Richard De Smet
Encyclopedia
Richard De Smet was a Jesuit Indologist
(Sankara
specialist) and missionary
to India.
, Belgium
, he came to India
as a young student of theology
in 1946. Upon completion of his theological studies, he studied Sanskrit
in Calcutta under Georges Dandoy, Pierre Fallon and Robert Antoine, all members of the so-called "Calcutta School
" of Jesuit Indologists. Provoked by a talk by Dr S. Radhakrishnan
at a meeting of the Indian Philosophical Congress at Calcutta in 1950, where Radhakrishnan claimed that Sankara
was a purely rational philosopher, De Smet decided to show that he was, instead, a srutivadin, a theologian who subordinated reason to the revealed (apaurusheya) scripture. De Smet went on to do his doctorate on The Theological Method of Samkaracarya, completing it at the Gregorian University
, Rome
, in 1953. Though he never got round to publishing this thesis, it became famous among Indologists and there are hundreds of copies in circulation.
Returning to India in March 1954, De Smet began to teach at the newly opened centre for philosophical studies of the Jesuits at De Nobili College, Pune
. At first he was assigned courses traditional in Roman Catholic seminaries
(which he taught in Latin
, also composing Guidelines for students): Introduction to Philosophy + Minor Logic; General Metaphysics: Rational Theology (which he subtitled Brahma Jijnasa), Special Questions of Metaphysics. But he also introduced a course on Samkhya
, and began inserting "large doses of Indian philosophy" into the traditional treatises. By 1968, he was able to open a special section for Indian Studies
in his institute, by now renamed Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth
(JDV). Over the years 1968-75, he composed his Guidelines in Indian Philosophy, cyclostyled notes for students beginning with the Ancient Indian Vedic period and going up to Sankara.
In the meantime, right from 1954 De Smet began attending various meetings of Indologists and Indian Philosophers: the Indian Philosophical Congress, the Poona Philosophy Association, the Bombay Philosophy Union, the newly formed Indian Philosophical Association. After an initially suspicious reception (a Dr Chubb roundly accused him of excessive missionary zeal at the Kandy
session of the Indian Philosophical Congress in 1954), his competence and self-possession won the day and he soon found himself being invited to lecture or give courses at universities and colleges across the country. He was also asked to collaborate with the Marathi Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Marathi Tattvajnana Mahakosa) project in Pune
, and went on to become the most prolific contributor with a total of 68 articles. Besides these, he wrote some 128 entries for Verbo: Enciclopedia Luso-Brasileira de Cultura, of which some 47 are still to be found in the latest edition, and 2 entries for the Telugu Encyclopedia.
De Smet engaged not only in dialogue not only with academics and scholars but also with religious people. He was a frequent invitee to the Sivananda Ashram
at Rishikesh, where he would lecture on Sankara and other topics, but also, on request, about Jesus
and Christianity
. He visited the Ramakrishna missions in various parts of the country, and also the Aurobindo Ashram
at Pondicherry. He had contacts with the Caitanya Vaisnava movement at Vrindavan
. Invited by the Sikhs
to the four hundredth anniversary celebrations of their founder, he spoke about Guru Nanak and Jesus Christ
. Despite not being an expert in Islam, he found himself being invited also by Muslims of the Jamia Millia University
in Delhi
. He spoke often to the Jains
of Pune and wrote for their The Voice of Ahinsa. He participated in the pro-dialogue meetings organized by Swami Abhishiktananda
(the French Benedictine monk
Dom Henri Le Saux) under the patronage of the Swiss Ambassador, J.-A. Cuttat. He was invited for lectures on Hinduism
to the Kurisumala Ashram founded by Francis Acharya
(Fr Francis Mahieu) at Vagamon, Kerala
. He also engaged willingly with Christians of other denominations, teaching in their universities and seminaries, participating in their conferences, meetings and seminars, and even giving retreats to staff and students, far before the word ecumenism
became popular in the Catholic Church.
