Wayne Teasdale
Encyclopedia
Wayne Robert Teasdale 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 termed Interspirituality. He was also an active campaigner on issues of social justice
.
St. Joseph's Abbey
, a Cistercian monastery
near Spencer, Massachusetts. Here he came under the spiritual direction of the then abbot, Thomas Keating
, a founder of the centering prayer
movement. Teasdale received a masters degree in philosophy and later, in 1986, got a Ph.D.
in theology
from Fordham University
. His dissertation was on the theology of the Benedictine
monk Dom Bede Griffiths
, who had lived much of his life at an ashram
he'd founded in southern India. Teasdale went on to teach at DePaul University
, Columbia College, the Benedictine University
, and the Catholic Theological Union
in Chicago
, where he lived for many years.
Throughout the nineteen eighties, Teasdale had a long and loving relationship with The Franciscan Brothers of The Good News, an hermetic monastic Catholic community living in the Berkshires in Cummington Massachusetts. Teasdale frequented the peaceful Hermitage and often dialogued with the Franciscans there, while perfecting his dissertation on Father Bede Griffiths.
Following a correspondence with Bede Griffiths, a member of the Christian Ashram Movement, Teasdale decided to visit the Shantivanam Ashram
in Tamil Nadu
, and for two years lived at an ashram nearby. Inspired by Bede Griffiths' example, Teasdale became a Christian
sanyassa, or renunciate in 1989. Teasdale formally took profession as a monk before Francis George, Archbishop
of Chicago
, in 2003.
Often he labored at various social causes, from environmental responsibility to homelessness
, especially while he lived in Chicago. He spoke quietly about how to benefit the human community. Often people would be affected by the kindness of his heart. He could also be funny and rollicking. Teasdale served the Parliament of the World's Religions
by sitting on its Board of Trustees, where he worked with others in order to convene the centenary Parliament of 1993 in Chicago. This event brought together eight thousand people of many different faiths worldwide; out of it came the Guidelines for a Global Ethic.
Devoted to a new interfaith understanding, Teasdale came to espouse what he termed interspirituality, a perspective that discovered in the world religions a degree of commonality which could be approached through mystical
experience. Teasdale was active in promoting and developing this facet of spirituality
.
He associated with several contemplative and interfaith groups, including the Hundred Acres Monastery in New Hampshire (his resident address for several years), the North American Board for East-West Dialogue, and
Common Ground (Center for inquiry, study, and dialogue). Teasdale also was coordinator of the Bede Griffiths Trust. He became well acquainted with the Dalai Lama. As a member of the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, he assisted the Dalai Lama
Tenzin Gyatso and others, including the Cistercian Thomas Keating
(mentioned above), in negotiating the text of the Universal Declaration on Nonviolence (1990), which sought to further the Satyagraha
ideals established by Gandhi.
The Synthesis Dialogues has sponsored several conferences for selected religious and secular leaders, which aimed at increasing dialogue between faiths and at discerning how such interspiritual cooperation could benefit human affairs in general. Teasdale worked with the group initiating the dialogues. He can be seen and heard at a 1999 synthesis conference in Dharmsala, centered on the Dalai Lama, in the documentary Dalai Lama Renaissance.
In 2002, Brother Wayne, with friends and colleagues, founded Interspiritual Dialogue (ISD), an NGO accredited by the United Nations Department of Public Information. After Wayne's transition in 2004, ISD expanded internationally to become Interspiritual Dialogue 'n' Action. This network works to promulgate Brother Wayne's vision of interspirituality and the Interspiritual Age. In 2008, ISDnA, the Common Ground Conferences and other friends of Wayne partnered with One Spirit Learning Alliance and Interfaith Seminary in New York City to form a core educational program based on Brother Wayne's work and that of the Integral thinkers like Ken Wilber and Don Beck. A centerpiece of this program has been articulated by Drs. Gorakh Hayashi and Kurt Johnson, colleagues of Brother Wayne, in The Heart of Brother Wayne Teasdale's Vision of the Interspiritual Age. (Vision in Action, 2008).
In 2009 ISDnA created the extensive educational website "InterSpiritual Multiplex: A Guide and Directory to InterSpirituality Worldwide" http://multiplex.isdna.org. In 2010, ISDnA partnered with the Order of Universal Interfaith and the World Council of Interfaith Congregations http://www.ouni.org to create, with some one hundred founders including many friends of Teasdale, The Universal Order of Sannyasa, as association of interspiritual contemplatives and sacred activists envisioned by and spoken of by Teasdale in all of his books. Soon after its January 2010 founding, the name was modified from The Universal Order of Sannyasa to "Community of The Mystic Heart, an Interspiritual Circle of Mystics and Contemplatives originally envisioned as the Universal Order of Sannyasa by Bro. Wayne Teasdale" http://www.communityofthemysticheart.org.
