On the Road: Varanasi

 Welcome to the holy city of Varanasi on the bank of the Ganges River! We wound our way through the narrow alleys- ducking by cows, avoiding cow patties, past rickshaws, and through crowds to get to our hotel overlooking the Ganga! 

The Ganges River

We spent the afternoon walking through the streets learning about the city and Hindu culture and religion from our guide. We went inside ancient palaces, overlooked the burning ghats, and tried tea from a clay cup. In the evening we floated down the river on a boat tour to see the evening aarti. Aarti is a worship ritual to Mother Ganga involving fire and incense and the ringing of bells. Finally we ended our day with a superb dinner of authentic Italian pizza and amazing apple pie (an ISP tradition)!

Evening boat ride on the Ganges to view the river aarti

The next day was just a free day to catch up on some sleep and explore the alleyways to get in some good shopping. Of course we had to visit our favourite shop- The Blue Lassi for this batch to try their amazing creations! Several students got up early to watch the sun rise over the Ganga and walk along the ghats to watch the morning rituals and commotion. 

Sunrise over the Ganges

Blue Lassi!!

Perur Temple

Perur Temple

Going into a Hindu temple for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. You can feel sensory overload as you try to process all that is going on around you! Images of different deities cover every inch of the walls, the ceilings, and the marble pillars. The clanging sound of bells being rung to awake the gods mixes with the chants of believers. The feel of the hot cement under bare feet and the smudge of holy ash on the forehead can be uncomfortable. The sight of hundreds of devoted followers- toddlers and old alike laying prostrate at the feet of a god, lighting gee candles, or offering gifts of coconuts, bananas and flowers to the images. Meanwhile, the scent of incense pervades through it all.

In one of the courtyards of the temple

On Tuesday afternoon our students went to visit Perur temple- a 2000 year old Hindu temple on the edge of town. We were able to not only observe Hindus worshipping, but also learn from a Hindu professor from BACAS how and why she worships at the temple. It was definitely an interesting experience that students will continue to process. For some, it puts them out of their comfort zone and pushes them to think deeper about their faith. They have been taking a religion class and studying Hinduism these past 2 weeks so it was good to connect their head knowledge with experiential knowledge.

Batch 6 outside of the temple

 We ended our tour by going to a nearby coconut stall and drinking coconut water fresh out of the coconut while the sun set over the temple!

Shaina and Amber enjoy the coconut water

On the Road: Agra, Delhi, and Dehradun

Sorry for the long delay! We have been travelling pretty hardcore these last few days but are happy to now be settled for a couple days in Rajpur in the foothills of the Himalyas.

From Varanasi we went onto Agra to see Agra Fort and of course the Taj Mahal!!! What an unreal experience! We all had a wonderful time taking pictures.

Batch 5 at the Taj Mahal!

Next morning early we headed to Delhi for the day. First we went on a tour of the streets with an organization that rescues and restores street children. The best part was that the tour was given by a man who used to live on the streets so we got a first-hand perspective! For lunch we ate at the world famous Karims restaurant which used to serve food to kings until they made it available to the common man. The group split up in order to cover more ground so some people saw the street kids dance while others went to see Suffi singing. Both ended up to be very good experiences!

That night we boarded the train for Rajpur which is a hillstation in the foothills of the Himalyas. While it is much colder, the beauty around us is astounding! These hills are stunning and it is wonderful to be in the peace and quiet after the busyness of the other cities we have visited. We are taking time to rest and refresh as well as debrief our semester in India. We also took time to go white water rafting on the Ganges river! The Ganges flows out of the Himalyas so it is cold and clear (quite different from how it looks when it reaches Varanasi). Everyone enjoyed their experience and  some even cliff jumped into the mighty Ganges!

Ready to raft!

We have 2 more days here in India before returning back to our homes. While we are excited to see our family, friends, and pets and to eat our favourite foods and see familiar sites, for many leaving will be bitter sweet. Deep friendships have been formed and lives have been changed from this experience in India. We will arrive in the airport with suitcases full of dirty clothes and presents; hearts full of numerous stories to share about our experiences; and probably a bit of Indian soil still clinging to our shoes! See you soon!

Staff Post: Program Assistant Jonathan Pinckney on our Visit to a Monastery- Ashram

ISP student Adam Freed at the entrance gate at Shantivanam.

 “Christianity, though universal in principle, is in its actual structure a Western religion. It had its origin in the Middle East and grew up in a Semitic culture with a specific Jewish character, but it then moved out into the Greco-Roman world, where it developed a Western structure based on Greek philosophy and Roman Law. All the structures of Christianity today, though they have their roots in the original Jewish tradition, are characteristically Western in their language, their mode of thought and behavior.” 

– Fr. Bede Griffiths, OSB

Om, the sound the universe and all things makes, a traditional Hindu symbol, on a cross outside the chapel.

On the quiet banks of the Caveri River in southern Tamil Nadu a group of Benedictine monks are re-envisioning what Christianity looks like in India.  Inspired by the teachings of Father Bede Griffiths, an English monk who came to India in the 1960s with the dream of contextualizing Christian faith here, the monks have adapted many practices typically thought of as exclusively Hindu and incorporated them into their liturgy and mindset.  The monks wear the saffron robes typical of Hindu holy men, chant in Sanskrit before the Eucharist, and model the architecture of their chapel after a Hindu temple.

The chapel at the ashram with traditional Hindu temple sculpture. The figure in the center, seated between the bull and the lion, is Saint Benedict.

In the spirit of St. Ignatius’ saying that “All truth is God’s truth” the monks of Shantivanam also seek to bring together Eastern and Western modes of thought – melding the ideas of traditional Christian orthodoxy with the highest spiritual principles of India particularly as articulated in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.  They see Hinduism not as a “false religion” to be disproven but rather as a partial revelation of God’s truth.  From their perspective the life and teachings of Jesus, rather than existing in opposition to Hinduism, are the insights which complete Hinduism’s highest spiritual strivings. 

Jesus as Lord of the Cosmos, on the screen in the chapel.

It’s a controversial stance to say the least.  Many Christians describe Shantivanam’s theology as “watering down” of the gospel or even downright heresy, particularly as the monks are reticent to say that Jesus is the only way to salvation or that Jesus has an exclusive claim to divinity, both central tenets of orthodox Christianity.  Many Hindus as well object to the idea that Hinduism is only some sort of “incomplete Christianity” and see the Ashram’s appropriation of Hindu symbols as some sort of trickery to lull unsuspecting Hindus into the church.     

Christ in all four directions, a sculpture in the meditation chapel.

ISP was privileged to visit Shantivanam a couple of weeks ago.  Our students admired deeply the strength of the monks’ conviction and the beautiful simplicity and quiet of their lives but were also challenged by the controversies inherent in the monks’ position between two major faiths.  In discussion afterwards students were encouraged to wrestle with the many questions that arise for Christians in this context. Is Shantivanam’s way of worship appropriate for Christians? To what extent does Christianity need to be freed from its western background and where do you draw the line?  None of these questions have easy answers, but wrestling with them can give us deeper insight into the foundations of our faith and lead us to a deeper and more mature spirituality.