De Smet will be remembered for two major contributions to Indological scholarship. The first was his fresh interpretation of Sankara
as a non-dualist realist rather than a world-denying illusionist. This interpretation hinged on his discovery, or rather reinforcement of Olivier Lacombe's discovery, of the fact that Sankara used analogical predication in expounding the meaning of the mahāvākyas
(great sentences) of the Upanisads such as Tat-tvam-asi
and Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma. The world is neither atyanta Sat like Brahman
, nor is it atyanta Asat like the son of a barren woman. It is, instead, a reality that is completely and ontologically dependent on Brahman. And once the notion of creation is purified of anthropomorphism
, it is possible to speak of Brahman as creator and cause of the world, without detriment to its oneness, immutability, perfection and freedom. The second was his demonstration that, given the original meaning of 'person' which was coined by Christian theologians to speak precisely of the divine mysteries of the Trinity
and the Incarnation
, the supreme Brahman (Nirguna Brahman
), far from being impersonal, is indeed personal in the highest and supreme sense of the term.
Richard De Smet died in Belgium on 2 March 1997. Julius J. Lipner
, professor at Cambridge
, student and friend of De Smet's, called him one of the "unsung pioneers" of the interpretation of Indian thought, and his passing away "the end of an era in the annals of Indological scholarship in India," the era of "the foreign missionary scholar who made India a home over many years, loved its peoples and its cultures, emphathetically studied rich strands of its religious inheritance, and sought in a spirit of enlightened appreciation to enter into a dialogue at depth." Bradley J. Malkovsky calls him "one of the twentieth century's giants in Hindu-Christian dialogue" and "one of the foremost authorities in the twentieth century on the Hindu theologian Samkara."
Among his few books are the following:
Among his articles:
, Pune.
The 2011 Lecture was given by Prof Dr. Ramachandra Pradhan, University of Hyderabad
, on 21 January 2011. He talked on “The Contributions of Western Philosophy to the World Cultures and the Future of Philosophy.” Earlier Lectures were given by eminent personalities like: Prof Frank Clooney, George McLean, Richard Sorabjee, etc.
Indology
Indology is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent , and as such is a subset of Asian studies....
(Sankara
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
specialist) and missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to India.
Life
Born at CharleroiCharleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, he came to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
as a young student of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
in 1946. Upon completion of his theological studies, he studied Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
in Calcutta under Georges Dandoy, Pierre Fallon and Robert Antoine, all members of the so-called "Calcutta School
The Calcutta School of Indology
The Calcutta School of Indology consists of a group of Jesuit missionary scholars based mostly in Calcutta and including William Wallace, SJ , Pierre Johanns , Georges Dandoy, Joseph Putz, Joseph Bayart, Robert Antoine, Camille Bulcke, Michael Ledrus, Pierre Fallon and Jan Feys...
" of Jesuit Indologists. Provoked by a talk by Dr S. Radhakrishnan
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , OM, FBA was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He was the first Vice President of India and subsequently the second President of India ....
at a meeting of the Indian Philosophical Congress at Calcutta in 1950, where Radhakrishnan claimed that Sankara
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
was a purely rational philosopher, De Smet decided to show that he was, instead, a srutivadin, a theologian who subordinated reason to the revealed (apaurusheya) scripture. De Smet went on to do his doctorate on The Theological Method of Samkaracarya, completing it at the Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, in 1953. Though he never got round to publishing this thesis, it became famous among Indologists and there are hundreds of copies in circulation.
Returning to India in March 1954, De Smet began to teach at the newly opened centre for philosophical studies of the Jesuits at De Nobili College, Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
. At first he was assigned courses traditional in Roman Catholic seminaries
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
(which he taught in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, also composing Guidelines for students): Introduction to Philosophy + Minor Logic; General Metaphysics: Rational Theology (which he subtitled Brahma Jijnasa), Special Questions of Metaphysics. But he also introduced a course on Samkhya
Samkhya
Samkhya, also Sankhya, Sāṃkhya, or Sāṅkhya is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy and classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered as the founder of the Samkhya school, although no historical verification is possible...
, and began inserting "large doses of Indian philosophy" into the traditional treatises. By 1968, he was able to open a special section for Indian Studies
Indology
Indology is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent , and as such is a subset of Asian studies....
in his institute, by now renamed Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth
Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth
Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth is a Pontifical Institute for Philosophy and Religions, located at Pune, India. It caters predominantly to the philosophical and theological formation of catholic priests in India with a student population of more than 750 and faculty of 25.In 70's and 80's it was the...
(JDV). Over the years 1968-75, he composed his Guidelines in Indian Philosophy, cyclostyled notes for students beginning with the Ancient Indian Vedic period and going up to Sankara.
