Thomas MatusRecensioni

So many writers on spiritual matters have named Bede Griffiths as a key influence in their spiritual lives. As is typical of the highly evolved, he has little new to say about the spiritual path; but his gentle soul and intelligence always shine through. Perhaps best known as a voyager to India and an important mid-century catalyst in bringing the Hinduism to the West (it worked less well in reverse), he seems someone well worth getting to know.

At the time of the first millennium, Benedictine spirituality received a reformist touch from St. Romuald whose "Little Rule" (p.66) emphasizes ways of prayer. In its conversational / interview style, this book resembles Pope Gregory's account of Benedict's life. RMB,CSBS

Ashram Diary takes the reader to Shantivanam, an ashram in India by the sacred river Kaveri. Shantivanam began in 1950 when two French priests put on the orange robes of Hindu renunciates. In 1968, an English monk, Bede Griffiths, became the ashram's guru and taught there until his passing in 1993. During the last nine years of Griffith's life, Thomas Matus listened to his teachings and shared in the life of the ashram. In this book, Matus recounts his experience of Shantivinam and of India, its people and its spiritual culture.

This book reveals the studyes by the author of the analogies of experience between Tantric yogis and Christian mystics, Matus relates the kundalini awakening to the Christ mystery.

Matus, a Camaldolese Monk, examines the relation between tantric yoga and hesychasm by comparing the experiences of St. Symeon the New Theologian and Abhinavagupta. A remarkable blend of scholarship and personal experience.

Reading of Nazarena's life was excellent. Can't express enough good of her austerities wrought from persecution but also of sheer determination to follow a single vision, a call from Christ to follow Him into the desert. I also appreciated the details given of her anchoritic life. What I did not appreciate is the author's obvious slant of view and direction in his own designs for and opinions of the Church. His bias inserts itself now and then, too many times for my understanding of the Church. I doubt Nazarena would go for his progressive bias. No, her dream of a woman at the altar as a priestess is most likely not a prophecy but rather a symbolism of her desire for union with Christ. No, the Church was not in the "ghetto" or rigidly constrained prior to Vatican II. It was such author biases among others, that made the book "feel" creepy crawly to me at times. Why didn't he leave Nazarena to shine on her own and leave his own flap trap out? That is why I often only read books written by dead and proven authors.... But all about Nazarena, taken from her letters and recollections of others who knew her, when quoted, was outstanding for any hermit or other to read and appreciate. I read the book editing the extraneous, author influences. Even had a bad dream part way through reading, but realized it was the imposing of author's use of Nazarena's life to offer his wishes and take on the Church. Decided to finish the book but skimmed his editorialized portions. The appendix on the founding of San Antonio convent was worthwhile--again reading carefully, sifting out the author's biased insertions. If it were simply a book about Nazerena, without editorial license, I would have rated the book a five-star, as I appreciate her life and sacrifice.