PROPOSAL FOR A DOCTORAL PROJECT

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

Background:

The Daughters of St. Paul are a Roman Catholic missionary congregation[a] of religious women. They were founded in 1915 by the Rev. James Alberione, a priest belonging to the diocese of Alba, in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. The purpose of the congregation is the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all women and men, particularly through the media of communication. The spirituality that sustains the congregation’s vision and mission is Christocentric, and the specific approach to the mystery of Christ is summed up in the title “Jesus Master, Way, Truth and Life.”

At present, the congregation is established in more than 50 countries, and has a total membership of 2,572 Sisters, 694 of which are Asian.

Goal of the Project:

The project aims at exploring one specific way by which the Christology at the heart of the charism[b] of the Daughters of St. Paul (known also as “the Pauline charism”) can be inculturated in Asia. This is in view of forming the Asian members of the institute in a manner that respects and reflects their cultural reality while remaining dynamically faithful to their founding charism.

Importance:

In terms of the Christian vocation, this study is important because it is one concrete expression of the efforts Christianity makes to carry out cross-cultural dialogue with the other religions to which the majority of Asian people belong—a dialogue aimed at the inculturation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Asia. The inculturation of the charism of a religious institute deals with many of the same questions that are addressed by the inculturation of the Christian faith.

Central to this dialogue is the “Jesus question,” that is, the significance and role of Jesus Christ as a response to the universal human quest for life’s ultimate meaning and fulfillment, to which every religion provides its own answer. This study is a contribution to an inculturated Asian Christology, and thus would facilitate interreligious dialogue at the very point where the greatest difficulties to that dialogue arise.

On the level of the Pauline charism, it is imperative at this time of the congregation’s history to respond to the challenges of inculturating the Pauline charism in Asia, given the fact that the total number of Asian members is second only to Italy (where the charism first took root). Moreover, this number is on the rise, since 50% of the young women entering the institute are Asians, and this trend shows no signs of abating. The inculturation in Asia of Alberionian Christology—which lies at the heart of the Pauline charism—would therefore benefit a significant portion of the congregation. It would also, in the long run, benefit the entire congregation’s understanding and living out of its charism.

Scope and Limitations of the Project:

According to James Alberione, the Pauline charism centers on Jesus Christ defined as “Master, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” This Christology characterizes the spirituality of the Institute as well as its specific mission to evangelize with the media of social communication.

The doctoral project focuses on the following questions: how can this Alberionian Christology be communicated to Asian Daughters of St. Paul in a way that will be meaningful to their cultures? How can this inculturated Alberionian Christology then enable them to carry out their Pauline mission in a manner relevant to present-day Asian religious, historical, socio-economic, and political situations?

For the purposes of this study, the most suitable point of contact between Alberionion Christology and Asian cultures appears to be the figure of the spiritual master. On the one hand, it is an element that is given an indispensable place in all Asian religious traditions including Christianity; on the other hand, it can be readily linked with Alberione’s preferred title for Christ: Master, Way, Truth and Life.

It is also appropriate to the formative goal of this doctoral project. What is being attempted here is not so much a philosophical or theological study per se as an exploration into one way by which a spirituality can be communicated to those aspiring to deepen their relationship with the Divine according to a particular tradition of the consecrated life. If the spiritual master tradition may be considered as the oldest form of religious education still in existence, at least in Asia, and is also a rich and indispensable means for spiritual growth, it certainly can cast light upon the formative relationship between Christ Master and his Asian followers among the Daughters of St. Paul.

The spiritual master in Asia is known by many names, such as avatar, kalyanamitta (or kalyana-mitra), bodhisattva, guru. The latter title, however, originating in the Hindu tradition, seems to have acquired widespread significance and is readily understandable even to religious and secular cultures beyond Asia. Even more important for this doctoral project, systematic attempts at an inculturated presentation of Christ by Asian Christians have made use of the guru tradition. In fact, there exist theological studies and pastoral applications of what is known as guru christology, dating back to several centuries ago and continuing down to the present. The paper will refer particularly to the Hindu guru tradition, therefore, and to guru christology. However, the spiritual master tradition in Buddhism will also be referred to when necessary, since Buddhism, even more than Hinduism, has shaped the religious cultures of many of the countries from which Asian Daughters of St. Paul come.

Being a doctoral project and not a doctoral dissertation, this study does not pretend to offer an exhaustive in-depth theoretical study of its topic. It is exploratory, it indicates possible connections, it calls attention to relevant areas—of similarities as well as of differences—for cross-cultural formative dialogue between Alberionian Christology and Asian traditions. It raises questions and attempts to provide possible answers to some of those questions. The efficacy of these answers will be seen as these are worked out and tested in actual dialogue and in the formation process. The study paves the way so that the dialogue can be attempted and the formative relationship made relevant and effective.