In the meantime, right from 1954 De Smet began attending various meetings of Indologists and Indian Philosophers: the Indian Philosophical Congress, the Poona Philosophy Association, the Bombay Philosophy Union, the newly formed Indian Philosophical Association. After an initially suspicious reception (a Dr Chubb roundly accused him of excessive missionary zeal at the Kandy
Kandy
Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
session of the Indian Philosophical Congress in 1954), his competence and self-possession won the day and he soon found himself being invited to lecture or give courses at universities and colleges across the country. He was also asked to collaborate with the Marathi Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Marathi Tattvajnana Mahakosa) project in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, and went on to become the most prolific contributor with a total of 68 articles. Besides these, he wrote some 128 entries for Verbo: Enciclopedia Luso-Brasileira de Cultura, of which some 47 are still to be found in the latest edition, and 2 entries for the Telugu Encyclopedia.
De Smet engaged not only in dialogue not only with academics and scholars but also with religious people. He was a frequent invitee to the Sivananda Ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
at Rishikesh, where he would lecture on Sankara and other topics, but also, on request, about Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. He visited the Ramakrishna missions in various parts of the country, and also the Aurobindo Ashram
Sri Aurobindo Ashram
The Sri Aurobindo Ashram was founded by Sri Aurobindo on the 24 November 1926 . At the time there were no more than 24 disciples in the Ashram...
at Pondicherry. He had contacts with the Caitanya Vaisnava movement at Vrindavan
Vrindavan
Vrindavan also known as Vraj is a town in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India...
. Invited by the Sikhs
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
to the four hundredth anniversary celebrations of their founder, he spoke about Guru Nanak and Jesus Christ
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Despite not being an expert in Islam, he found himself being invited also by Muslims of the Jamia Millia University
Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia is an Indian Central University located in Delhi. It was established at Aligarh in United Provinces, India in 1920. It became a Central University by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988...
in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. He spoke often to the Jains
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
of Pune and wrote for their The Voice of Ahinsa. He participated in the pro-dialogue meetings organized by Swami Abhishiktananda
Abhishiktananda
Abhishiktananda was the name taken by the French Benedictine monk Henri le Saux, whose religious experience in India led him to become a bridge between Hindu and Christian spirituality.From childhood he seemed destined for a religious life and entered 'minor seminary' at the age of 11, becoming a...
(the French Benedictine monk
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Dom Henri Le Saux) under the patronage of the Swiss Ambassador, J.-A. Cuttat. He was invited for lectures on Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
to the Kurisumala Ashram founded by Francis Acharya
Francis Acharya
Francis Acharya is a Cistercian Monk and the founder of Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj,Kurisumala Ashram.- Early life :...
(Fr Francis Mahieu) at Vagamon, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. He also engaged willingly with Christians of other denominations, teaching in their universities and seminaries, participating in their conferences, meetings and seminars, and even giving retreats to staff and students, far before the word ecumenism
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
became popular in the Catholic Church.
De Smet will be remembered for two major contributions to Indological scholarship. The first was his fresh interpretation of Sankara
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
as a non-dualist realist rather than a world-denying illusionist. This interpretation hinged on his discovery, or rather reinforcement of Olivier Lacombe's discovery, of the fact that Sankara used analogical predication in expounding the meaning of the mahāvākyas
Mahavakyas
The Mahavakyas are "The Great Sayings" of the Upanishads, the foundational texts of Vedanta. Though there are many Mahavakyas, four of them, one from each of the four Vedas, are often mentioned as "the Mahavakyas"...
(great sentences) of the Upanisads such as Tat-tvam-asi
Tat Tvam Asi
Tat Tvam Asi , a Sanskrit sentence, translated variously as "That thou are," "Thou are that," "You are that," or "That you are," is one of the Mahāvākyas in Vedantic Sanatana Dharma...
and Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma. The world is neither atyanta Sat like Brahman
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
, nor is it atyanta Asat like the son of a barren woman. It is, instead, a reality that is completely and ontologically dependent on Brahman. And once the notion of creation is purified of anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
, it is possible to speak of Brahman as creator and cause of the world, without detriment to its oneness, immutability, perfection and freedom. The second was his demonstration that, given the original meaning of 'person' which was coined by Christian theologians to speak precisely of the divine mysteries of the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
and the Incarnation
Incarnation (Christianity)
The Incarnation in traditional Christianity is the belief that Jesus Christ the second person of the Trinity, also known as God the Son or the Logos , "became flesh" by being conceived in the womb of a woman, the Virgin Mary, also known as the Theotokos .The Incarnation is a fundamental theological...
