S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 7 - 1 S p r i n g 2 0 2 1 5 Slavomír Gálik language, for example, we will find St. Teresa of Ávila and her writings on Christian, chiefly Carmelite spirituality, while in the Pāli language we will be able to find material concerning Buddhist spirituality. Words will be completely different in these cases, therefore similarities between what these language elements describe will have to be looked for in similar spiritual experience. Yet how are we to determine whether these spiritual experiences are similar? A Christian does not know Buddhist spirituality and, vice-versa, a Buddhist does not know Christian spirituality. Though it is possible that they both may study the other’s spirituality, there still will be some uncertainty as to whether we understand it correctly. Ideally, one would have to embrace both religions, then the person would be able to come with a more adequate comparison. History proves that something like this can really happen, for instance, Bede Griffiths, an English Benedictine monk who spent many years in various Hinduist ashrams, or Hugo M. Enomiya-Lassalle, a German Jesuit priest, who dedicated his life to the practice of Zen in Japan. Now, also thanks to globalization, there are more people who practice the same. Despite being firmly attached to their original religion, they claim that deep inside the Self, the spiritual and mystical cores of religions meet each other. Based on his experience with Buddhism, Bede Griffiths (1997, 92–94) expressed the following: “The greatest reality is experienced deep in the soul, in the core, or in the center of consciousness and at the same time in the person’s very Essence … Experiencing God is described in the word of Sat-Chid-Ananda. God, the greatest existence, is experienced as the absolute existence (Sat), full consciousness comprehension (Chit), and pure bliss (Ananda).” Although this approach and comparison offer great potential for inter-spiritual dialogue, we should still be cautious as language and historical context shape spiritual experiences considerably. We are now witnessing the so-called new comparativeness. On the one hand, it rejects premature generalizing and essentialism, on the other hand, it emphasizes the fact that we must not ignore the language and historical context of the period when a given religious and spiritual concepts were developed (Millet Gil 2019, 16–24). The question still remains, what do the words that describe given spirituality, or a certain stage of spiritual development mean and to what extent this may be approachable for a person of a different spiritual tradition? 2.2 Subtle Energies as a Comparison Tool We learn about the existence of the so-called subtle energies (energies hidden in chakras, and active up along the spine) from spiritual iconography and mystical and spiritual texts that exist in all of the major religions, including Christian religion and Buddhism. In the Christian iconography, we see the traditional golden aura around a saint’s head. In Buddhist iconography, specifically in the case of statues or paintings of Buddha, the depiction of energy forms and flows is rather complex. We see the most complex concept of subtle energies (chakras, Kundalinī, nādīs) in yoga, so we will mostly be using this terminology and concept when comparing the spirituality of St. Teresa of Ávila and Rōshi Jiyu-Kennett. The etymology of the word chakra comes from Sanskrit and means “circle” or “wheel”. Kumar and Larsen Kumar (2006, 239–240) claim that “chakras are energy whirls that correspond with certain nervous plexus. Before kundalini is awakened, chakras only have limited energy resources, similar to batteries. Chakras develop in concrete phases of development and represent milestones on the road of evolution.” These authors talk about seven specific chakras: 1. Mūlādhāra chakra at the root of the spine; 2. Svādhishtāna chakra placed at the spine above genitals; 3. Manipūra chakra placed around the solar plexus; 4. Anāhata chakra placed close to the spine in the heart area; 5. Vishuddhi chakra placed near the throat in the spinal column; 6. Āgyā chakra placed in the middle of the brain; 7. Sahasrāra chakra placed above the crown of the head.
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