Within the framework of the spiritual master tradition, the analysis will make use of a key, or guiding perspective to sharpen the focus of the study even more. The choice of this key or guiding perspective has been made in line with three criteria:

- that it be relevant to both partners in the dialogue (i.e., Alberionian Christology and the Asian spiritual master tradition);

- that it be conceptually valid but praxis-oriented, rooted in experience, not merely abstract, in keeping with the formative or educational goal of this study;

- that it help to focus the treatment of the subject, but that it be at the same time open to wider themes within the context of the Christological question and interreligious dialogue as a whole.

The guiding perspective is the theme of “power in powerlessness.” Its importance for the project is such that it has been chosen as the title of the study. The project has to be situated in the context of the different types of power.

In regard to the first criterion, the figure of the spiritual master is, in any tradition, a power figure, though his or her power may be envisioned in different ways, some of which, like “power in powerlessness,” are paradoxical. Similarities among the various traditions will be noted when the above guiding perspective is used for analysis; at the same time, significant differences also emerge. The study will attempt to show how crosscultural religious dialogue in Asia can be most fruitful in the area of formation precisely when these paradoxical differences are explored.

The requirement of the second criterion is met in the choice of power as a concept, which is not the fruit primarily of an intellectual exercise but which flows from the concrete experience of power rooted in the human heart and expressed in human behavior particularly in interpersonal relationships. The formative exercise of power is of particular relevance to a religious congregation that honors Christ as Master, as the one who incarnates a type of power that offers an alternative to power as domination and control.

That the guiding perspective focuses the unfolding of the subject, as required by the third criterion, will be clear in the development of the succeeding chapters. At the same time, this perspective opens up to related and broader themes which, though they are barely hinted at and not explored directly in this study, reveal the significance of this perspective not only for the “Jesus question” but for the “God question” and for interreligious dialogue as a whole.

One final point must be taken into consideration: the choice of the guiding perspective and the manner in which it is developed here is the most original element of the whole study. In the entire body of Pauline congregational research, no systematic studies exist regarding Jesus Master, Way, Truth and Life from this point of view of power.

Although this could be interpreted as a limitation of the study, it may also become a stimulus for further studies to be made along the same lines.

Method:

The basic method employed by this study is that of comparative analysis. Essential elements of both Alberionian Christology and the Hindu and Buddhist spiritual master traditions (with special emphasis on the Hindu guru tradition, and on guru Christology) will be indicated and compared in order to point out similarities and differences. The key to the choice of elements and their comparison is, as mentioned above, the paradox of power in powerlessness.

The spirit with which this analysis is undertaken will be that of respectful and open dialogue with a view to mutual understanding and enrichment.

A comment on the more technical aspects of the project is necessary. Two types of notes are utilized. Footnotes, identified by lower-case letters, are found at the bottom of the appropriate pages; they provide comments and additional information regarding some point in the main text. The endnotes, coming at the end of every chapter and indicated by numbers, are bibliographical references giving the source of quotations and of ideas drawn from other writers.

Explanation of Terms:

Terms used in the title of the project:

POWER. This word is used in the paper in its meaning of authority, control and influence, dominion especially over other people and their lives. It connotes the superiority of the powerful person over the reality under his or her control. It may be benevolent, used for the good of others, or it may be manipulative and oppressive, used to control others for egoistic purposes.

In contrast to this common understanding of power is the paradoxical concept of divine power as revealed in Christ, a power that is self-emptying, a total giving of self in love. This concept is crucial to the theme developed in this doctoral project.

FORMATION. This word is defined and used to mean the preparation to, and growth in living consecrated religious life in the Roman Catholic tradition. In the 1995 General Guidelines for Formation and Studies (GGFS) of the Daughters of St. Paul, formation is described as a process and a pedagogical program by which those aspiring to be members as well as the members themselves of the Institute gradually assimilate and faithfully live its charism and identity.[1]

It is in the process of formation that the charismatic identity is acquired. This identity is necessary not only for the maturity of the members in order to live and work in conformity with the foundational charism, but also for the identity and unity of the Institute, as well as for the authenticity of its expressions in diverse cultures, and for the Church’s communion-mission.[2]

DIALOGUE. The definition adopted here is that given by the 1991 document of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples entitled Dialogue and Proclamation: Reflection and Orientations on Interreligious Dialogue and the Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (DP).

