Monasterio de La Encarnación, Ávila, Spain, 05/13/2019
In the front yard of this monastery was built on the basis of the interior castle of St. Teresa. I imagine the monks everyday making rounds while praying the rosary, approaching the central cross and then coming out again and again. This is also related to the dynamic symbol of convergence and diffusion of Tae-geuk(太極), the philosophical icon of Confucianism. The reason why a practitioner cultivates the Way does not stop at inner purification of himself, but is to share and broaden his enlightenment expressed as compassion with neighbors. Therefore compassion and mercy are something in common between Buddhism and Christianity achieved from cultivation.
The origin of St. Teresa’s Interior Castle came after she received a vision from Christ, picturing “the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of a very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions” (1). In the centre of crystal castle is the Sun, or the King, who gives all the splendour and beauty to the rest of the castle. The closer we approach the centre, the greater the light. Note that this vision bears remarkable similarities to the final vision in the New Testament: chapter 21 of the book of Revelation (private and public revelation matchup). Also, note that the seven mansions are more of a continuity (a gradual and imperceptible growth) rather than separate rooms. It is not like a video game where we jump from one level to the next. Summary of Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila
The seven mansions defined in the interior castle are also related to the seven stages of purification in Buddhism. The same is also true of the seven Chakra systems of yoga. Meditation is the process of cultivating the purification from the the body as material realm, to the subtle body of the mind.
I looked at the village inside the castle of Avila from the window of guest room at the monastery. It's like double nested castles. The seven circles of mansions symbol at the front yard seem to make bridge between the world of ascetic and the secular. Ascetics finally should go outside after cultivating mind with the weapon of wisdom and compassion. Like saint Teresa did.