Teresa de Ávila (1515–1582)

Celebrated for almost five centuries as a master of spiritual literature, 16th-century saint Teresa of Avila is one of the most beloved religious figures in history. Overcome one day by a mystical vision of a crystal castle with seven chambers, each representing a different stage in spiritual development, Teresa immediately wrote The Interior Castle. Probably her most important and widely studied work, it guides the spiritual seeker through each stage of development until the soul's final union with the divine. Free of religious dogma, this modern translation renders St. Teresa's work a beautiful and practical set of teachings for seekers of all faiths in need of spiritual guidance. It also places this classic book on spirituality —"a gem of mystical literature made accessible and relevant to the modern spiritual seeker" –Sharon Salzberg—in a contemporary context, reasserting its literary importance even after more than 400 years.… (more)

Celebrated for almost five centuries as a master of spiritual literature, 16th-century saint Teresa of Avila is one of the most beloved religious figures in history. Overcome one day by a mystical vision of a crystal castle with seven chambers, each representing a different stage in spiritual development, Teresa immediately wrote The Interior Castle. Probably her most important and widely studied work, it guides the spiritual seeker through each stage of development until the soul's final union with the divine. Free of religious dogma, this modern translation renders St. Teresa's work a beautiful and practical set of teachings for seekers of all faiths in need of spiritual guidance. It also places this classic book on spirituality —"a gem of mystical literature made accessible and relevant to the modern spiritual seeker" –Sharon Salzberg—in a contemporary context, reasserting its literary importance even after more than 400 years.… (more)

This book is party autobiography, part guide to developing a meditative prayer practice, and part descriptive list of miracles, visions, and raptures that she has experienced during her life. She also speaks at length about her desire to found a special house of prayer and poverty and the trials and tribulations she endured at the hands of her order as a result.

Overall, I think this book is interesting but the text itself is dry and repetitive. She spends a lot of time saying what a terrible person she is and how God has blessed her in spite of her quality and behavior. This can get tedious and you can practically feel the page count rising as she goes on and on about how worthless she is. I guess it was the fashion at the time. Still, the monastic life is such an unusual one that there is a certain fascination to hearing about it from the perspective of a saint.… (more)