An Immersion into the Dialogue of Religious Experience at Varanasi

Abstract

In ‘geo-religious’ contexts throughout the world, the Church faces two crucial imperatives. Called to participate in the Missio Dei, it must engage other religions through inter-religious encounters and dialogue. Called to immerse itself within multi-religious realities, it also must deal with the epistemic arrogance that has accelerated religious extremism and contributed to the social construction, domination, and vilification of the religious ‘other.’ In response to these imperatives, Church leaders have issued a substantial number of ecclesial documents inviting Christians to enter into dialogue with adherents of other religions and philosophies of life. Ecclesial ministers have been called to reflect upon the 'clash of religions' and offer adequate responses to religious conflicts in various regions of the world. Unfortunately, however, our reliance on the comparative study of religion and the theology of religions, while informative, has not proven to be sufficiently formative. If Christian communities of faith are to respond to the adverse consequences of religious extremism, violence, and conflict, a new way of doing theological education is needed. Formation for ministry must include learning how to approach the religious other in a 'dialogue of life' through 'epistemic humility' that acknowledges, our need for the religious other. It must include cultivating the dialogical virtues of humility, hospitality, empathy, and interconnectedness necessary for promoting a ‘culture of encounter.’ In the processes of encounter and dialogue, learning by listening deeply can be transformative both for aspiring ministers and for adherents of other religions as they develop relationships of trust and mutual concern, thereby opening themselves to creating a heart for the other. In this dissertation, I propose that within the context of India, where religious violence is exacerbated by extremism and the marginalization of non-Hindus, the mission of interreligious dialogue entrusted to the Church by the Holy Spirit can be enhanced by encounters and relationships that provide for a deeper engagement with religious texts, rituals, and performative aspects of various faith traditions. I use the method of Comparative Theology articulated by Francis X. Clooney, S.J., that aims at deepening and expanding one’s own tradition through interreligious learning. In doing so, I advance the conviction, drawing from my own experiences through immersion, that the popular Hindu devotional text, Rāmcaritmānas, from the 16th century, with its textual, ritual, and performative dimensions, offers an instructive model for fostering a ‘culture of encounter’ and practicing dialogical virtues for the sake of the Reign of God.¹ As a consequence, I argue that ecclesial ministers who are formed and transformed by such experiences will be better prepared to accompany Indian Christians in ‘creating a heart for the other.’ Furthermore, by introducing aesthetical approaches to the proclamation, communication, and reception of Gospel narratives that deal with the life of Jesus Christ, the fruit and application of their interreligious learning, they also will be more skilled at helping Indian Christians to rediscover and intensify their devotion to Christ. Ideally, it is my hope that these learnings from the Mānas will foster ‘bandhuthā’ (fraternity) among Christians and Hindus and ultimately promote and sustain genuine encounters and dialogue. ¹ Abbreviated form Mānas