, the supreme Brahman (Nirguna Brahman
Nirguna Brahman
Nirguna Brahman, signifies in Hindu philosophy the Brahman that pervades the Universe, considered without form , as in the Advaita school or else as without material form, as in Dvaita schools of philosophy.-Advaita:According to Adi Shankara, the famous reviver of Advaita...
), far from being impersonal, is indeed personal in the highest and supreme sense of the term.
Richard De Smet died in Belgium on 2 March 1997. Julius J. Lipner
Julius J. Lipner
, who is of Indo-Czech origin, is at the .He was born and brought up in India, for the most part in West Bengal. After his schooling in India, he obtained a Licentiate in Theology in the Pontifical Athenaeum in Poona, and then spent two years studying for an M.A. in Indian and Western philosophy...
, professor at Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, student and friend of De Smet's, called him one of the "unsung pioneers" of the interpretation of Indian thought, and his passing away "the end of an era in the annals of Indological scholarship in India," the era of "the foreign missionary scholar who made India a home over many years, loved its peoples and its cultures, emphathetically studied rich strands of its religious inheritance, and sought in a spirit of enlightened appreciation to enter into a dialogue at depth." Bradley J. Malkovsky calls him "one of the twentieth century's giants in Hindu-Christian dialogue" and "one of the foremost authorities in the twentieth century on the Hindu theologian Samkara."
Writings
Early in his career, De Smet made the option to meet requests arising from his dialogical activity inside India rather than produce pieces of Indological research. He also decided to give preference to the requests of Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Muslims, etc. over those of Christians. As a consequence, most of his production consisted of occasional pieces in a wide variety of relatively inaccessible Indian publications. This also resulted in his hardly being known outside India. Even in India, the scattered nature of his output has resulted in his largely being ignored in Christian theological circles.Among his few books are the following:
- Philosophical Activity in Pakistan. Pakistan Philosophical Congress Series. Lahore, 1961.
- Hinduismus und Christentum (ed. and contributor). Vienna: Herder, 1962.
- Religious Hinduism (ed., with J. Neuner, and contributor). Allahabad: St. Paul Publications, 1964, 1968, 1997.
- La Quête de l’Éternel, Approches Chrétiennes de l’Hindouisme, Museum Lessianum, Section missiologique, no. 48. Paris: Desclee de Brouwer, 1967.
- Brahman and Person: Essays by Richard De Smet. Ed. Ivo Coelho. Delhi: Motilal BanarsidassMotilal BanarsidassMotilal Banarsidass is a leading Indian publishing house on Sanskrit and Indology since 1903, located in Delhi, India. It publishes and distributes serials, monographs, and scholarly publications on Asian religion, philosophy, history, culture, arts, architecture, archaeology, language,...
, 2010. - Understanding Sankara: Essays by Richard De Smet. Ed. Ivo Coelho. Delhi: Motilal BanarsidassMotilal BanarsidassMotilal Banarsidass is a leading Indian publishing house on Sanskrit and Indology since 1903, located in Delhi, India. It publishes and distributes serials, monographs, and scholarly publications on Asian religion, philosophy, history, culture, arts, architecture, archaeology, language,...
, forthcoming.
Among his articles:
- "Indiens Beitrag zur allgemeine Metaphysik.” [Indian Contribution to General Metaphysics.] Kairos (Salzburg) 3/4 (1961) 161-182.
- "Patterns and Theories of Causality.” Philosophy Today 9/2-4 (1965) 134-146.
- "Some Governing Principles in Indian PhilosophyIndian philosophyIndia has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back to ancient times. According to Radhakrishnan, the earlier Upanisads constitute "...the earliest philosophical compositions of the world."...
.” Philosophy Today 9/3-4 (1965) 192-199. - "Māyā or Ajñāna?” Indian Philosophical Annual 2 (1966) 220-225.
- “Zum indischen Menschenbild.” [Concerning the Indian View of Man.] Kairos (Salzburg) 8/3-4 (1966) 197-202.
- "The Indian Renaissance: Hindu PhilosophyHindu philosophyHindu philosophy is divided into six schools of thought, or , which accept the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures. Three other schools do not accept the Vedas as authoritative...
in English.” International Philosophical Quarterly 8/1 (1968) 5-37. - "Śaṅkara and Aquinas on Liberation (Mukti).” Indian Philosophical Annual 5 (University of MadrasUniversity of MadrasThe University of Madras is a public research university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the three oldest universities in India...
