A Christian Pilgrim in India - The Spiritual Journey of Swami Abhishiktananda (Henri Le Saux) (Electronic book text)

Henri Le Saux (1910-1973) was a French Benedictine monk who, in 1949, answered an inner call to India where he spent the rest of his life, becoming known as Swami Abhishiktananda. Following a series of mystical illuminations he thoroughly immersed himself in Indian culture, philosophy, and spirituality. During his years in India he produced a series of arresting works dealing with such themes as monasticism and the trans-religious ideal of renunciation, the nature of mystical experience and its relation to religious forms, and Hindu-Christian dialogue. A Christian Pilgrim in India provides a biographical sketch of this remarkable figure, traces the elaboration of the central themes of his writings, and offers an assessment of his significance as an exemplary figure in the modern encounter of religious traditions of East and West. It also situates Abhishiktananda's intellectual and spiritual contribution within the context of the perennial philosophy. The book is generously illustrated and includes a comprehensive bibliography as well as a compilation of Abhishiktananda's spiritual aphorisms.