Papers by Denis Rodrigues
Ānāpāna (mindfulness of breathing) is widely regarded as one of the earliest and most foundationa... more Ānāpāna (mindfulness of breathing) is widely regarded as one of the earliest and most foundational meditation practices attributed to the Buddha. While the Ānāpānasati Sutta is often treated as its definitive formulation, a comparative reading of canonical sources suggests a more complex developmental history. This article argues that the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, despite its likely later redactional status, preserves an interpretive layer that illuminates the internal dynamics of the practice. Drawing on both textual analysis and contemporary neurophysiological insights, the paper proposes that Ānāpāna functions as a mechanism for synchronising distinct levels of neural activity, resulting in deep cognitive and affective transformation. This integrative process is further situated within a broader framework of "triple praxis," wherein ethical life, conceptual understanding, and meditative discipline form a recursive system of mutual reinforcement.
Globalization is often described in economic or technological terms, yet such descriptions captur... more Globalization is often described in economic or technological terms, yet such descriptions capture only its surface manifestations. At a deeper level, globalization represents a profound transformation in the organization of human society and in the distribution of social responsibility among its key institutions. What is particularly significant is that globalization is not merely producing changes in degree-greater speed, scale, or reach-but changes in kind, reshaping how governments, markets, and civil society understand and enact responsibility for social well-being.
All too often, interreligious dialogue has concerned itself with doctrinal clarification or poli... more All too often, interreligious dialogue has concerned itself with doctrinal clarification or polite apologetics, limiting its capacity to foster genuine religious harmony. This article argues that lasting harmony cannot arise from belief-based dialogue alone, since the core doctrines of the world’s religions are largely non-negotiable. Drawing on historical examples from India’s long tradition of interreligious engagement and on insights from Christian and Buddhist thought, the essay proposes mystical experience as a deeper and more effective common ground.
Mysticism is approached not as an esoteric pursuit of spiritual elites but as a form of experiential awareness potentially accessible within ordinary life. Using a four-stage taxonomy of mystical experience developed by James Austen—ranging from immediate, pre-conceptual awareness to later doctrinal interpretation— the article shows how diverse religious traditions may encounter the same underlying reality while interpreting it through different cultural and theological lenses. This framework helps explain both the resonance and the limits of Buddhist–Christian dialogue, where ethical and spiritual practices converge even as metaphysical systems diverge.
The article concludes that religious harmony is most likely to emerge when attention shifts from doctrinal agreement to shared transformative experience. By recovering the universal dimension of everyday mysticism, religions may move beyond rivalry and towards mutual recognition, ethical convergence, and peaceful coexistence.
Back in the 1970s, Karl Rahner wrote " that the Christian of the future will either be a mystic o... more Back in the 1970s, Karl Rahner wrote " that the Christian of the future will either be a mystic or he will not be a Christian at all". Rahner is talking about an "mysticism of ordinary life'', accessible to everyone, grounded in everyday living and exemplified by Jesus. An everyday mystic is one who has had a direct and immediate experience of ultimate reality. However, all experience is intrinsically 'interpretation-laden', which is why mystical experiences are the same and yet different. All religions originate in the mystical experience of the Founder/s and this is 'unfolded' through a series of existential, philosophical and theological stages.
P ope Francis is a man who all his life has lived his faith, <br> questions and all. <br... more P ope Francis is a man who all his life has lived his faith, <br> questions and all. <br> For many people, Catholics and otherwise, who Francis<br> is, and what he stands for as a person, is perhaps epitomised<br> in a single statement: "Who am I to judge?" That remark<br> has also generated a<br> backlash, both inside the Church<br> and<br> outside. Moral relativism is,<br> and always has been, a<br> bugbear<br> for established religion. If Francis is to be judged guilty on this count, then he could probably find solace in<br> the thought that he would be in the same boat as Jesus, who<br> when challenged by a clear and unequivocal statement of<br> law, countered with an ad hominem answer – "Let him who<br> is without sin throw the first stone!" The Catholic Church,<br> through the centuries, has tried to deal with the ambiva-<br> lence in applying absolute stan...
Another Morvi in the Making
Economic and Political Weekly, Apr 8, 1989
Uploads
Papers by Denis Rodrigues
Mysticism is approached not as an esoteric pursuit of spiritual elites but as a form of experiential awareness potentially accessible within ordinary life. Using a four-stage taxonomy of mystical experience developed by James Austen—ranging from immediate, pre-conceptual awareness to later doctrinal interpretation— the article shows how diverse religious traditions may encounter the same underlying reality while interpreting it through different cultural and theological lenses. This framework helps explain both the resonance and the limits of Buddhist–Christian dialogue, where ethical and spiritual practices converge even as metaphysical systems diverge.
The article concludes that religious harmony is most likely to emerge when attention shifts from doctrinal agreement to shared transformative experience. By recovering the universal dimension of everyday mysticism, religions may move beyond rivalry and towards mutual recognition, ethical convergence, and peaceful coexistence.