) (1969) 239-247. - "The Law of Karma: A Critical Examination.” Indian Ecclesiastical Studies 8/3 (1969) 181-187.
- "Śaṅkara and Aquinas on Creation.” Indian Philosophical Annual 6 (1970) 112-118.
- “The Indian Understanding of Man.” Indian Ecclesiastical Studies 10/3 (1971) 169-178.
- "Is the Concept of ‘Person’ Suitable in Vedanta?” Indian Ecclesiastical Studies 12/3 (1973) 155-162.
- "Advaitavada and Christianity.” Bulletin of the Secretariate for Non-Christians 23-24 (1973) 143-146.
- “Suggestions for an Indian Dialogical Theology.” Bangalore Theological Forum 5/1 (1973) 74-80.
- "Towards an Indian View of the Person.” Contemporary Indian Philosophy. Series II. Muirhead Library of PhilosophyJohn Henry MuirheadJohn Henry Muirhead was a British philosopher best known for having initiated the Muirhead Library of Philosophy in 1890...
. Ed. M. Chatterjee. London: Allen and Unwin, 1974. 51-75. - "Pathways for Evangelization in India.” Lumen Vitae 29/3 (1974) 403-417.
- "The Open Person and the Closed Individual.” Journal of the Philosophical Association 15/47 (1974).
- "The Status of the Scriptures in the ‘Holy History’ of India.” Research Seminar on Non-Biblical Scriptures. Ed. D.S. Amalorpavadass. Bangalore: NBCLC, 1974. 280-299.
- "A Copernican Reversal: The Gītākāra’s Reformulation of Karma.” Philosophy East and West 27/1 (1977) 53-63.
- A Short History of the Person. Abstracts from Indian Philosophical Quarterly 4/1 (Oct. 1976), 4/2 (Apr. 1977) and 2/4 (July 1975). Poona: University of PoonaUniversity of PuneThe University of Pune , is a university located in northwestern Pune, India. It was founded in 1949. Spread over a campus, the university is home to 46 academic departments...
, 1977. - "The Philosophers’ Transition from AtheismAtheismAtheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
to TheismTheismTheism, in the broadest sense, is the belief that at least one deity exists.In a more specific sense, theism refers to a doctrine concerning the nature of a monotheistic God and God's relationship to the universe....
from the Fourth to the Eleventh Century A.D.” Challenges of Societies in Transition. Ed. M. Barnabas, P.S. Jacob and S.K. Hulbe. New Delhi: Macmillan, 1978. 310-338. - "Origin: Creation and Emanation.” Indian Theological Studies 15/3 (1978) 266-279.
- "The Indian Ascertainment of the Godhead (from the Vedas to Udayanācārya).” Indica 16/1 (1979) 59-73.
- "The Integrative Doctrine of God in the Bhagavad-Gītā.” Prayer and Contemplation. Ed. C.M. Vadakkekara. Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 1980. 139-158.
- "Forward Steps in Śaṅkara Research.” (Pratap Seth Endowment Lecture on Śaṅkara Vedānta: Indian Philosophical Congress, 62nd session, 6-9 June 1987, University of Kashmir, Srinagar.) Darshana International (Moradabad, India) 26/3 (1987) 33-46.
- "Dynamics of Hinduism and Hindu-Christian Dialogue.” Communio: International Catholic Review 15 (Winter 1988) 436-450.
- "Radhakrishnan’s Interpretation of Śaṅkara.” Radhakrishnan Centenary Volume. Ed. G. Parthasarathi and D.P. Chattopadhyaya. Delhi: Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 1989. 53-70. - "Radhakrishnan’s Second Presentation of Śaṅkara’s Teaching.” Prajña: Kashi Hindu Vishvavidyalaya Patrika (Special issue for S.R.’s Centenary smṛti) 34 (1989) 83-96.
Festschrifts
- Kozhamthadam, Job, ed.Interrelations and Interpretation: Philosophical Reflections on Science, Religion and Hermeneutics in Honour of Richard De Smet, S.J. and Jean de Marneffe, S.J. New Delhi: Intercultural Publications, 1997.
- Malkovsky, Bradley J., ed. New Perspectives in Advaita Vedanta: Essays in Commemoration of Professor Richard De Smet, SJ. Leiden / Boston / Köln: Brill, 2000.
Secondary literature
- Coelho, Ivo. “Fr. Richard V. De Smet (1916-97): Reminiscences.” Divyadaan: Journal of Philosophy and Education 8/1 (1997) 3-15.
