The most recent episode of Callings features hosts Erin VanLaningham and John Barton speaking with Anantanand Rambachan, scholar of Hinduism and interreligious studies and professor emeritus of religion, philosophy, and Asian studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. He is also a co-president of the global interfaith network Religions for Peace and is active in the dialogue programs of the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican. His numerous books include A Hindu Theology of Liberation and Pathways to Hindu-Christian Dialogue.
Hired in 1985 at St. Olaf as the first Hindu scholar in the religion department, Anant’s pedagogy was deeply influenced by his beliefs that the classroom was a sacred space and that “the sacred [was] present in each one of [his] students.” He understood that this vision of the sacred required him to engage not only with the voices of the powerful in the study of his tradition but also with the voices of the excluded and disempowered. His scholarly interests reflect that vision as well, especially in his work on liberation theology and Hindu ethics.
Involved in interfaith dialogue for over 40 years, he finds hope in our common ground of working for the well-being of others. He also stresses the importance of “see[ing] your tradition through the eyes of others” and how it can lead us to helpful self-critique. Since retiring from teaching, he has co-founded the Minnesota Multifaith Network, which he describes as seeking to build “inclusive and just communities.”
In this conversation, Anant discusses the importance of dialogue, retirement as a time for spiritual practice, our need for self-expression to live with purpose and meaning, and our moral obligation to the common good. He encourages us to “reinvite young people to consider the sacred.”
Click here to listen to the episode featuring Anantanand Rambachan titled “Sacred Invitations.”
Stephanie L. Johnson is the editor of Vocation Matters.