The Cosmic Revelation: The Hindu Way to God

by Bede Griffiths

The Hindu experience is a constant search for God, a search to find out the ultimate truth and ultimate reality and to experience it in the depth of the heart. In this lucid and profound book, Bede Griffiths presents the Hindu tradition to Christians, asking them to encounter it and to relate it to the Christian experience of God. Bede Griffiths, a Catholic monk, lived for more than 25 years in India.

Genres: Religion, Spirituality, Hinduism, Theology, Christianity

Paperback

First published July 5, 1983

About the author

Bede Griffiths (1906-1993), born Alan Richard Griffiths and also known as Swami Dayananda (Bliss of Compassion), was a British-born Benedictine monk who lived in ashrams in South India. He was born at Walton-on-Thames, England and studied literature at Magdalen College, Oxford under professor and Christian apologist C. S. Lewis, who became a lifelong friend. Griffiths recounts the story of his conversion in 1931 to Roman Catholicism while a student at Oxford in his autobiography The Golden String.

Although he remained a Catholic monk he adopted the trappings of Hindu monastic life and entered into dialogue with Hinduism.

Griffiths was a proponent of integral thought, which attempts to harmonize scientific and spiritual world views. In a 1983 interview he stated,

"We're now being challenged to create a theology which would use the findings of modern science and eastern mysticism which, as you know, coincide so much, and to evolve from that a new theology which would be much more adequate."

Reviews

[Jared Dees · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bede Griffiths, a Catholic who was taught by C. S. Lewis and lived in India, provides a great introduction to Hindu spirituality. Having read many agnostic interpretations, this is an enlightening perspective from a great spiritual thinker. He lays out the history of Hindu spirituality very well and leads the reader to a greater appreciation of Christian spirituality through Hindu thought.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Griffiths is a bridge between the East and West. I tend to agree with Father Griffiths who said without the enrichment of the mystical traditions of Asia, western churches will have a difficult time discovering the fullness of Christ. After forty years of living in India, the Hindu way to God was, for Father Griffiths, like finding the other half of his soul. Western churches have focused so much on the rational that salvation itself has become a quasi-mathematical formula.

[Jackson Hignite · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a great introduction for Christians to begin considering how God has revealed themself to Hindus throughout history until today. Totally recommend.

[Rachel Thooft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating perspective on the Hindu religion and non-christian religions in general.