Panikkar
His Life and His Works
Maciej Bielawski
- One
- hundred
- years
- after
- his
- birth,
- the
- exceptional
- personality
- and
- eclectic
- knowledge
- of
- Raimon
- Panikkar
- are
- still
- the
- object
- of
- interest
- and
- research
- by
- scholars
- from
- all
- over
- the
- world,
- helping
- to
- strengthen
- the
- “Panikkar
- legend”.
- From
- this
- accurate
- biography,
- which
- intertwines
- his
- life
- with
- his
- works
- and
- follows
- the
- footsteps
- of
- the
- original
- erratic
- path
- of
- Tavertet’s
- philosopher,
- the
- profile
- of
- one
- of
- the
- main
- innovators
- of
- the
- Western
- theological
- and
- philosophical
- tradition
- emerges,
- a
- man
- who
- has
- dialogued
- with
- the
- greatest
- thinkers
- of
- the
- twentieth
- century
- and
- can
- rightly
- be
- counted
- among
- them.Born
- in
- Barcelona
- to
- a
- catalan
- mother
- and
- a
- hindu
- father,
- Raimon
- Panikkar
- (1918-2010)
- was
- a
- thelogian
- and
- philosopher;
- university
- professor,
- christian
- priest
- and
- prolific
- writer;
- great
- erudite
- and
- tireless
- traveler.
- Moved
- by
- the
- vocation
- for
- open
- discussion
- and
- mutual
- enrichment,
- this
- “artist
- of
- dialogue”
- has
- been
- able
- to
- inhabit
- the
- irreducible
- multiplicity
- and
- diversity
- of
- religions
- and
- cultures
- and
- has
- embodied
- the
- highest
- synthesis
- between
- East
- and
- West.
- Through
- Panikkar’s
- movements
- between
- Spain,
- Italy,
- India,
- United
- States
- and
- Catalonia
- we
- retrace
- the
- fundamental
- stages
- of
- his
- existence
- to
- penetrate
- the
- spirit
- that
- animated
- and
- shaped
- his
- thought,
- from
- the
- cosmotheandric
- vision
- (which
- affirms
- the
- inseparable
- trinitarian
- structure
- of
- reality
- in
- God-man-world)
- up
- to
- reflections
- on
- mythology,
- sacred
- secularity
- and
- Buddhism.The
- myth
- that
- has
- been
- built
- around
- this
- figure
- requires
- however
- to
- be
- read
- and
- interpreted
- to
- be
- able
- to
- see
- the
- man
- behind
- the
- “teacher”.
- This
- is
- Maciej
- Bielawski’s
- aim
- in
- this
- biographical
- portrait
- of
- Panikkar,
- in
- an
- attempt
- to
- “save”
- the
- person
- and
- the
- value
- of
- his
- work.
- With
- dedication
- and
- respect,
- Bielawski
- shows
- the
- sense
- of
- the
- path
- walked
- by
- the
- philosopher
- and
- guides
- us
- through
- the
- fascinating
- “Panikkar labyrinth”.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
