A Comparative Study of Medieval Religious Spirituality: Bonaventure’s Theory of Six Stages of Spirituality and Śaṅkara’s Sixfold Practice Theory of Advaita Vedānta
Religions December 26, 2023 Yixuan Liu 1 citation
A comparison of the six stages of spirituality in medieval Christian mysticism, as proposed by Bonaventure, with the six-fold sādhana of Advaita Vedānta, as taught by Śaṅkara, reveals both similarities and differences in the pursuit of ultimate reality. Bonaventure's stages—Sense, Imagination, Reason, Intelligence, Understanding, and Spark of Conscience—aim at unity with God, while Śaṅkara's practices—mind control, sense control, mental tranquility, endurance, potential faith, and concentration—seek unity of Brahman and Self. The comparison explores how medieval religious believers in both traditions desired ultimate reality and suggests possibilities for dialogue between Christianity and Advaita Vedānta.