Expanding and Refining Christian Interpretations of Rāmānuja

In the last century there has been a remarkable expansion of studies of Rāmānuja by scholars outside the Śrīvaiṣṇava community. This paper concentrates on the contributions of some Christian scholars. Many of the earlier studies focused on Rāmānuja’s opposition to Śaṇkara’s interpretation of the Vedanta, with Roman Catholic scholars tending to favor Śaṇkara and Protestant scholars Rāmānuja. The Belgian Jesuit Pierre Johanns argued for a Christian reinterpretation of the Vedanta that would merge the truths in the different Hindu schools, giving primary importance to Śaṇkara, but modifying the Hindu teaching through the distinctive Christian doctrine of “creation out of nothing.” Later his fellow Jesuit Richard De Smet reaffirmed the primary value of Śaṇkara’s own genuine teachings for Christian theology. Current studies represented in this issue affirm the positive value for Christian theology of Rāmānuja’s version of the Vedanta. Christian studies continue to expand their treatment of Rāmānuja, examining not just his great commentary on the Vedanta Sutras but also all the other writings that his community ascribes to him. In addition, some scholars are looking at the devotional traditions before and after him, especially the hymns of the Tamil poet-saints, composed before, and the commentaries on those hymns, written in the first centuries after him. Such expansion of Christian interpretation requires greater interpretation among scholars, both Christian and Hindu. Christian learning from another religious position begins with noticing something similar though not the same as that in their own religion. Thus far, in the case of Rāmānuja, there is no agreement as to which similarities are more significant and how they relate to some specific version of Christian theology. There may be instances of partial convergence where it is impossible for a Christian either to affirm or deny the truth of Rāmānuja’s teaching. Here it may be important to recognize what is often considered an aesthetic judgment: appreciation. One example is a later Śrīvaiṣṇava estimate of Rāmānuja himself, that he fulfilled the “prophecy” of the poet-saint Nammalvar, being the one who initiated the end of our age of darkness and the return of the golden age

Book Review: Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Perspectives and Encounters

A review of Dr. Harold Coward\u27s Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Perspectives and Encounters

The Dilemma of Diversity and the Boon of Understanding

I want us to reflect on our religious diversity, and on the increasing religious diversity in North America, which Professor Diana Eck and her team of research students are now documenting and interpreting in the Pluralism Project

Protestant Bible Translations in India: An Unrecognized Dialogue?

During my first visit to Kyoto in the spring of 1980, I was given the privilege of attending a meeting of the committee of scholars supervising one of the two series of translations of Shinran Shonin\u27s works now appearing in English. Except for Dr. Minor Rogers, an American scholar of Shin Buddhism, and myself, all the other participants were Shin Buddhists belonging to the Western Temple branch of Shinran\u27s followers. Dr. Dennis Hirota, who has contributed several of the draft translations, is Japanese American. The rest of the group were Japanese. The procedure used by committee to review a draft, line by line, and sometimes word by word, reminded me of many Christian projects of Bible translation and revision

Loving God as a Devoted Servant

These three papers explore important facets of a central topic in comparing Hindu and Christian traditions: human love of God, which is related to the even broader topic of divine love for human beings. I had hoped that each of the authors would make some connections with the other two papers and thereby contribute to one or more imaginary dialogues. Since they have not done so, I shall try to link the aspects of Western and Indian traditions on which they touch, giving particular attention to the one explicitly comparative paper, that by Martin Ganeri

Effects of Emotional Inoculation and Supportive Therapy on Stress Incurred from Nursing Home Placement

Research indicates that relocation of an elderly person to a nursing home constitutes a major stress to the individual which can be life threatening. The present study was designed to assess the efficacy of two different treatment approaches in attenuating that stress. Thirty-six elderly persons being placed in nursing homes for the first time were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Subjects in the Emotional Inoculation (El) Group x;ere seen for three consecutive days in the hospital, prior to entering a nursing home, for purposes of giving them information about the facility and preparing them for some of the stresses they might encounter. Individuals in the Supportive Therapy (ST) Group were seen for three consecutive days during their first x*eek in the nursing home for the purpose of support in working through difficulties they might be experiencing. Subjects assigned to the Control (C) Group received no treatment either previous or subsequent to location in a nursing home. All subjects were given a battery of tests to assess level of psychological functioning during their first two weeks in the nursing home and again after two months in the home. The results offered no conclusive evidence regarding the absolute or relative effectiveness of the treatments in modifying the stress incurred by nursing home placement. The only evidence suggesting treatment effectiveness was the two week post placement staff ratings which indicated that the subjects in the ST Group were significantly better adjusted than the C Group subjects. Additional data suggested that females evidenced more anxiety and depression than males and that those subjects who believed they had a choice in the specific nursing home in which they were placed were less hostile than those who believed they had no choice in facility. Individuals who perceived their stay in the nursing home to be temporary were rated as less hostile than those who believed they would be permanent residents

The Mismatch Between Life Insurance Holdings and Financial Vulnerabilities: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances

Using the 1995 Survey of Consumer Finances and an elaborate life-cycle model, we quantify the potential financial impact of each individual's death on his or her survivors, and we measure the degree to which life insurance moderates these consequences. Life insurance is essentially uncorrelated with financial vulnerability at every stage of the life cycle. As a result, the impact of insurance among at-risk households is modest, and substantial uninsured vulnerabilities are widespread, particularly among younger couples. Roughly two-thirds of poverty among surviving women and more than one-third of poverty among surviving men results from a failure to insure survivors against an undiminished living standard. We also identify a systematic gender bias: for any given level of financial vulnerability, couples provide significantly more protection for wives than for husbands.

The mismatch between life insurance holdings and financial vulnerabilities: evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances

Using the 1995 Survey of Consumer Finances and an elaborate lifecycle model, we quantify the potential financial impact of each individual’s death on his or her survivors, and we measure the degree to which life insurance moderates these consequences. Life insurance is essentially uncorrelated with financial vulnerability at every stage of the life cycle. As a result, the impact of insurance among at-risk households is modest, and substantial uninsured vulnerabilities are widespread, particularly among younger couples. Roughly two-thirds of poverty among surviving women and more than one-third of poverty among surviving men results from a failure to insure survivors against an diminished living standard. We also identify a systematic gender bias: for any given level of financial vulnerability, couples provide significantly more protection for wives than for husbands.Insurance industry