At seventeen, Fr. Yann Vagneux knocked on the door of a Carthusian monastery and was told to come back at twenty-one. At twenty-one he was in India instead, and South Asia has been home since. Varanasi became his Carthusian monastery, and life in the holy city of the Hindus deepened his Catholic faith.
In this conversation, Fr. Yann walks us through an ordinary day in Varanasi: studying Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures and weaving friendships across traditions. He speaks, with some reluctance, of his own inner life and of how the Katha Upanishad’s vision of the Absolute has touched him. He describes spiritual friendships so deep that communion becomes possible across differences. But he also warns that a careless mixing of religious traditions can erase the very differences we need to honor, fueling resentment and even violence.
Fr. Yann Vagneux is a French Catholic priest and theologian of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, currently based in Kathmandu. His publications in English include:
- A Priest in Banaras (2020)
- Indian Portraits: Eight Christian Encounters with Hinduism (2021)
- An Emulation of Sanctity: Hinduism and Christianity in Dialogue (2025)
- The Trinitarian Philosophy of Jules Monchanin: The French Years (1922–1939) (2026)
- The Trinitarian Mysticism of Jules Monchanin: The Indian Years (1939–1957) (2026)
Timestamps
00:00 Fr. Yann Vagneux: A French Catholic Priest in Varanasi
02:13 At 17, Knocking on a Carthusian Monastery Door
12:04 Discovering Henri Le Saux, Swami Abhishiktananda
25:52 Life Consecrated to India & Experiencing Hinduism
38:00 Emulation of Sanctity: Search for the Absolute and Building Bridges Between Religions
45:51 "The holy city of the Hindus made me more Catholic"
51:23 Co-Pilgrims: Unity That Does Not Erase Singularity
01:00:30 Neither Ignorance Nor a Syncretism That Erases Differences
01:15:16 Is there Diversity in Non-Duality?
01:27:27 The Trinity, Shankara, and "Not-Two Is Not One"
01:34:22 "Varanasi is my Carthusian Monastery": Daily Rhythm in the Ghats
01:44:38 Loneliness and Belonging: Finding Home in India
01:49:00 Prayer and Presence: The Essence of Spiritual Life
01:54:27 Advice to a Young Seeker: Find a Teacher, Don't Scatter
Intro and outro music by @BenBigelow3
#interfaithdialogue #interreligious #catholicindia #nonduality
