Vaishnavism 2 - Universalist Radha-Krishnaism

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50. Dr. Klostermaier: . . . Vaishnavism, likeChristianity, is a living religion with millionsof adherents. It is numerically the largestsegment of modern Hinduism, with a historygoing back thousands of years. So we arenot talking about some small sect but,rather, mainstream Hinduism. . . .Vaishnavism is as pervasive in India asChristianity is in the Western countries. Itrepresents traditional Hinduism and claimsto contain all that is genuinely Hindu. SoVishnu worship or, later, the worship ofKrishna, is something very much akin to theworship of God or, later, Jesus, in theJudaeo-Christian tradition. (219-20)Pointing out these similarities is a good way tointroduce Vaishnavism to the West.51. Dr. Klostermaier: . . . Shankara, forexample, takes Upanishadic texts andexplains them in an impersonalistic sort ofway; Ramanuja takes those same texts andgives them a personalistic gloss. The samesort of diversity exists in the Christiantradition, and there have been majortheological schools that have emphasizedone way of viewing things over and againstanother. Basically, of course, this all comesdown to the failing of our language or ourfundamental inability to understand theinfinite. Neither the personal nor theimpersonal image is fully adequate--Godtranscends all human conceptions. He or28
she must include both and exist beyondboth. (221)It is a difference of emphasis thatdistinguishes my teachings from those of otherChaitanya Vaishnavs. If we limit God-dess towhat we are able to describe, that idea of Goddessis too small. God-dess certainly includespersonal and impersonal, male and female, butis much more as well. God-dess is both/and,plus a lot more.52. Dr. Klostermaier: . . . The Canticle ofSolomon and the Gita-govinda of Jayadevaagree both in form and in spirit--and in agreat variety of ways. . . . There is also aChrist-bhakti literature, if you will, thatarose in the late middle ages. . . . St. John’sDark Night of the Soul . . . could be seen asa Christian version of viraha-bhakti or loveof God in the mood of separation. . . .Bonaventure . . . His perspectiveaccentuates feeling and emotion more thanthe intellect. And I think . . . even aparticularly rigorous thinker like JivaGosvami, . . . feeling and emotion areconsidered much more important than theintellect. (222-3)These are just a few correspondencesbetween Christianity and Vaishnavism. Thereare certainly many more.53. Dr. Klostermaier: . . . The Westerntheological context in which the love ofRadha and Krishna could perhaps be bestunderstood is precisely that of trinitarian29
Page 1 and 2: A ContemporaryScholarly Survey ofRa
Page 6 and 7: evolutionary, ought one not be a re
Page 8 and 9: 12. Dr. Hiltebeitel: . . . Krishna
Page 10 and 11: 17. Dr. Hawley: . . . While samprad
Page 12 and 13: experiences, and we can experience
Page 14 and 15: madhurya, the sweet side, from a fo
Page 16 and 17: nature; . . . and it is primarily u
Page 18 and 19: identity . . . This is a spiritual
Page 20 and 21: committed, loving couple is more li
Page 22 and 23: This is my experience and conclusio
Page 24 and 25: Vaishnavism to Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Page 26 and 27: progress, especially when cookie cu
Page 30 and 31: theology. For the Christian, the Tr
Page 32 and 33: one finds them helpful. If not, one
Page 34 and 35: specialists. While I do not have mu
Page 36 and 37: ordinary madness--it expresses the
Page 38 and 39: how to enter into that role in Kris
Page 40 and 41: eing in the world but not of it? We
Page 42: that, ultimately, Radha rules in Vr

Vaishnavism 2 - Universalist Radha-Krishnaism

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