A Trappist Meeting Monks from Tibet

BERNARD DE GIVE, for many years a member of the Society ofJesus, was for eight years a seminary professor, first in SriLanka then in India, before pursuing oriental studies at Oxford,where he formed friendships with Tibetan monks.Since becoming a Trappist in 1972, the author has enjoyedmeeting monks of other religions: Hindu Swamis, Jain ascetics,Buddhist monks and, above all, Tibetan Lamas.In 1977, a Benedictine and Cistercian Commission forMonastic Interreligious Dialogue (DIM - MID) wasestablished, and it was under these auspices that the author wasable to visit numerous Tibetan centres in Western Europe butalso in India and in Tibet itself.The invasion of Tibet by the Chinese communists in 1950,followed by the voluntary exile of the Dalai Lama and largenumbers of Tibetans, overturned the political and culturalcircumstances of a country which, though fiercely isolated forcenturies, now found itself suddenly propelled beyond itsborders. This traditional culture thus became accessible toWesterners who were eagerly seeking a form of spiritualitywhich corresponded to their needs and their anxieties. Theauthor, though he has a most real sympathy towards theDharma and its followers, is not a Buddhist, nor even a seeker.While stressing the 'obvious and considerable' doctrinaldifferences, he experiences an undeniable sense of encounter indepth with Tibetan Buddhists: 'The truest essence of thedialogue partners, especially when they are monks, encounters akindred spirit. Whether in conversation or in silence, they findthemselves in total dialogue.'