As noted in this document, the term “dialogue” has a threefold significance. As a human process, it means reciprocal communication whereby the partners involved move toward the attainment of a common goal and to communion with one another. As an attitude or “spirit,” it is characterized by openness, respect, listening, and love. Finally, when applied and used in a context of religious pluralism, it means “’all the positive and constructive interreligious relations with individuals and communities of other faiths which are directed at mutual understanding and enrichment’ (DM 3), in obedience to truth and respect for freedom. It includes both witness and the exploration of respective religious convictions” (DP 9). Interreligious dialogue is different from ecumenism, which is “a movement for the restoration of unity among all Christians … and those who take part in it invoke the Trinity and profess belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior” (UR 1).

ALBERIONIAN CHRISTOLOGY. This term indicates the specific approach to the mystery of Jesus Christ which is at the heart of the religious charism (also known as “the Pauline charism,”) of the Daughters of St. Paul. This Christology is expressed in the title accorded to Jesus Christ as “the Master, the Way, the Truth and the Life.” “Alberionian” refers to Fr. James Alberione (1884-1971), the Founder of the Daughters of St. Paul.

SPIRITUAL MASTER. “Master” in the context of this doctoral project means teacher and guide; the adjective “spiritual” further qualifies the role and functions of this particular master, as having to do with human fulfillment in its most ultimate sense. The spiritual master is a fully human person who represents God and who in some traditions is an incarnation of God. In soteriological terms, he is one who has reached a high level of intimate union with God, such that he or she becomes the instrument of salvation for others; this person is therefore essential for spiritual growth and the attainment of perfection or holiness. In addition, “Master” is a relational term; there is no master without a disciple.

Though the spiritual master is known by many names in different religious traditions, there is one term, which has become, at least in the West, almost synonymous with “master”; that term is guru. In this paper, the guru tradition that is explored is taken primarily from the Saiva Siddhanta religious philosophy of Tamilnadu, considered to be one of the most systematic and well-articulated schools of Hindu religious thought in India today. “Saiva” refers to those Hindu schools that use the name “Siva” for the Ultimate Being or God. Another Hindu school, Vaishnavism, so called because it looks to Vishnu as the Supreme Being, provides other aspects of the guru tradition that are utilized in this doctoral project.

Terms related to the title and the theme:

BUDDHISM. This is one of the two major Asian religious traditions with which the doctoral project is concerned, as it explores the Asian concept of “spiritual master.” The teachings of Buddhism, originating in India some 2.500 years ago and attributed to Gautama Buddha, have the greatest number of adherents especially in Southeast Asia, in comparison with other faiths. It is said that strictly speaking, Buddhism is not a religion since it recognizes no God nor eternal life in the way that these are held by other religious traditions. Buddhism rather stresses doctrines and disciplines that enable the human being to transcend material things and to attain to a state of inner freedom and peace. It has two great schools: the Theravada school, representing the older tradition, and the Mahayana school, which belongs to the second phase of Buddhism. There are points in the latter that are strikingly similar to Christian tenets, such as the emphasis on compassion and loving kindness as central virtues, and as embodied in bodhisattvas, compassionate ones who sacrifice their lives for the liberation of all.

HINDUISM. This is the other Asian religious tradition that the doctoral project explores in regard to the concept of “spiritual master.” Hinduism is one of the principal Indian religions, without a founder, consisting of a vast and complex “mass of religious systems, a mosaic of probably all known forms of religious philosophies and social structures, rich traditions, myths, of peoples of various epochs. It is not a static religion but in the course of its history has developed and is still generating many reform movements.”[3] Hinduism believes in a God who is totally other, transcendent, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, blissful in himself, but who is also intimately close to us and can (in some traditions) descend, take on visible form and be a friend to human beings (avatar).

INCULTURATION. This term connotes “the intimate transformation of authentic cultural values through their integration in Christianity and the insertion of Christianity in the various human cultures” (RM 52; cf GS 58).

PARADOX. The term is here used to mean “a statement or sentiment that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet perhaps true in fact”[4] or “a statement or proposition which on the face of it seems self-contradictory, absurd, or at variance with common sense, though, on investigation or when explained, it may prove to be well-founded (or, according to some, though it is essentially true).” [5] In the context of theology, paradox points to truths about the Divine that seem to be illogical and contradictory to human reason because they point to realities beyond its scope.

