Teilhard de Chardin and Eastern Religions : Spirituality and Mysticism in an Evolutionary World

by King, Ursula; Needham, Joseph

• ISBN13: 9780809147045
• ISBN10: 0809147041
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-11
• Publisher: Paulist Pr

Summary

An in-depth examination of Teilhard de Chardin¿s knowledge of the Middle and Far East, especially China, his comments on eastern religions, and his comparative reflections on mysticism and spirituality.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments	p. vii
Foreword	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Unity of Life and Thought
A Great Vision of Faith	p. 11
Seeing the World Anew	p. 11
Major Elements of Teilhard's Vision	p. 14
The Discovery of Evolution	p. 17
The Great War: A Crucible of Fire	p. 21
The Maturing of Teilhard's Vision in Asia	p. 24
The Key for Understanding Teilhard's Vision	p. 27
Early Contacts with the East	p. 32
Early Family Influences	p. 32
The Formative Experience of Egypt	p. 33
More Eastern Connections and More Reading	p. 36
A Mystical Seer Turns Writer	p. 41
Reflections on Mysticism	p. 44
East and West: The Spirit of One Earth	p. 51
First Impressions of China	p. 52
Reflections by a Pilgrim of the Future	p. 55
Complementary Riches of East and West	p. 60
The Decisive Encounter with Peking Man	p. 68
The Yellow Expedition across Central Asia	p. 71
Travels to India, Indonesia, Burma, and Japan	p. 77
Experiences in Peking and Shanghai	p. 86
The Ongoing Quest	p. 92
Teilhard's Last Years in the West	p. 92
Further Growth and Disappointments	p. 93
Commitment to the World Congress of Faiths	p. 94
More Reading about the East	p. 98
An Open Religious Quest	p. 102
Eastern and Western Religions in a Converging World
The Search for Unity: From Monistic Pantheism to Mysticism	p. 111
Teilhard's Method	p. 111
Monistic Pantheism in His Early Writings	p. 114
Pantheism Prolonged and Transcended	p. 119
The Spiritual Power of Matter	p. 122
The True Meaning of Pantheism	p. 127
Two Roads to Unity: ôRoad of the Eastö and ôRoad of the Westö	p. 130
Two Fundamental Orientations in Mysticism	p. 131
The Ancient ôRoad of the Eastö	p. 133
The New ôRoad of the Westö	p. 137
Early Criticisms of Teilhard's Comparisons	p. 140
Relating the Two ôRoadsö to Past and Present	p. 147
The Convergence of Roads	p. 153
Teilhard's Assessment of Eastern Religions	p. 155
Religions in a State of Crisis	p. 159
Different Types of Eastern Spiritualities	p. 163
Contributions from East and West	p. 167
The Role of Christianity	p. 170
The Meaning of the ôConvergence of Roadsö	p. 173
Religion and Evolution	p. 178
Historical Evolution of Religions in the Past	p. 180
Evolutionary Role of Religion in the Present and Future	p. 184
Further Evolution of Religion	p. 191
Different Understandings of Evolution in Hinduism	p. 198
A New Dynamic: The Evolution of Mysticism	p. 201
Toward a New Mysticism	p. 207
The Newness of Teilhard's Mysticism	p. 209
Two Basic Types of Mysticism	p. 211
The New Mysticism as a Third Way	p. 215
Love as Unifying Energy	p. 221
Comparative Reflections on Mysticism	p. 225
A New Mysticism of Evolution and Action	p. 228
Epilogue: Spirituality and Mysticism in an Evolutionary World	p. 235
Appendices	p. 251
Notes	p. 271
Bibliography	p. 329
Index	p. 345
Annotated Study Guide	p. 363
Teilhard's Life and Thought	p. 364
His China Years, Paleontology, and Peking Man	p. 370
Science, Evolution, Biosphere, Noosphere, and Ecosphere	p. 375
Religious Pluralism and Interreligious Dialogue	p. 395
Spirituality and Mysticism	p. 401
Teilhard's Legacy	p. 409
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