The Integral Message

I have presented a brief outline of Panikkar's history, talents, and accomplishments. But his significance for the twenty-first century is far more. Not only has he articulated an understanding of reality as has emerged over the last century, but his admirers note he has been a living example of this new world. We are left with the question of what shaped and directed his life journey to accomplish this inner transformation of being? My contribution is to suggest that the seeds of his life are revealed in his desire to respond to the challenge of his own heritage, the mix of the Spanish and the Indian, the Western and the Eastern cultures. His dream was to unify the differences in his life. Surely this influenced his many experiences and understanding of his mission. He spoke of this story succinctly in the words, ‘humanity has lived its history with a mythos of conflict, and unless we create a new mythos of peace we will destroy ourselves. His goal is elaborated. 'My point is ... to trace the emergence of a new mythos that would both heal the wounds left by the past and gather up the valuable bits and pieces of modernity. He would attest to the success of this accomplishment in the words previously recorded, 'I left (Europe) as a Christian, found myself a Hindu, I returned as a Buddhist without ceasing to be a Christian.'

Panikkar's theology is grounded in the traditional Christian story of God, with the teaching of the Trinity at its heart. But Panikkar's life has been lived in the twentieth century during which time humanity has witnessed its greatest transition of all time. So significant was the change that along with other theologians Panikkar spoke of the notion of God as Being. His additional contribution was to speak of Being in Becoming. Being was Becoming and Becoming was Being. It captures the dynamic interactive interdependent unity of all. He saw this dream born of a non-dual mentality. The contemporary challenge for theology has been to respond to the transition moving from the dualistic perception of life to the non-dual. As Tony Kelly CSsR stated Christians have been preoccupied with trying to explain the impossible formula for the Trinity from a dualistic perspective, rather than speaking of Trinity as God's love commitment to his creation. Kelly’s book, 'Expanding Theology', is a call to create a new ongoing dialogue for our times. Panikkar has a similar call when he speaks of Jerusalem II. Recalling the first major challenge to the earliest church when the gospel message was moving from Judaism to the Gentile world, a Council of the church leaders was called in Jerusalem. As the first such Council, Panikkar referred to it as Jerusalem I. As contemporary society moves through this contemporary major transition, he believes it requires a similar meeting of such status to discuss non-dual expressions of its beliefs. This is the purpose of Panikkar's writings.

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