COSMOTHEANDRIC REALITY Implications for interreligious and intercultural dialogue from the works of Raimon Panikkar

Abstract

The contemporary world has been characterized by living polarizations, both in the political and religious fields. Raimon Panikkar is a Catholic philosopher and theologian, engaged in deep dialogue with masters of Hinduism and Buddhism. Among his many learnings, the notion of “advaita” (non-duality) brought significant transformations to his understanding of philosophy, theology, and especially reality. This means that everything is in constant and profound relation, not in contradiction. This notion allowed him to understand the God-Human-Cosmos relationship in a profoundly integrated and articulated way, coining the expression "cosmotheandric reality." The merging of the cosmic dimension with the divine and anthropic dimensions is the novelty of the cosmotheandric vision, which expresses a spirituality and a commitment to transformation. What are the implications of this cosmotheandric notion for inter-religious dialogue? How does it enable transformations in social reality and provoke intercultural dialogues? Pluralism means plurality (difference), pluriformity (variety), and unattainable harmony (diversity). Realizing that there is "another" beyond "my" religious and cultural boundaries indicates that there is life and another understanding of the world beyond the horizons and knowledge standards established by a religion or culture. This communication, based on literature, proposes to discuss Panikkar's notion of cosmotheandric reality and point out its implications for inter-religious and intercultural dialogue. Theoretically, this notion can aid in the discussion of an epistemology of Applied Religious Studies as well as signal transformations in the practical articulations of the involved dialogues.