The principle of relatedness in the ecological ethic of Bede Griffiths

Bede Griffiths, O.S.B. Cam (b. 1906) has been a bridge-builder between cultures and religions through his dialogue with them. The Rule of St. Benedict encouraged Griffiths to seek God in truth and thus to transform the world. Griffiths found in his dialogue with other religions that Mahatma Gandhi in his ashram observances was following a rule of life that was similar in many respects to the Rule of Benedict. This discovery was the beginning of Griffiths' effort to connect East and West and his effort to promote the principle of relatedness aimed at ecological consciousness. The purpose of this dissertation is to describe, analyze, and critically question Griffiths' writings in order to see whether they were relevant to his attempt to promote an ecological ethic.; Part I describes the background of Griffiths' life and work within which the development of his dialogue with other religions is seen. Griffiths' adaptation to the life of a renunciant (sannyasa) and the ashramite observances that he followed describe how Griffiths became a Gandhian, playing the role of a bridge-builder.; Part II analyzes the way in which Griffiths promoted his new vision of reality by relating contemporary science to Eastern mysticism. It describes how Griffiths sought to view reality, seeing its physical, psychological and spiritual elements as interdependent.; Part III describes and analyzes the meaning of Griffiths' theory of complementarity. Griffiths' attempt to promote this principle is examined in the light of the mystical elements of the Eastern religions and Christianity, how advaita (non-duality) served as a key toward a vision of harmonious wholeness and how Griffiths defined the principle of relatedness.; In Part IV Griffiths' ecological ethic and its constitutive elements are critically analyzed to show their relevance to the contemporary discussions regarding the "new paradigm." Griffiths' originality is seen in his work toward the convergence of science, Eastern, and Christian fifth. Finally, Griffiths as a bridge-builder is seen as a votary of sarvodaya (the progress of all) and a major contributor to global ethic.