Papers by Varghese Manimala
Philosophy, Culture, and Traditions, 2002
Annals of the University of Bucharest - Philosophy Series, Jun 29, 2017
The title that we have chosen may look a little odd, but what we aim at is to look for new paradi... more The title that we have chosen may look a little odd, but what we aim at is to look for new paradigms in the understanding of secularism and spirituality. There seems to be an urgent need to understand spirituality from different angles altogether. It is not a break with the past, but a development that is a must, for a history from which the need for new understanding and new expressions emerges. With regard to spirituality this applies as well, as there is nothing beyond the law of evolution and transcendence. Hence, nowadays the need to look at spirituality from various perspectives arises, and therein also comes the need for new paradigms, which may be able to give expressions to the aspirations of humankind with better relevance for the modern world. We need to realize that no absolute standard can be set for all times; and perhaps it is here that all religious institutions need to be humble enough to admit that they are always on search and it can never reach the final goal until the end of history, which is not in sight either. Thus, the Lord of history is challenging us to wake up and meet the world with its successes and failures and to build up a secularity that is sacred enough for the divine and the humans, and wherein all creatures can live in accommodation and caring for one-another in a spirit of solidarity and self-donation. This is the 'Sacred Secularity' to which we need to awaken ourselves, and may the challenge be addressed adequately by us.
Man always stands in need of the sacred. This is a need which ~nly the Word of God can satisfy. R... more Man always stands in need of the sacred. This is a need which ~nly the Word of God can satisfy. Religion can help man in this. Always man has been in search of the answers for the problems he faces in life. He looks up to various religions for answers. Today as never before man asks these questions: What is man? What is the meaning and purpose of our life? Where lies the path to true happiness? What is the truth about judgment and retribution beyond the grave? What is that ultimate and unutterable misery which engulfs our being, and whence we take our rise and whither our journey leads us?L Religions bound up with cultural advancement have struggled to reply to these same questions with more refined concepts and in a more highly developed language. Thus in Hinduism men -contemplate the divine mystery and express it through an unspent fruitfulness of myths and through searching philosophical enquiry. They seek release from the anguish of our condition through ascetical practices or d...
Annals of the University of Bucharest - Philosophy Series, 2017
The title that we have chosen may look a little odd, but what we aim at is to look for new paradi... more The title that we have chosen may look a little odd, but what we aim at is to look for new paradigms in the understanding of secularism and spirituality. There seems to be an urgent need to understand spirituality from different angles altogether. It is not a break with the past, but a development that is a must, for a history from which the need for new understanding and new expressions emerges. With regard to spirituality this applies as well, as there is nothing beyond the law of evolution and transcendence. Hence, nowadays the need to look at spirituality from various perspectives arises, and therein also comes the need for new paradigms, which may be able to give expressions to the aspirations of humankind with better relevance for the modern world. We need to realize that no absolute standard can be set for all times; and perhaps it is here that all religious institutions need to be humble enough to admit that they are always on search and it can never reach the final goal unt...
Exchange, 2011
The Rhythm of Being is a remarkable book by Prof. Raimon Panikkar. It contains the Gofford Lectur... more The Rhythm of Being is a remarkable book by Prof. Raimon Panikkar. It contains the Gofford Lectures he gave in 1989. The original title of the Lectures was “The Survival of Being.” Panikkar aims at a wonderful blend of East. After having mentioned in brief the ultimate questions he tries to show in a historical way how the answers have been attempted at by various philosophies and theologies. There is an attempt made to speak about the dwelling of the divine; we find a complementing of immanence and transcendence over here. Theology, Panikkar says, is theopraxis finally leading to orthopraxis, which is faith. Then he ventures upon the difficult theme of trinity or triad. An attempt is made to blend Trinity and Advaita — these are not monopolies of any forms of thought. As a consequence of the triadic concept he moves on to his fond phrase and coinage “Cosmotheandric Dimension.” The title is worth noting: “The Theanthropocosmic Invariant.” The three dimensions of reality — cosmos, theos and anthropos — intertwine so beautifully that they are interdependent and almost inseparable. Then he also turns his attention to the important concepts of nothingness (sunyata, nada) and freedom which have to be understood in the inter-independence of being. The penultimate chapter deals with the Divine Dimension of reality, which has to be met in silence. The attitudes to be maintained before God are essentially praising, glorifying, and thanksgiving, and the result of these is ananda (bliss). The final chapter discusses on the “Emerging Mythos” and the author stresses the need for a holistic approach. It would be a blend of homo religiosus and homo scientificus.
Philosophy, Culture, and Traditions
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Papers by Varghese Manimala