SPIRITUALITY. Joann Wolski Conn provides definitions of spirituality that range from a more inclusive to a more specifically Christian perspective. She notes:

Spirituality refers to the totality of human life energized by an inner drive for self-transcendence, that is, for moving beyond self-maintenance to reach out in love, in free commitment to seek truth and goodness. When this basic human capacity for spirituality is believed to be actualized by the holy, there is religious spirituality, and when this capacity is experienced in relation to the divine mystery as Source, and Incarnate Word, and life-giving Spirit there is Christian spirituality.[6]

These definitions are relevant for the comparative analysis that this doctoral project makes between faith traditions that are not Christian and the Christian tradition. All of these traditions are imbued with spirituality in the more inclusive sense. To be able to note differences and similarities, the project has to have a framework that is broad enough to include all traditions. Obviously, when the project speaks from a specifically Christian perspective, the third definition is most applicable.

General Outline:

This doctoral project consists of an Introduction, six chapters, and a Conclusion. A Selected Bibliography of sources is provided at the end.

Introduction and Overview:

The elements covered by the Introduction are: the essential background and context for the doctoral project, the goal of the study, its importance, its scope and limitations, the method utilized, a brief explanation of significant terms, a general outline of the content, and a list of “pivotal sources,” that is, the material from the general bibliography which has more profoundly shaped the insights into the theme of the study.

PART ONE

FOUNDATIONS FOR A FORMATIVE DIALOGUE

The first three chapters provide a summary of basic concepts regarding the spiritual master tradition in Alberionian Christology on the one hand, and in Hinduism and Buddhism on the other. This summary is provided with a view to facilitating the dialogue between these three traditions. The selection of basic concepts is made keeping always in mind the key perspective of power as a constitutive element of the figure of the spiritual master.

Chapter I: Essential Aspects of Alberionian Christology

This chapter gives an overview of Alberionian Christology. It is intended especially for those to whom this Christology is not familiar.

Chapter II: Aspects of Some Spiritual Master Traditions in Hinduism and Buddhism

Since the doctoral project is exploratory, not attempting a complete synthesis of all Hindu and Buddhist spiritual master traditions, it makes a selection only of certain traditions in these living faiths, which will be indicated in the chapter itself.

Chapter III: Two Significant Developments: Guru Christology and the Ashram Experience

These two trends especially in Hindu-Christian traditions, with links also to the Buddhist tradition, have been given special attention because they are important as fundamental elements for the formative dialogue that is to be unfolded.

PART TWO

AN ASIAN FORMATION PROJECT

FROM THE POWER PERSPECTIVE

Chapter IV: The Power Perspective

With this fourth chapter, the attempt is made to indicate possible tracks for a formative dialogue regarding the spiritual master, between the partners of the dialogue, from the perspective of power in powerlessness.

Chapter V: The Pauline Formation Project as Formation to Power in Powerlessness

The fifth chapter explores the implications of the study for Pauline Formation in Asia. This is done in the context of the Pauline mission, which is to proclaim the Gospel with the media of communication. At this stage of human history the media are not simply instruments of communication; they have brought about a new, world-wide culture that transforms the human being from within and gives him more control over human life. What would a Master whose power lies in total self-gift and the vulnerability that comes with love have to say to such a culture?

In view of the integral formation project of the Daughters of St. Paul, this chapter also attempts to answer such questions as the following:

- what will the over-all impact be on Pauline formation, if it is structured around the central figure of Christ Master, Way, Truth and Life viewed from the perspective of power in powerlessness? What kind of formative and transformative relationship between Christ and the Daughter of St. Paul will be fostered by such a perspective?

- how would the formation to the vowed life be carried out if the vows are seen as radical modes of discipleship at the school of a Master whose power is best understood from a stance of powerlessness?

- what would the formation to community life be like if at the center of the community is a Master who washes his disciples’ feet, a Master whose power is for service, who gives his life for his disciples?

- what insights into the formator-formand relationship emerge when viewed from the perspective of the master-disciple relationship?

Chapter VI: The Spiritual Master and the Theme of Power in Film

This chapter aims at underscoring some essential elements of the spiritual master tradition—always from the key perspective of power in powerlessness—already touched upon previously. The chapter does not so much add new content as it provides one pedagogical tool for Pauline formation. The films selected do not exhaust the possibilities of choice; they provide a sampling of possible resources in line with the goal of the doctoral project. They are: Karate Kid I, II, III; Holy Smoke; Kundun; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. To this list could have been added George Lucas’ Star Wars series—the original trilogy and the prequels. In fact, tracing the gradual deformation of Anakim Skywalker to Darth Vader would make a fascinating study of how a person can gradually be corrupted and commit himself to the Dark Force of power as domination instead of service. The figure of the spiritual master is a constant in all the films of the series. However, the series is not complete as yet; it lacks one more prequel.

