Saccidananda Ashram
Encyclopedia
Saccidananda Ashram is a Benedictine monastery
in India
. Located in the village of Tannirpalli
in the Tiruchirapalli District of Tamil Nadu
, on the bank of the River Kavery, it was founded in 1938 by French priest Jules Monchanin
, who was later to adopt the name Parma Arupi Anananda, and French Benedictine monk Henri le Saux
, who was later to adopt the name Abhishiktananda. Together, the two wrote a book about their ashram, entitled An Indian Benedictine Ashram which was later re-published under the title A Benedictine Ashram.
The goal of le Saux and Monchanin was to integrate Benedictine monasticism with the model of an ashram
. They took sannyasa
and wore kavi
s. Trappist
monk Francis Mahieu
joined them in 1953, and was later to go on to found Kurisumala Ashram with Bede Griffiths
in 1958. Griffiths himself stayed at Saccidananda Ashram in 1957 and 1958, and was later to return to the monastery in 1968 as its leader. Monchanin had died in 1957, and le Saux preferred more and more to stay in his hermitage
in the Himalayas
rather than at Saccidananda Ashram.
The name "Saccidananda" is the name for the Christian Holy Trinity (the nickname "Shantivanam" meaning "forest of peace"). Literally translated as "Being — Consciousness/Knowledge — Bliss" ("Sat — Cit — Anananda") the name was coined by Keshub Chandra Sen
in 1882 as the name for the Trinity. Monchanin's adopted name (Parma Arupi Anananda) similarly meant "man of the supreme joy of the Spirit" or "supreme formless joy" and le Saux's adopted name (Abhishiktananda) meant "bliss of Christ" or "he whose joy is the blessing of the Lord".
The name of the monastery was a reflection of Monchanin's attempt to blend Christian and Hindu mysticism together; but it was also a reflection of Monchanin's firm commitment to Christianity. Monchanin, who was more of an intellectual than le Saux, didn't desire to identify the Advaita concept of the Absolute with the Holy Trinity, stating that "Christian mysticism is Trinitarian or it is nothing", but he did believe that with a lot of work it was possible to reconcile the two mystical traditions, and this was the principle upon which Saccidananda Ashram was founded. This integration of the Vedanta
with Christianity is a point upon which the two founders of Saccidananda Ashram differed. Le Saux was more radical in his thinking than Monchanin. Whilst Monchanin held to the idea of Christianizing other religions, le Saux (who often referred to Monchanin as his "Christian Guru", although there was no clear master-disciple relationship between the twain) believed that non-Christian religions could transform Christianity itself.
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Located in the village of Tannirpalli
Tannirpalli
Tannirpalli is a large village in Tiruchirapalli district, Tamil Nadu, India. It lies on the road to Trichinopoly and about 1.5 miles from Kulittalai. According to the 1981 census it had a population of 7,429 people. It lies on the bank of the Kavery river and lies in an arid area with mangroves...
in the Tiruchirapalli District of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, on the bank of the River Kavery, it was founded in 1938 by French priest Jules Monchanin
Jules Monchanin
Father Jules Monchanin , was a French Catholic priest, monk and hermit. He was an ardent proponent of Hindu-Christian interfaith dialogue...
, who was later to adopt the name Parma Arupi Anananda, and French Benedictine monk Henri le Saux
Abhishiktananda
Abhishiktananda was the name taken by the French Benedictine monk Henri le Saux, whose religious experience in India led him to become a bridge between Hindu and Christian spirituality.From childhood he seemed destined for a religious life and entered 'minor seminary' at the age of 11, becoming a...
, who was later to adopt the name Abhishiktananda. Together, the two wrote a book about their ashram, entitled An Indian Benedictine Ashram which was later re-published under the title A Benedictine Ashram.
The goal of le Saux and Monchanin was to integrate Benedictine monasticism with the model of an ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
. They took sannyasa
Sannyasa
Sannyasa is the order of life of the renouncer within the Hindu scheme of āśramas, or life stages. It is considered the topmost and final stage of the ashram systems and is traditionally taken by men or women at or beyond the age of fifty years old or by young monks who wish to renounce worldly...
and wore kavi
Kavi
Kavi may refer to:*Kavi is a Sanskrit term for thinker, intelligent man, man of understanding, leader; a wise man, sage, seer, prophet; a singer, bard, poet, and is applied to:...
s. Trappist
Trappists
The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance , or Trappists, is a Roman Catholic religious order of cloistered contemplative monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict...
monk Francis Mahieu
Francis Acharya
Francis Acharya is a Cistercian Monk and the founder of Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj,Kurisumala Ashram.- Early life :...
joined them in 1953, and was later to go on to found Kurisumala Ashram with Bede Griffiths
Bede Griffiths
Bede Griffiths OSB Cam , born Alan Richard Griffiths and also known, by the end of his life, as Swami Dayananda , was a British-born Indian Benedictine monk who lived in ashrams in South India and became a noted yogi...
in 1958. Griffiths himself stayed at Saccidananda Ashram in 1957 and 1958, and was later to return to the monastery in 1968 as its leader. Monchanin had died in 1957, and le Saux preferred more and more to stay in his hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
rather than at Saccidananda Ashram.
The name "Saccidananda" is the name for the Christian Holy Trinity (the nickname "Shantivanam" meaning "forest of peace"). Literally translated as "Being — Consciousness/Knowledge — Bliss" ("Sat — Cit — Anananda") the name was coined by Keshub Chandra Sen
Keshub Chandra Sen
Keshab Chandra Sen was an Indian Bengali religious preacher and social reformer. Born a Hindu, he became a member of the Brahmo Samaj in 1856 but founded his own breakaway "Brahmo Samaj of India" in 1866 while the Brahmo Samaj remained under the leadership of Maharshi Debendranath Tagore...
in 1882 as the name for the Trinity. Monchanin's adopted name (Parma Arupi Anananda) similarly meant "man of the supreme joy of the Spirit" or "supreme formless joy" and le Saux's adopted name (Abhishiktananda) meant "bliss of Christ" or "he whose joy is the blessing of the Lord".
The name of the monastery was a reflection of Monchanin's attempt to blend Christian and Hindu mysticism together; but it was also a reflection of Monchanin's firm commitment to Christianity. Monchanin, who was more of an intellectual than le Saux, didn't desire to identify the Advaita concept of the Absolute with the Holy Trinity, stating that "Christian mysticism is Trinitarian or it is nothing", but he did believe that with a lot of work it was possible to reconcile the two mystical traditions, and this was the principle upon which Saccidananda Ashram was founded. This integration of the Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
with Christianity is a point upon which the two founders of Saccidananda Ashram differed. Le Saux was more radical in his thinking than Monchanin. Whilst Monchanin held to the idea of Christianizing other religions, le Saux (who often referred to Monchanin as his "Christian Guru", although there was no clear master-disciple relationship between the twain) believed that non-Christian religions could transform Christianity itself.