please let us know.

Meditation GroupsGloucestershire: Nailsworth. Timothy and Victoria Glazier

01453 839488 Group Mondays 6.30pmCirecester. Flora Hoskins. 01285 [email protected] Group meets first and third Wednesdays each month 10.00am

Hertfordshire Bishop Stortford. Graham Thwaits. 01279 834315 Group Thursdays 6.30pm

London SE (Kent) - Hilary Knight 0168 986 1004 Group Wednesdays 7.30.

Middlesex Pinner. Catherine Widdicombe [email protected] Fridays 8.00pm

Northants: Henry Worthy 01604 513032Group Thurs at 8 p.m.

Oxon: Oxford - Shirley du Boulay 01865 [email protected] contact as spaces limited.

Sussex Therese O’Neill 01730 814879 Group meets 2nd Wed of each month.

Please also let us have details of any meditation groups youwould like included.


www.bedegriffithssangha.org.uk

RETURN ADDRESSThe Bede Griffiths Sangha

82 Gloucester Road,CirencesterGloucestershire,GL7 2LJ, UK

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