98 Sevartham

relation o f the human Jesus who lived on earth for a time

with the Jesus as eternal Logos (Jn. 1.1; Prov. 8 ; Isai
55.10-11)., T h e root problem lies in the connection be­
tween Jesus’ appearance ih historical time and his eschato-
logical meaning: parousiac, ideal, eternal; o f the relation
between Christ w ho lived in time and Christ as eternally
present with us; o f what Christ was for tue people o f his
past life-time and his presence with us as our eternal
contemporary today. T he same problem is raised in
another setting: the relation between the pre-Easter history
o f Jesus and the post-Easter faith in him — the relation
between the events in which Jesus was involved and the
meaning o f these events. It is the problem o f the texts
concerning the past history o f Jesus and their meaning
for us today.

A similar problem may be raised concerning the

life or existence o f any human being, i.e. the ultimate
quest: what is man ? Is man nothing more than an his­
torical phenomenon, or has he an eternal meaning, or
is and has he both ? Asking this question implies the
world-wide problem o f the relation between the temporal
finite and the Eternal Infinite.

The Problem in Hindu Context

People acquainted with the w orld o f Hinduism cannot
but be struck by the fact that Hindus face m uch the same
problems mentioned above. Hindus to o are to learn,
in keeping with their sacred books, to make the distinction
(viveka) between what is temporal and relative (saguna,
vyakta) and the Eternal-Absolute (nirguna, avyakta);
between what is limited and the Unlimited, between cons­
ciousness o f what is relative and Absolute consciousness.
A Hindu should becom e aware o f what he is already;
I, am Brahman (Aham brahmasmi). Furthermore Hindus
inquire how the Infinite manifests itself in the finite
avatars o f history, how the transcendent Absolute be­
comes, or appears to becom e, immanent in the relative
reality o f creation.
Christ as Brahman 99

Western Solutions of the Jesus

and Christ Problem
Various solutions have been proposed by Western
biblical scholars and theologians. Som e say: the Jesus
preaching in Galilee at a particular m om ent o f history
is not identical with the Christ that was preached in the
kerygma o f the early Church. Others deny all that is
divine or miraculous in Christ: what looks divine or mira­
culous is to be demydT.ologized. R . Bultmann is well
known. He it is who is asking most radically the question
o f the relation between the history o f Jesus and the meaning
given to it by faith in Christ (Historie-Geschichte).

T he question to be asked here is the follow ing: is

Bultmann’s interpretation o f Jesus Christ biblical and
Christian, leaving room for the supernatural ? There
may be a serious doubt about the answer when we com ­
pare Bultmann’s faith in Christ and the Hindu advaita-
experience o f Brahman. Are the two really different ?
Is the ‘ Christian ’ existence o f Bultmann at all different
from the advaita experience o f existence ?

Both Bultmann' and a H indu advaitin are out for

an immediate experience o f the Eternal Presence o f G od
to w hom all being and action is to be referred. By the
way, a similar question could be asked about the reali­
zation o f ‘ the New Being ’ o f which P. Tillich spe^Jcs:
is it different from the Hindu Brahman realization

Bultmann’ s Position
T o com e to a correct understanding o f Bultmann’s
stand, its context should be considered, particularly the
relations he conceives between revelation, faith, the Scrip­
tures, Jesus Christ, and authentic existence.

Bultmann seeks for a direct and im m ediate contact

with Christ, not through the medium o f past history but
o f faith o f today. Historical events are o f the past, they

1. Jerom C om ., 1968, Section 41, nr 45-52: B U L T M A N N .

100 Sevartham

are no longer available. Faith in the Risen Christ who

is alive, even now, is possible today.2
For Bultmann it is the act o f faith that counts, not
its content. This means to say that Bultmann is looking
for an experience here and now o f G od and Christ. The
quality o f faith, i.e. o f the act o f total surrender to God,
is important, not so the ‘quantity’ o f revealed dogmas. And
it is in his decision to surrender to G od that a believer
experiences his authenticcxistcnce, as it is revealed by
G od in the Scriptures. Faitli is a surrender lo G od who
reveals himself in the Scriptures as the one who is “ all
in a l l ” (1 Cor 15-28). Faith is an act o f surrender, it
is not a holding for true (what is read in the Scriptures),
nor is it a conclusion drawn from reasoning.

A believer must learn to distinguish between G od

and creation, between the Absolute-Vertical and the
relative-horizontal. T o overlook this distinction means un­
belief. A believer is called to make a radical decision: he is
to give himself up fully to G od w ho is his All. T o make
this surrender, a believer does not find any support from
what is creaturely. History, arguments, reflection are
not a support for faith in Christ. Inner faith is not in
need o f help from the outside world. Looking for security
from creatures is deceptive. T he eternal meaning o f
faith is not built on the elements o f the world in any way.
G od judges and saves us, not through a doctrine for­
mulated in human statements, but through an ever new
act o f revelation which elicits from us an ever new act
o f faith. Neither G od ’ s revelation nor pure faith can
be put in fixed formulas, nor can they have any fixed
criteria. Scripture is important, not for the historical
data it provides, but for the fact that it reveals the eternal
G od w ho alone reveals the eternal meaning o f man’s
authentic existence.