The purpose of the community (established as a religious order and able to ordain "Interspiritual Ministers" and "Wisdom Keepers") fulfills Teasdale's vision of an active international association dedicated to spiritual life practice, sacred activism and advancement of the interspiritual message. Kurt Johnson became the first Administrator serving a circle-style leadership including numerous persons associated with Bro. Teasdale during his life's work.
Teasdale died of cancer in 2004.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
, author and teacher from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, best known as an energetic proponent of mutual understanding between the world's religions, for an interfaith dialogue
Interfaith
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
which he termed Interspirituality. He was also an active campaigner on issues of social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
.
Life
Teasdale had found himself spiritually challenged by the political turmoil of 1960s America, having the effect of plunging him into a spiral of reflective turbulence which lasted three years. While a student at a small catholic college, he started visitingSt. Joseph's Abbey
St. Joseph's Abbey
- External links :* .*...
, a Cistercian monastery
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...
near Spencer, Massachusetts. Here he came under the spiritual direction of the then abbot, Thomas Keating
Thomas Keating
For the famous art forger of the same name, see Tom Keating.For the American football player of the same name, see Tom Keating .Fr...
, a founder of the centering prayer
Centering prayer
Centering prayer is a popular method of contemplative prayer or Christian meditation, placing a strong emphasis on interior silence.Though most authors trace its roots to the contemplative prayer of the Desert Fathers of early Christian monasticism, to the Lectio Divina tradition of Benedictine...
movement. Teasdale received a masters degree in philosophy and later, in 1986, got a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
from Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
. His dissertation was on the theology of the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monk Dom 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...
, who had lived much of his life at 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....
he'd founded in southern India. Teasdale went on to teach at DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
, Columbia College, the Benedictine University
Benedictine University
Benedictine University is a private Catholic university located in Lisle, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The institution has retained close relations with the Benedictine Order. Originally named St. Procopius College and located in the Pilsen community of Chicago, the school was founded in 1887 by...
, and the Catholic Theological Union
Catholic Theological Union
The Catholic Theological Union, located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, is one of the largest schools of theology in the world and trains men and women for lay and clerical ministry within the Roman Catholic Church...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he lived for many years.
Throughout the nineteen eighties, Teasdale had a long and loving relationship with The Franciscan Brothers of The Good News, an hermetic monastic Catholic community living in the Berkshires in Cummington Massachusetts. Teasdale frequented the peaceful Hermitage and often dialogued with the Franciscans there, while perfecting his dissertation on Father Bede Griffiths.
Following a correspondence with Bede Griffiths, a member of the Christian Ashram Movement, Teasdale decided to visit the Shantivanam 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....
in 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...
, and for two years lived at an ashram nearby. Inspired by Bede Griffiths' example, Teasdale became a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
sanyassa, or renunciate in 1989. Teasdale formally took profession as a monk before Francis George, Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, in 2003.
Often he labored at various social causes, from environmental responsibility to homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
, especially while he lived in Chicago. He spoke quietly about how to benefit the human community. Often people would be affected by the kindness of his heart. He could also be funny and rollicking. Teasdale served the Parliament of the World's Religions
Parliament of the World's Religions
There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World’s Religions, most notably the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, the first attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another conference on its centenary in 1993...
by sitting on its Board of Trustees, where he worked with others in order to convene the centenary Parliament of 1993 in Chicago. This event brought together eight thousand people of many different faiths worldwide; out of it came the Guidelines for a Global Ethic.
Devoted to a new interfaith understanding, Teasdale came to espouse what he termed interspirituality, a perspective that discovered in the world religions a degree of commonality which could be approached through mystical
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
experience. Teasdale was active in promoting and developing this facet of spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
.
He associated with several contemplative and interfaith groups, including the Hundred Acres Monastery in New Hampshire (his resident address for several years), the North American Board for East-West Dialogue, and
Common Ground (Center for inquiry, study, and dialogue). Teasdale also was coordinator of the Bede Griffiths Trust. He became well acquainted with the Dalai Lama. As a member of the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, he assisted the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
Tenzin Gyatso and others, including the Cistercian Thomas Keating
Thomas Keating
For the famous art forger of the same name, see Tom Keating.For the American football player of the same name, see Tom Keating .Fr...
(mentioned above), in negotiating the text of the Universal Declaration on Nonviolence (1990), which sought to further the Satyagraha
Satyagraha
Satyagraha , loosely translated as "insistence on truth satya agraha soul force" or "truth force" is a particular philosophy and practice within the broader overall category generally known as nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. The term "satyagraha" was conceived and developed by Mahatma...
ideals established by Gandhi.
The Synthesis Dialogues has sponsored several conferences for selected religious and secular leaders, which aimed at increasing dialogue between faiths and at discerning how such interspiritual cooperation could benefit human affairs in general. Teasdale worked with the group initiating the dialogues. He can be seen and heard at a 1999 synthesis conference in Dharmsala, centered on the Dalai Lama, in the documentary Dalai Lama Renaissance.
