Chapter 14 The Hindu-Catholic Encounter: A Natural Home for Comparative Theology
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Abstract
It is commonplace good sense to admit that all the traditions studied in comparative theological work have their own histories, deep resources, problems and potential. Each proceeds in accord with its own inner dynamics in encounter with other traditions near and far, and the chemistry of each encounter will have its own distinguishing features. The Hindu-Catholic encounter, one among many pairings that might be made for the purpose of theological exchange, has its own distinctive character that needs to be neither neglected nor overgeneralized. It is an encounter that is a particularly rich ground for comparative theology, given the rich resources in each tradition for a range of imaginative yet deep interreligious encounters: although Hindus and Catholics now share a difficult history with its own problems, these two very large communities possess nearly endless possibilities for intellectual and spiritual exchange in relation to one another. Hindus and Catholics share a certain freedom in relation to one another, since they do not have a common origin nor an overly determined shared history. Nor is the Hindu-Catholic encounter easily narrowed to a set of doctrines that must be adjudicated if a positive intellectual rapprochement is to be achieved. Historical encounters between Hindus and Catholics over the past 500 years do matter, of course, but this history remains relatively slender compared with the history of encounters between Christianity and Islam, for instance, or Hindu traditions and Buddhist traditions in South Asia. Yet shared features give evidence of a rich complementarity between Hindu and Catholic traditions: a commitment to rationality; canons of scripture, schools of exegesis, and venerable habits of study; contemplation rooted in intellectual inquiry yet reaching beyond the limits of reason; a conviction that beliefs have universal import, but also a cherishing of particular instances, times and places of what is holy and enacted sacramentally; an inclusive religiosity, the intellectual and spiritual heights of scholasticism and mystical depths alongside popular religion, very local beliefs and customs; hierarchical structures, burdened with the privileging of some and exclusion of others, that nevertheless never entirely stifle creativity and growth. It is not surprising, then, that some of the most enlightening examples of comparative theology have arisen in the Hindu-Catholic context. While these need not be thought to serve normatively as the model for all manner of comparative theological learning, they do showcase the field in a clear and fruitful manner.