Conclusion and Recommendations:

The concluding chapter will be a brief summary of the content of the whole study and its more important insights. It will especially aim at indicating areas for future research on the topic and how this research can be facilitated.

Contents <<Prev Next>>

Pivotal Sources:

Pauline Congregational Materials:

Key writings of Fr. James Alberione (originals are in Italian and bibliographical information is given in the Bibliography; the official English translations, when available, are referred to here):

Abundantes Divitiae Gratiae Suae: Charismatic History of the Pauline Family. Trans. by Mike Byrnes. Rome: Societa’ San Paolo, Casa Generalizia, 1998.

Donec Formetur Christus in Vobis: Appunti di meditazioni ed istruzioni del Primo Maestro (1932). Editor – Andrea Damino. Roma: Societa’ San Paolo: Casa Generalizia, 1984.

Acts of Seminars on Jesus Christ as Master, Way, Truth and Life:

Jesus, the Master, Yesterday, Today and For Ever: The Spirituality of the Pauline Communicator. Acts of the International Seminar on “Jesus, the Master,” Ariccia, October 14-24, 1996. Trans. Andres R. Arboleda. Rome: Society of St. Paul General House, 1997.

Acts of the Continental Meeting on the Formation of the Daughters of St. Paul:
Integral Formation of the Paulines of Asia/Australia, Manila, 15-26
February 1999.

Basic Documents on the Formation of the Daughters of St. Paul:

Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul. Constitutions and Directory. Boston: Daughters of St. Paul, 1984.

__________. General Guidelines for Formation and Studies. Rome: Daughters of St. Paul General House, 1995.

Materials on the Hindu and Buddhist Spiritual Master Traditions:

Books:

Cornille, Catherine. The Guru in Indian Catholicism: Ambiguity or Opportunity of Inculturation. From the series: Louvain Theological and Pastoral Monographs. Louvain: Peeters Press, 1991.

Thangaraj, M. Thomas. The Crucified Guru: An Experiment in Cross-Cultural Christology. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1994.

Articles:

Boyd, James W. “Buddhas and the Kalyana-mitta.” Studia Missionalia 21 (1972): 57-76.

Dhavamony, Mariasusai. “The Guru in Hinduism.” Studia Missionalia 36 (1987): 147-174.

Irudayaraj, Xavier. “The Guru in Hinduism and Christianity.” Vidyajyoti 39, no. 8 (1975): 338-351.

Smithers, Stuart W. “Spiritual Guide.” The Encyclopedia of Religion. Vol. 14. Ed. Mircea Eliade. New York: Macmillan, 1987.

Wayman, Alex. “The Guru in Buddhism.” Studia Missionalia 36 (1987): 195-213.

Materials on Power:

Carman, John B. Majesty and Meekness: A Comparative Study of Contrast and Harmony in the Concept of God. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1994.

Kramer, Joel and Diana Alstad. The Guru Papers: Masks of Authoritarian Power. Berkeley: Frog, Ltd., 1993.

Schneiders, Sandra M.. Written That You May Believe: Encountering Jesus in the Fourth Gospel. New York: Crossroad, 1999.

ENDNOTES

1 Pious Society of the Daughters of St. Paul, General Guidelines for Formation and Studies (Rome: Daughters of St. Paul General House, 1995), nos. 0.1, 1.0.

2 Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Inter-Institute Collaboration for Formation (Pasay, Philippines: Paulines Publishing House, 1999), n. 7.2.

3 Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Journeying Together (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1999), 24.

4 Webster’s Dictionary, 1986.

5 Oxford English Dictionary, 1971.

6 Joann Wolski Conn, “Dancing in the Dark: Women’s Spirituality and Ministry,” in Women’s Spirituality Resources for Christian Development, ed. Joann Wolski Conn, 2^nd ed. (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1996) 9.

[a] “Congregation” is used here not in the sense of a group of people that habitually attend a particular church for worship. In the Roman Catholic tradition, especially when the word is qualified by the adjective “religious,” the term refers to a society of men or women who feel called and set apart by God to follow a particular form of Christian life marked by public profession of chastity, poverty and obedience (known also as the religious vows) to be lived in community for a specific mission. In C. V of the doctoral project this is explained in greater detail.

[b] “Charism” is the term used to define the specific identity of the religious congregation; it includes the vision and mission of the congregation, as well as its spirituality and specific approach to the mystery of Christ.