Christian Pilgrim in India

This book provides a biographical account of the remarkable Benedictine monk, Henri Le Saux (1910-1973), who spent the last two-and-a-half decades of his life in India where he immersed himself in Hindu spirituality. It traces the central themes of his prolific writings on religious and mystical topics.

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Henri Le Saux (1910-1973) was a French Benedictine monk who, in 1949, answered an inner call to India where he spent the rest of his life, becoming known as Swami Abhishiktananda. Following a series of mystical illuminations he thoroughly immersed himself in Indian culture, philosophy and spirituality. During his years in India he produced a series of arresting works dealing with such themes as monasticism and the trans-religious ideal of renunciation, the nature of mystical experience and its relation to religious forms and Hindu-Christian dialogue.

A CHRISTIAN PILGRIM IN INDIA provides a biographical sketch of this remarkable figure, traces the elaboration of the central themes of his writings and offers an assessment of his significance as an exemplary figure in the modern encounter of religious traditions of East and West. It also situates Abhishiktananda's intellectual and spiritual contribution within the context of the perennial philosophy. The book is generously illustrated and includes a comprehensive bibliography as well as a compilation of Abhishiktananda's spiritual aphorisms.