The Scriptures and faith lead man t o . ask the ques­

tion: W h o am I ? Bultmann’ s answer is that the authentic
2. R. Bultmann, Glauben u n d Varstehen, I-I V , T u bin g ee 1933-1965; V ol. I, pp.
106-109.
Christ as Brahman 101

existence becomes real in the act o f surrender to God.

Preaching this faith in a surrender to G od is Scripture
‘ in act Since Scripture is written in history-bound
language, :t is to be demythologised i f it is to yield its
‘ eternal ’ meaning. It is through faith in the Jesus Christ
o f the Scriptures that G od reveals today the eternal
m eaning o f m an’s existence: G od k the A ll o f man. This
realization is salvation, freedom, liberation.
From now on man learns not to rely on creatures.
He begins to live eschatologically, sub specie aelernilatis,
in keeping with the ‘ eternal ’ meaning o f his existence.
Living in the world all the time, a believer must keep at
an inner distance, eternal and eschatological. Faith, as
Bultmann sees it, sets a believer free from self, the w orld
and history, and opens him out to G od and the neighbour.

Hindu and Bultmann’ s Realization of God

W hen the Hindu realization o f G od and the one
proposed b y Bultmann are set side by side, it is not at all
clear whether there is any real difference between the
two.®
T h e H indu experience o f Brahman is an act o f radical
surrender (Prapatti) without any content drawn from
concrete data o f history (no Nama-Rupa). This surrender
is not produced by human arguments or efforts; it is
‘ given ’ by Brahman. T he core o f H indu spiritual ex­
perience is said to be the experience o f the ‘ Eternal ’
Presence o f Brahman in the cosmos and in the heart o f
man (atm an). T h e atman or ultimate self o f man is
said to be ‘ o n e ’ with Brahman. It is beyond all per­
ception o f the mind, the senses, or conceptualization
which are linked up with history or culture.
T h e Absolute Brahman is the Ultimate Concern,
the U nlim ited Sea o f Being (Sat). T otal surrender to
this unconditioned (avyakta) Absolute is the advaita
realization o f non-duality. It fulfils m an’ s inner urge
3. Klostermaier, Khristuidyax Bangalore, 1967; Abhishiktananda, ** A n A p ­
proach to H indu S p iritu a lity ", Clergy Review, 1969, pp. 163-174; R obert V achon ,
“ Pour une Foi chr^tienne & la Lumi£re hindoue ” , E glise vivante, 1969, pp. 117-134-.
102 Sevartham

to be one with the Eternal. Discernment (viveka) bet­

ween what is Real and non-real, Immortal and mortal,
is the antecedent condition for com ing to the knowledge
o f Brahman: Brahmavidya. For Sankara advaita reali­
zation requires complete exclusion from matter and its
conditions: time, space, history. Brahman is not even
faintly like anything in creation. The advaita experience
needs no support from anything created. And Ishvara
(personal Brahma) is the transition and link between the
Absolute o f Brahman and the relative reality o f creation.
He is the link between the Eternal and the created.

Conclusions from the Comparison

Bultmann’ s faidi comes very close to what Hindus
consider to be the experience o f the Presence o f the Eternal
Absolute. It may be granted that botli Hindus and
Christians can have this experience. The question is:
is it sufficient for a Christian experience ? Bultmann,
presumably, could answer that his faith is ‘ supernatural ’ .
One should say: the Hindu surrender to the Absolute
can also be supernatural (“ in those who are born from
G o d ” , Jn. 1.14).
D id Bultmann foresee what problems he laises for
Christians in Hindu surroundings ? Does Christian dis-
cernemnt (viveka) demand nothing more than an in­
communicable experience o f m an’s unconditional existence,
leading to surrender in faith to the Absolute ?

Bultmann’ s answer to the question o f this paper:.

Is the experience o f Christ as Brahman a Christian ex­
perience ? should be, in keeping witia his dichotom y
between the Jesus o f history and the Christ o f faith: yes,
it is (even though nothing crcaturely, i.e. nothing o f the
Jesus o f history, enters this experience). But for those
who hold the traditional Christian view that the Jesus
o f history is the Christ o f faith, and vice versa, the answer
is different. It is not a Christian experience o f G od, be­
cause for us Jesus-Christ is the W ay. For us Christians
the experience o f ‘ Eternal Christ ’ or Logos is but a ‘ partial
Christ as Brahman 103

aspect o f the ‘ to ta l5 experience o f Jesus-Christ who is

both Eternal G od and temporal man, “ w hom we (the
Apostles) have heard and seen and touched with our
hands, the Logos w ho is Life (1 John, 1,1).