In 2002, Brother Wayne, with friends and colleagues, founded Interspiritual Dialogue (ISD), an NGO accredited by the United Nations Department of Public Information. After Wayne's transition in 2004, ISD expanded internationally to become Interspiritual Dialogue 'n' Action. This network works to promulgate Brother Wayne's vision of interspirituality and the Interspiritual Age. In 2008, ISDnA, the Common Ground Conferences and other friends of Wayne partnered with One Spirit Learning Alliance and Interfaith Seminary in New York City to form a core educational program based on Brother Wayne's work and that of the Integral thinkers like Ken Wilber and Don Beck. A centerpiece of this program has been articulated by Drs. Gorakh Hayashi and Kurt Johnson, colleagues of Brother Wayne, in The Heart of Brother Wayne Teasdale's Vision of the Interspiritual Age. (Vision in Action, 2008).
In 2009 ISDnA created the extensive educational website "InterSpiritual Multiplex: A Guide and Directory to InterSpirituality Worldwide" http://multiplex.isdna.org. In 2010, ISDnA partnered with the Order of Universal Interfaith and the World Council of Interfaith Congregations http://www.ouni.org to create, with some one hundred founders including many friends of Teasdale, The Universal Order of Sannyasa, as association of interspiritual contemplatives and sacred activists envisioned by and spoken of by Teasdale in all of his books. Soon after its January 2010 founding, the name was modified from The Universal Order of Sannyasa to "Community of The Mystic Heart, an Interspiritual Circle of Mystics and Contemplatives originally envisioned as the Universal Order of Sannyasa by Bro. Wayne Teasdale" http://www.communityofthemysticheart.org.
The purpose of the community (established as a religious order and able to ordain "Interspiritual Ministers" and "Wisdom Keepers") fulfills Teasdale's vision of an active international association dedicated to spiritual life practice, sacred activism and advancement of the interspiritual message. Kurt Johnson became the first Administrator serving a circle-style leadership including numerous persons associated with Bro. Teasdale during his life's work.
Teasdale died of cancer in 2004.
Books
- Essays in Mysticism: Explorations into Contemplative Experience, Forward by George A. Maloney (Liturgical Publications/Sunday Publications 1982) ISBN 0941850021
- Towards a Christian Vedanta: The Encounter of Hinduism and Christianity according to Bede Griffiths (Asian Trading Corporation 1987) ISBN 8170861225 Developed from his dissertation at Fordham University.
- The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World’s Religions, Forward by the Dalai Lama, Preface by Beatrice Bruleau (New World Library 1999) ISBN 157731140X
- A Monk in the World: Cultivating a Spiritual Life, Forward by Ken Wilber (New World Library 2002) ISBN 1577314379
- Bede Griffiths: An Introduction to his Interspiritual Thought, Forward by Bede Griffiths (Skylight Paths Publishing 2003) ISBN 1893361772
- Catholicism in Dialogue: Conversations across the Traditions (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers 2004) ISBN 0742531775
- The Mystic Hours: A Daybook of Inspirational Wisdom and Devotion (New World Library 2004) ISBN 1577314727
Editor
- The Community of Religions: Voices and Images of the Parliament of the World's Religions, editor, with George Cairns (Continuum International Publishing Group 1996) ISBN 0826408990
- Awakening the Spirit, Inspiring the Soul: 30 Stories of Interspiritual Discovery in the Community of Faiths, editor, with Martha Howard, Forward by Joan Borysenko (Skylight Paths Publishing 2004) ISBN 1594730393
Articles
- "The Heart of Brother Wayne Teasdale's Vision of the Interspiritual Age" Vision in Action Spring 2008 (2008).
- "The Meeting of East and West: Elements of a relationship" Spirituality Today vol. 38 (1986).
- "Interreligious dialogues since Vatican II. The monastic contemplation dimension" Spirituality Today 43: 119-133 (1991).
- "Spirituality as a Primary Resource in Promoting Peace"
Audio
- Hermitage of the Heart: Contemplative Practices from Hundred Acres Monastery (2003 Sounds TrueSounds TrueSounds True is a multimedia publishing company based near Boulder, Colorado. It was created in 1985 by Tami Simon. The company has published approximately 1,000 titles, including spoken-word audio recordings, books, music, filmed events, multimedia packages and online educational programs from...
) [Cassette] ISBN 1564559521
External links
- Interspiritual Dialogue 'n' Action
- Wayne Teasdale Memorial Site
- Amy Edelstein's interview with Wayne Teasdale
- Universal Declaration on Nonviolence
- Synthesis Dialogues
- What is "interspirituality"?, article by Claritas Institute
- Interfaith Studies
- Review of A Monk in the World
- "Determined to be Free": an interview with ascent magazine.