BEDE GRIFFITHS SANGHA
'The hope of humanity today is to get beyond the experience of duality. A spiritual awakening in this direction is taking place all over the world. Beyond thought is where, in the words of St Paul, we find God to be "all in all'
Father Bede Griffiths
The Ammerdown Conference & Retreat Centre, Ammerdown Park, Radstock, Somerset, BA3 5SW ( www.ammerdown.org ) Friday 25th Sunday 27th November 2011 ‘‘Quietening" For the Sangha Advent Retreat we are returning to Ammerdown near Bath, surrounded by landscaped gardens and parkland, with a beautiful chapel in its midst, it is a wonderful venue for us to quietly ‘be’ together . This will be a simple gathering, offering time and space to ‘de-clutter’. The daily programme will be structured around a day at Shantivanam, with periods of meditation, chanting, prayer and the reading of scripture from different traditions. There will be free time to walk, rest or study, together with times of silence and sharing. We will be showing a DVD of one of the last talks given by Father Bede in 1992 entitled ‘The Evolution of Consciousness’. All aspects of the programme are optional. This retreat will be of interest to anyone wanting a quiet and reflective time during Advent. The weekend will be facilitated by members of the working group and all participants are invited offer practical help over the weekend (see below). The accommodation at Ammerdown is en suite single, double and twin rooms. Booking Form
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Father Bede Griffiths, who died in 1993, was one of the great spiritual leaders of the 20 th century, and a charismatic man who emanated unconditional love.
The Bede Griffiths Sangha (the Sanskrit word for community) is an informal network of people who have been touched and inspired by his life and teachings.
'Bede Griffiths is a man in search of that which is fundamental to all religions…he is a mystic in touch with absolute love and beauty'
Cardinal Hume, Archbishop of Westminster
'His vision has guided him to open the hearts and minds of mankind'
His Holiness, The Dalai Lama
Beyond the experience of duality
Father Bede Griffiths was a English Benedictine monk who, 'in search of the other half of his soul' went to India in 1968
An independent thinker, a curious mind and a committed Christian, Father Bede looked for the universal truth at the heart of all religions.
His ashram at Shantivanam in Tamil Nadu, southern India, became a centre of prayer and meditation for many thousands of people. In honouring the truth and wisdom in both the Eastern and the Western traditions, Father Bede reached out to people, many of whom could not find God in their traditional churches.
'I think that we must recognise that the Christian tradition cannot stand alone. We are being challenged today to see our religion in the context of other religions of the world. Since the way of meditation is found in all religions, contemplative life must be seen as a calling for humanity'
Father Bede Griffiths
A vision contemplative renewal
'If you love someone, you become one with him, or her and they become one with you, but you do not cease to be yourself. If that happened, it would no longer be love.
So it is a communion of love, an experience of oneness in love, and that is the end and the meaning of life'
Father Bede Griffiths
The life and teaching of Father Bede have immense relevance for our lives today, offering insight into the traditions of both the East and the West and the ways in which the Christian tradition can be enriched by the Indian experience of God.
He wrote a number of books, including:
The Golden String, Return to the Centre, The Marriage of East and West, A New Vision of Reality, The New Creation in Christ and Universal Wisdom.