Bibliography
R. B ultm ann , Clauben und Versiehen, I-I V , T ubin gen, 1933-1965, V ol. I, 106-109.
K . K , Khristvidya.
l o s t e r m a ie r Bangalore, 1967.
A , ‘ An A pproach to H indu Spirituality ’ , Clergy Review, 1969, pp. 163-74.
b h is h ik t a n a n d a

R. V achon , ‘ Pour une Foi C hrcticnnc a la Lumi&re H in d o u e ’ , Eglise VivanU, 1969,

pp. 117-134.
J. V elam kunnel, ‘ Transcendental Experience o f G od according to T h. M erton
(typed Thesis) R o m e , 1975.
J . L opez -G ay , in Bulletin (Secret, pro non-christianis), X , 2. nr. 30, 1975, p. 334: on
the meta-historical Christ.
Jerom e Biblical Commentary, 1968, Section 41, nrs 45-52: on Bultmann.
 F A T H E R O F N A T IO N & P R IN C E O F SATYAG RAH IS
W hat do you think about Jesus? Do you accept Jesus as the Saviour?
I regard Jesus as a great teacher o f hum anity a divine teacher. I can accept Jesus as a m artyr, an em bodim ent o f sacrifice.
His death on the cross is a great exam ple to the world, but that there is anything m ysterious or m iraculous virtue, in my
heart I can not accept. I cannot accept him as only begotten son o f God. M etaphorically, we are all begotten sons and
daughters o f God, but for each o f us there may be different begotten sons o f God in a special sense. Thus for me,
chaitanya can be the begotten son o f God.

D on ’t you believe in the perfection o f hum an nature, and d on ’t you believe that Jesus had attained perfection?
1 believe in the perfection o f hum an nature. Jesus came as near to perfection as possible. He was not the perfect. To say
that he was perfect is to deny G od’s superiority to man. On this m atter I have my own theory. M y own being necessarily
limited by the bonds o f flesh, we can attain perfection only after dissolution o f the body. T herefore God alone is
absolutely perfect. W hen H e descends to earth, He o f H is own accord limits Himself. Jesus died on the cross because he
was lim ited by the flesh.

Does historical Jesus m atter you? I m ay say that I have never been interested in historical Jesus. 1 should not care if it
was proved by som eone that the man called Jesus never lived and that w hat was narrated in the Gospel was a figm ent o f
the w riter’s im agination. For the Sermon on the M ount would still be true for me.

Do you believe in the m iracles perform ed by Jesus?

From my youth, I learnt the art o f estim ating the value o f scriptures on the basis o f their ethical teaching. M iracles,
therefore had no interest for me. There is no m iracle in the story o f the multitude being fed on a handful o f loaves. A
m agician can create that illusion. But w oe w orth the day on which a m agician would be hailed as the saviour o f humanity.
As for Jesus raising the dead to life, well, I doubt if the men he raised were really dead. I raised a relative’s child from
supposed death to life, but that was because the child was not dead. She m ight have been crem ated. But I saw that life
was not extinct. I gave her an enem a and she was restored to life. There was no m iracle about it. I do not deny that Jesus
had certain psychic pow ers and he was undoubtedly filled with the love o f humanity. B ut he brought to life not people
who were dead, but w ho w ere believed to be dead. The laws o f N ature are changeless, unchangeable and there are no
m iracles in the sense o f infringem ent or interruption o f N atu re’s laws. But we limited beings fancy all kinds o f things.

W hat about Jesu s’ sacrifice on the cross?

In the suprem e sacrifice o f Jesus Christ on the cross, I see an unfailing source o f inspiration for whole hum ankind.

W hy Satyagraha - the w ay o f the cross?

The CROSS brings out fresh aspects o f Jesus’ life. Christ was the suprem e exam ple o f Satyagrahis. He dem onstrated how
the soul force fights and overcom e evil only with the w eapons o f truth and law. The C ross is an explication o f the Hindu
concept o f Ahimsa. It m eant not m erely non-violence but more - love and charity. So Satyagrahis had not only refrain
from harm ing the opponent but should refrain from ill will and bitter thoughts. It was the exercise o f the soul force in
opposition to evil w hich w ould not rest till the evil was overcom e.

W hy do you consider Jesus C hrist as the prince o f all Satyagrahis?

