Church as Ashram
The Christian ashram movement in India owes much to the Protestants.
E. Stanley Jones, an American Methodist Missionary and came to Indian in 1907. He
brought together different religious people for sharing religious experience
and called this meeting as Round Table Conferences, where people of different
religions would share their personal experiences as to what religion meant to
them in their life, whether and how it helped their search for God.
It
was in 1921, the first Christian ashram known as Christukula Ashram was
established by two protestant Christians namely S. Jesudason and E. Forrester
Paton. They both were doctors, who adopted a simple way of life in conformity
with local culture, and dedicated themselves to the service of the poor through
medical care and social work projects. The second ashram was the Christa
Prema Seva Ashram founded in Pune in 1927 by an Anglican, Father Jack
Winslow. The objective is to build up a body of men and women who will seek to
follow Christ in the way of renunciation and sacrifice for the fruitful service
and uplift of fellow beings in the world.
Indian
priests in 1947 started the Siluvaigiri Ashram, in Salem District of Tamil
Nadu. Two foreign missionaries J. Monchanin and Henri Le Saux were allowed and
encouraged to make a study of the Hindu ashram by living in this ashram and sharing
the life of ashramites in 1949. Taking into account the customs of India
ascetic heritage and the rule of St. Benedict, they founded on March 21, 1950
the Saccidananda Ashram on the banks of river Kaveri, Tamilnadu in India. Thus,
the ashrams were founded to give a common witness to Christian life, to meet
the needs of adaptation, to facilitate evangelization, to create communities
where equality and fraternity reigned. On course of time, many other ashrams
were started in India at various places which later became the centers of
interreligious dialogue.
1.1. Kinds of Ashrams
The
important protestant ashrams are: Christukula ashram in Tirupattur,
Tamilnadu, Christa Prema Seva Ashram in Pune; Christa Sishya Sangham
at Tadagam near Coimbatore; Christadasa Ashram near Palghat; Christian
Ashram at Brindavan; Bethel Ashram near Tiruvalla, Kerala; Gethsemane
Ashram at Muvattupuzha and the Christava ashrams. Among the Catholic
ashrams, the Anjali Ashram of D.S. Amalorpavadass is prominent one which
was founded at Mysore in 1979. In ashrams, one follows three margas (ways):
Jnana Marga, Bhakti Marga and Karma Marga, though one of them may predominate.
They are not primarily pastoral centers, apostolic communities, but by the very
existence, they proclaim Christ. Thus, each ashram is focused on particular
activities. For example, we have Saccidananda Ashram, and Kurisumala
Ashram which engaged mainly in contemplation. Anjali Ashram offers
the service of a number of courses in India spiritual traditions as well as
retreats. Christukula Ashram, Jyoti Niketan and Shanti Ashram engaged in
social services while Vishram and Gyan Ashram are engaged in the
development of various branches of fine arts.
1.2. The contribution
of Ashrams to Inter-religious Dialogue
Many
Ashrams considered inter-religious dialogue as one of their with persons of
other religions. The reasons are:
a. Members of other religions feel at
home in an ashram, because of the Indian atmosphere of food, dress, building
and so on.
b. It is a place of accommodation where
dedicated group of persons welcome newcomers for openness in sharing the
spiritual quest.
c. It is a place of silence and prayer
that is conductive to listening to God and to one another.
d. In ashrams, primacy is given to
prayer (personal, contemplative, community) where all can participate
irrespective of religion.
e. Where ashram is engaged in different
activities, people collaborate to get it done with a commitment to common
cause.
f. There is a fellowship and unity among
Christian ashrams through annual meetings and other activities.
g. Those who are engaged in
inter-religious dialogue should understand one’s partner well through a study
of the other’s socio-religious context, beliefs, practices, and scriptures and
so on. Ashram provides different facilities to have interior dialogue.
h. An ashram can serve as a common place
for people of different religions to meet, share their experiences and carry on
the quest in union with one another, since one of the primary concerns of those
in an ashram is the sustained quest for the Ultimate.
i. It has been the undeniable experience
of many of those engaged in dialogue that the deepest meeting between people of
different religions takes place at the core level. Only one who has experienced
God, can recognize the presence of God, in every manifestations to express the
mystery of the Absolute in a fully integral manner. Thus, the experiential
knowledge of God enables one to understand the mystical experience of God in
other religions and to enter into dialogue with people of these religions to
share with them one’s God experience.
So, Ashram is in principle open to any genuine sadhaka (spiritual
aspirant). Sadhakas are to be welcomed at all times. Christian ashrams use
English as medium which makes impossible for people of different linguistic
backgrounds to understand one another. Some are of the view that Christian
ashrams lack enthusiasm. The reason given by Richard W. Taylor is that “they
are leader – centered rather than institution – centered, and so it is going to
be unusual ashram that has a thriving second generation. However, ashrams
should be honored for their contribution directed towards lived dialogue.
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