Even the Christians in India seem mostly unaware that the Ramakrishna Mission centers celebrate Christmas in great style. Except for the actual Midnight Mass, many features of the Indian Christian celebration are in evidence - scripture reading, carols, sweets, cakes etc. This is because Swami Vivekananda and his companions, sorely grieved over the death of their Master, had decided in a burst of inspiration (from whom?) on Christmas Eve to give up the world and form the religious community that eventually developed into the worldwide Ramakrishna Mission. Jesus belongs to all The universal fascination with the birth of Jesus is revealed in the way artists down the ages portray the Christmas story. Each of them finds it entirely appropriate to implant a national touch to the picture. For instance, the simple line illustration for this website article was produced by a non-professional Indian artist at my request on the spot in 10 minutes. If Jesus Christ belongs to all humanity, then it makes good sense to see how the same would look to us in India. The majority of Christmas cards in the world carrying the nativity scene have pictures from the classics of European art. But today, say, in Japan, Africa and India, Christmas cards are freely available portraying unmistakably the national features. On the other hand, the whole process of reflecting diversity through adaptation to varied cultural ways of thinking is slower. The attempt of Christian theologians to express the wonder of Jesus in familiar in Indian thought patterns is well under way, even if less well known to the general public. The mental development has not moved as fast as the artistic. The birth of Jesus actually contains in embryo the patterns, which later emerge in his adult life and teaching. The experience in his followers of the power of his death and resurrection led to Jesus being accepted as the Christ, i.e., 'the anointed one', sent into the world by the Father and alive within us through the Spirit. Without distorting any basic facts, the common presentation of Jesus as the 'word of God' and 'the Second Person of a Divine Trinity' is brilliant but owes much to the way of thinking in the cultures and experiences of his early followers, west of Jerusalem. At the same time, one may detect in Jesus an inner life, which cannot be confined to categories specific to any given culture. Jesus is therefore open to being understood in an Indian way. As an Easterner who belongs to the world, he is also ours to interpret in ways our people can better relate to. Basic Facts; Basic Questions; Mystery So first, let us begin with some basic facts. Jesus is a historical figure who lived in historically identifiable times. He wrote no books and left no picture of himself beyond the obviously personalized accounts from those who had vivid personal contact (the gospels), or from those who experienced his living power internally (e.g., the letters of Paul). He had no wealth or power or position to fall back on. He died a miserably painful and shameful death - "the only Guru who taught from a bed of pain" (as Rajneesh puts it). One can therefore ask some basic questions. Where does his influence come from? What kind of 'Avatar' is he? The basic facts leading to the basic questions must be faced before exploring how thought - patterns based on Indian Culture can illuminate the 'mystery' of this man whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. 'Mystery' here is not used in the Agatha Christie sense. Rather it means that the more one knows the more there is to know, and the more one loves the more there is to love. Mystery is evident in any man-woman relationship that is deep and genuine, for the other partner is then experienced essentially as 'mystery'. John and Paul: Easterners The mysterious bonding between two mysteries is the origin of each of us. The statement 'Tat tvam asi' in this context (the basis of our 'Namaskar') is clearly a profound mystery. Against this background of mystery two passages from the Bible are particularly important. For the first, at the end of his gospel John says: "This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down …There was much else that Jesus did; if it were written down in detail, I do not suppose that the world itself would hold all the books that would be written". (John 21: 24 - 25). Is this about knowledge or about love - or both? continue >> Archive