Indian Ashrams are generally small houses dedicated to prayer, search for God and contemplation. In the last years, they have attracted thousands of western young people craving spiritual guidance. Their presence has gone a long way to stimulate Christian contemplative life among Indian Christians as both a reaction against false or imperfect Hindu mysticism and a challenge or emulation in a real and deep search for God.

Because of the urgent need for, and lack of, contemplative religious, active Orders in the Church started ashrams and houses of prayer, but often rather as a new kind of retreat house. And the religious who run them acknowledge that their work is not what it could be because they have not the gift to live contemplative life as a group.

Aware of this situation in India and in other eastern countries, Vatican II in the decree Ad Gentes #18 requested all religious in these missions to integrate in their life ascetic and contemplative traditions those ancient cultures received from God as a preparation for the Gospel. At the end of the same chapter, monastic and contemplative orders are requested to start two kinds of houses: traditional ones, and others more simple, like in ancient monasticism, but adapted to local conditions. In #40 it adds that they should be adapted to the religious traditions of the local people.

At present Hindu ashrams are imported by the hundreds into America and young people who have benefited from them in the East flock to them. They have become so much a part of their culture that many Westerners become Hindu monks and nuns. The missionary work and religious dialogue has to start in our countries, and the best among these young people are urging us, contemplative monks and sisters, to start Christian contemplative ashrams where people of good will can learn Christian ways of contemplation in a setting familiar to them. This could also be a transition towards traditional monastic life, which has become strange and foreign to them.

The Roman Secretariat for non-Christian Religions repeatedly requested the AIM Secretariat to do everything possible so that monastic and contemplative orders become aware of this need and answer it in the line described by the texts of Vatican II quoted above.

At first sight, it may seem that this new kind of house differs from our traditional way. In fact, whatever may be the ashrams started by others, what we are requested to create are contemplative ashrams dedicated to the search for and adoration of God, and thus they would be in deep agreement with the nature, character and purpose of our Benedictine contemplative life.