Jesus C hrist is regarded as prince o f those who practice non-violence; I maintain that N .V in this case m ust be understood
as Satyagraha and nothing else. JC through his death on the cross has transform ed hum ankind. He has renewed human
life everyw here not ju s t within the Church. I refuse to believe that there now exists or has ever existed a person that has
not made use o f C hrist’s exam ple to lessen his sins. The lives o f all have, in some greater or lesser degree, been changed
by his presence, his actions, and the words spoken by his Divine Voice. Therefore, Christ belongs not only to Christianity
but to the entire w orld, to all races and peoples even though the doctrines they hold and the form s o f worship they
practice m ight be different from each other.

Is w hole B ibie inspiring you?

For me O T is uninspiring, but I am fascinated by the refreshing teaching o f N T and was im pressed by the life and
character o f Jesus Christ. I felt the beauty o f SOM. It im pressed my mind and becam e a (doctrine) dom inant fact which
moulded my life. I also advised my follow ers to immerse them selves in the teachings o f the SOM - especially —blessings
o f the poor. C hrist’s life and exam ple reached the depths o f my heart. I am im pressed by C hristianity as a WAY OF LIFE
and not an ecclesiastical creed.

W hat shaped you r value system - ideas?

M y serious conversations with the Christian - during m y stay in London. I had opportunity to m eet some worthy and
noble C hristians and study the N T. From that time my earlier resentm ent gave place to positive appreciation and
adm iration.
W hat are the aspects you followed from Jesu s’ life?
Intimacy with God. Inexhaustible, non-exclusive com passion for people. Abandoning com fort o f a secure and pleasant
life out o f com passion for his oppressed people and the burning desire to liberate them.

W hat is your opinion about LO V E? Jesus lived and died in vain if he did not teach us to regulate the w hole o f life by
the eternal low o f love.

W hat is K ingdom o f God for you?

I am profoundly im pressed by the N T sym bol o f the KOG - both in individual and social aspects. It revealed me the inner
truth o f the C hristian m essage in its moral aspect. In the son o f man J saw Christian life at its highest point fully
exem plified by Jesus Christ. 1 am also im pressed by those earliest Disciples o f Christ, who gave up everything in order to
realize KOG. 1 am deeply m oved because KOG belonged to the HUM BLE and the POOR. KOG is within You and Me. I
have no desire for the perishable kingdom o f earth but I am striving for the kingdom o f heaven which is spiritual
deliverance. Social point o f view - KOG meant for me the ideal society in which justice in done ‘unto the L ast’. KOG
involved the establishm ent o f right re-ships between institution and com m unities. Here a good life is lived for the sake o f
others.

W hat inspiration do you draw from the K O G ? Is R am R ajya (K ingdom o f R am a) sim ilar to K O G?
Ram rajya is an ideal com m unity, a society o f m utuality, love and concern. R am rajya stands on the foundation o f ethics
and m orality w here love, peace, justice, com m union, freedom and harmony would reign. R am rajya and KOG aim at
egalitarian, harm onious society strengthened in accord with freedom and love.

W ill you consider y ou rself as a C hristian?

I cannot claim to be a Christian in the sectarian sense o f the term . But the exam ple o f Jesus’ suffering is a facto
com position o f my undying faith in non-violence which rules all my tem poral actions.

W hy you did not em brace Christianity?

If a man reaches the heart o f his own religion, he has reached the heart o f the others too. There is only one God, but there
are many paths to Him.

W hat do you feel about C hristianity and Christians?

T he pious lives o f C hristians do not give me anything that the lives o f other faith have failed to give me. I have
other lives ju s t the sam e reform ation that I have heard am ong Christians. Philosophically there is nothing extraordinary in
Christian principles. It is im possible for me to regard C hristianity as a perfect religion or the greatest o f all religions.

Do you think that only Christians are true chosen people o f God?
N o, I alw ays think that if C hristians are the chosen ones o f God - it is to deny God H im self to be the Father and
R edeem er o f all.

Is changing the religion necessary to attain salvation?

There is no reason for changing religion. It is im possible for me to believe that I could go to heaven or attain salvation
only by becom ing a Christian.

W hat is you r opinion on conversion?

R eligious faith is the strongest force by w hich many people are sustained in the conduct o f their life. So I would say that
no one should be induced to reject his own tradition outright. Just as a man cannot renounce his own body, his fam ily and
his kin, so also he one cannot renounce his cultural and religious heritage into which he is born. For me CONVERSION
in the sense o f SELF-REA LIZA TIO N is very vital for every religious com m unity. Inner change o f the heart is necessary.
The life o f service and sim plicity is the best preaching. To live the Gospel is the most effective way. A rose does not need
to preach. It sim ply spreads the fragrance. The fragrance is its own sermon. The fragrance o f religions and spiritual life is
much finer and subtler than that o f a rose.

W hy are you so loyal to H induism ?

There was indeed a time when I was w avering between Hinduism and Christianity. Believing as I do in the influence o f
heredity, being born in a Hindu family, I have rem ained a H indu. I should reject it, if I found it inconsistent with my
moral sense or my spiritual growth.