- Coelho, Ivo. “Introduction.” Brahman and Person: Essays by Richard De Smet. Ed. Ivo Coelho. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2010. 7-24.
- Coelho, Ivo. "De Smet, Richard." ACPI Encyclopedia of PhilosophyACPI Encyclopedia of PhilosophyThe ACPI Encyclopedia of Philosophy is an encyclopedia of philosophy produced by the Association of Christian Philosophers of India , with Johnson J. Puthenpurackal as Editor-in-Chief and George Panthanmackel as Associate Editor...
. Ed. Johnson J. Puthenpurackal. Bangalore: ATC Publications, 2010. 1:382-385. - Grant, Sara. Śaṅkarācārya’s Concept of Relation. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1999.
- Lipner, Julius. “Śaṁkara on Metaphor with reference to Gītā 13.12-18.” Indian Philosophy of Religion. Ed. R.W. Perrett. Kluwer Academic PublishersSpringer Science+Business Media- Selected publications :* Encyclopaedia of Mathematics* Ergebnisse der Mathematik und ihrer Grenzgebiete * Graduate Texts in Mathematics * Grothendieck's Séminaire de géométrie algébrique...
, 1989. - Lipner, Julius. “Śaṃkara on satyaṃ jñānam anantaṃ brahma (TaiUp. 2.1.1).” RelativismRelativismRelativism is the concept that points of view have no absolute truth or validity, having only relative, subjective value according to differences in perception and consideration....
, Suffering and Beyond: Essays in Memory of Bimal K. Matilal. Ed. P. Bilimoria and J.N. Mohanty. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1997. - Malkovsky, Bradley J. “The Personhood of Śaṃkara’s Para Brahman.” The Journal of ReligionThe Journal of ReligionThe Journal of Religion is an academic journal published by the University of Chicago Press founded in 1882 as The American Journal of Theology. The journal "embraces all areas of theology as well as other types of religious studies ."...
77 (1997) 541-562. - Malkovsky, Bradley J. “Advaita Vedānta and Christian Faith.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 36/3-4 (1999) 397-422.
- Malkovsky, Bradley J. The Role of Divine GraceDivine graceIn Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...
in the Soteriology of Śrī Śaṃkarācārya. Leiden / Boston / Köln: Brill, 2001. - Satyanand, Joseph. Nimbārka: A Pre-Śaṁkara Vedāntin and His Philosophy. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1997.
- Vattanky, John. “Fr Richard De Smet, S.J.: Friend, Scholar, Man of Dialogue.” Vidyajyoti: Journal of Theological Reflection 71/4 (April 2007) 245-261.
De Smet-de Marneffe Memorial Annual Lectures
A memorial lecture is organized annually for the staff and students of The Faculty of Philosophy, Jnana-Deepa VidyapeethJnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth
Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth is a Pontifical Institute for Philosophy and Religions, located at Pune, India. It caters predominantly to the philosophical and theological formation of catholic priests in India with a student population of more than 750 and faculty of 25.In 70's and 80's it was the...
, Pune.
The 2011 Lecture was given by Prof Dr. Ramachandra Pradhan, University of Hyderabad
University of Hyderabad
The University of Hyderabad is a post-graduate teaching and research institute in India. It was established by an act of the Parliament in 1974 as a Central University. The university also offers courses under distance learning programs...
, on 21 January 2011. He talked on “The Contributions of Western Philosophy to the World Cultures and the Future of Philosophy.” Earlier Lectures were given by eminent personalities like: Prof Frank Clooney, George McLean, Richard Sorabjee, etc.
Bibliographies
- Coelho, Ivo. “Richard V. De Smet, SJ: A Bibliography.” Divyadaan: Journal of Philosophy and Education 20/1 (2009) 109-157.
- Kozhamthadam, Job (ed). “Writings of Richard De Smet, S.J.: A Select Bibliography.” Interrelations and Interpretation: Philosophical Reflections on Science, Religion and Hermeneutics in Honour of Richard De Smet, S.J. and Jean de Marneffe, S.J. New Delhi: Intercultural Publications, 1997. 265-284.
- Malkovsky, Bradley J (ed). “Bibliography: A bibliography of the publications of Richard V. De Smet, SJ.” New Perspectives in Advaita Vedānta: Essays in Commemoration of Professor Richard De Smet, SJ. Leiden / Boston / Köln: Brill, 2000. 165-178.