| |
|
Monastic
life is something common to the great religious traditions of the world.
In India, it originated centuries before Christianity, prompting the
noted theologian Raymundo Panikkar to term it the 'primordial religious
dimension'. And yet, it is well and truly a mystery, a spiritual
reality that eludes clear explanation. What follows is just an
overview of what monastic life is all about, and, more specifically, how
it finds expression at Kurisumala Ashram.
What is
the monastic charism? Simply put, it is to seek God with an
undivided heart. This calls for a radical renunciation of
everything that clamours for the heart's attention and tends to divide
it. A Christian monk renounces home, possessions, marriage, the
'world' and ultimately himself in order that he may possess Christ and,
in turn, be possessed by Him and eventually be transfigured into His
likeness. Though separated from the world by his renunciation, he
nevertheless remains united with all in Christ, as Evagrius, one of the
Church fathers, has so rightly said. "In order to be truly ourselves, we
must find ourselves in Christ—which
can only be done if we lose ourselves in Him. This is our great
vocation" says Thomas Merton, the famous Cistercian author, of a
monk's self-emptying, or kenosis, effected through his
renunciation.
This
ancient tradition manifests itself at Kurisumala in three distinct
strands: the three charisms of Kurisumala, as Francis Acharya like
to call them:
Syrian
Liturgy: An oriental and essentially poetic liturgy deeply rooted in
the thought and language of the Bible, with a vivid sense of the
resurrection.
Indian
Monastic Lifestyle: Inculturated, simple, nature-oriented and
austere.
Benedictine-Cistercian Spirituality: Based on the Cistercian
interpretation of the Rule of St. Benedict, with its emphasis on
community prayer, manual labor and Lectio Divina (meditative,
prayerful, spiritual reading).
Syrian
liturgy is replete with poems by the likes of St. Ephrem—aptly
named "Harp of the Holy Spirit"—and
Jacob of Serugh. These poems are notable for their symbolic
excellence, richness of imagery and ability to elevate the believer's
hearts. These devotional poems and the predilection of the Syrian
tradition for austerities and closeness to nature make it ideal for an
Indian setting. The Syro-Malankara Qurbana celebrated on Sundays
and feastdays, the Bharatiya Pooja on weekdays, the hymns sung at
the regular prayer services, the bhajans and keertans sung
at the Satsang, the icons on the southern wall of the
church, the brass lamps in front of the tabernacle and elsewhere, the
saffron robes and bare feet of the sannyasis, the colourful copes used
during Qurbana, the vegetarian diet and sparse furnishings are all
concrete manifestations of this 'marriage' between the Syrian and Indian
traditions effected at Kurisumala.
In the Benedictine-Cistercian
tradition, the monastic vocation is pursued in a monastery under a Rule
and an Abbot. Bound by vows of stability, fidelity to the monastic
way of life (which includes poverty, chastity, simplicity and all other
monastic practices) and obedience, the monks follow a life in community
modeled on the early Church of Jerusalem. Drawing nourishment from
the Holy Eucharist and the spiritual riches of the prayers of the Church
celebrated in the liturgy of the hours, they dedicate themselves to a
life that is 'ordinary, obscure and laborious', a life of faith, hope
and love.
Day in and
day out, they strive towards that ideal of unceasing prayer—prayer
for the world, for the unity of the Churches, for peace...
"Lokah samastha
sukkino bhavanthu...
Om shanti, shanti, shanti..." |
|
