Francis Clooney’s theological / philosophical quest!

[Vedaprakash]

Francis Clooney’s theological / philosophical quest!
By vedaprakash
http://vaticanculturation.wordpress.com/2009/08/14/francis-clooneys-theological-philosophical-quest/

Interestingly, Francis Clooney who had been in Chennai having his
“dialogue” with many of his “Vaishnavite” friends as pointed out in my
previous postings / blogs:

Perhaps, before leaving, his last “encounter” has been as follows:

On a philosophical quest by PRADEEP CHAKRAVARTHY

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/08/14/stories/2009081450950100.htm
What does Vaishnavite scholar Vedanta Desika have in common with
Catholic priest St. Francis? Prof. Francis X. Clooney discusses the
link in his latest book.


Srivaishnavism is an interesting tradition, philosophically and
theologically.
PHOTO: M. KARUNAKARAN

THEOLOGICAL APPROACH: Prof. Francis X. Clooney. The coming together of
any two religions for most of us could mean raised voices and
bloodshed… quite paradoxical to what all religions preach. But Prof.
Francis X. Clooney, S.J., Harvard University, and author of several
books, has a different perspective.

Prof. Clooney spoke about his book ‘Beyond Compare: St. Francis and
Sri Vedanta Desika on Loving Surrender to God’, during a talk
organised by Prakriti Foundation at Madras Terrace House recently. In
his work, he compares the two preceptors who were from different times
and countries, and practised different religions, but who were united
in their approached the concept of surrender to God.

Prof. Clooney pointed out that since his work was like the
interpretative work of a dancer or a musician, there was a great deal
of practice and hard work that went into it right from the choice of
subject. “It took me several years to narrow down on whom to compare”,
he said. He added that “the minute you compare to celebrate one over
the other, or compare to just get common quotes, it is not comparison
in the real term.”

So what does Vedanta Desika, the 13/14th century preceptor for
Vaishnavites, have in common with St. Francis, a 17th century Catholic
priest from Geneva? Both valued writing and in their written work,
they hoped to pursue the devotee to perform a religious act itself.
Both sought to transform the reader and used older texts to reinforce
their message. Most important, both urged the reader to introspect and
find out what it takes for him to surrender unconditionally to God.
The book has several interesting passage on these topics. The audience
was treated to a few enthralling readings. Catching up with Prof.
Clooney after the session for a short interview, helped put the book
in a greater context. Excerpts:

Tell us a little about your research: I work in certain traditions of
classical Hinduism, including Mimamsa Vedanta and Srivaishnavism. Of
course, my work as a professor leads me to write on other topics and
themes at times, but these are my areas of focus in the study of
Hinduism. Beyond these, I am also a comparative theologian, and so, I
reflect on what I learn from Indian traditions alongside my
understanding of my Christian bearings. And, to understand comparative
study, I am also a bit of a historian, studying how Western Jesuits
over the centuries have understood Hinduism.

What got you interested in Srivaishnavism? It is a very interesting
tradition, philosophically and theologically, and it shows us a
complete religious way of life. The fact that Srivaishnavism
flourishes in both Tamil and Sanskrit makes it all the more beautiful.
The poetry of Divya Prabandham in particular is very lovely. I also
appreciate the Vaishnava temples, their architecture, imagery, and the
worship that takes place there. In many ways, I have found
Srivaishnavism to be parallel to Roman Catholicism, with a similar
depth, breadth, and wholeness.

What is your mission on comparative religious studies and what forces
do you see helping/hindering it? I am a professor at one of the oldest
and best universities in the U.S., and also a Catholic priest and
Jesuit. So my mission is academic — scholarly writing on topics of
religious importance, and doing comparative study. It is also
spiritual, in the sense that I believe that inter-religious truths and
understanding are valuable to one and all. If my work helps people
appreciate and learn from other religions, then I think I would have
succeeded and will be very happy. If people become more convinced of
the truth of their own tradition, with deep faith, that too is very
good. Since there is a lot of religious misunderstanding and
intolerance today, my hope is that my work will probably show a way
for people to relate to other religions more constructively and
positively.

Your future plans and interests…: I have several book projects in
mind, including more work on the Srivaishnava Bhagavatha Visaya,
certain songs and commentaries compared with medieval Christian
commentary on the Biblical Song of Songs. I have also been doing
research on the Jesuit tradition of inter-religious learning in India,
and may soon have something more to write on that.

Written word: Some of the books written by Prof. Clooney are:

• Hindu God, Christian God: How Reason Helps to Break Down the
Boundaries between Religions (2001),

. Teaching Wisdom to the Wise

• Divine Mother, Blessed Mother: Hindu Goddesses and the Virgin Mary
(2005),

• Beyond Compare: St Francis de Sales and Sri Vedanta Desika on Loving
Surrender to God (2008).