The Life of Teresa of Jesus: The Autobiography of Teresa of Avila

This is a must read to all those who want to reach sanctity. St. Teresa of Jesus writes about many things. One of the many things she wrote is on how hell LOOKS like. I LOVED this book!!!

The beauty and art of Mirabai Starr's translations of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross is her ability to convey their lives and souls and consciousness for today's seeker. The place and time in which Teresa lived is so completely different from even the monastics of our day that to render her every word, including her copious remarks of self-deprecation, would be an injustice to her spirit. She was a free thinker of her day and powerful in a way that was almost unknown for a nun in medieval Spain, but her world was significantly different than anything any of us would experience today, whether we are a monastic or a lay person. Mirabai's greatest triumph is her ability to communicate with the saints through her meditative and prayerful listening heart and to convey their spirit and message to seekers who come from diverse traditions. What comes to mind are the renderings of Rumi by Coleman Barks, the original language, metaphors and nuances of which are simply impossible to translate into contemporary English. It is only by becoming a "drinking buddy" with Rumi that Coleman has been able to bring Rumi's ecstatic poetry into our world. This, i feel, is a genius that Mirabai Starr possesses, to bridge the world of these Spanish mystics and ours so that their aspirations ignite ours. For such a glimpse into the souls of these saints, i am deeply grateful.

In another review, this book has been accused of being "false and misleading." Thinking about this accusation, I am reminded of a passage in Teresa's autobiography where certain confessors attempt to convince Teresa that her mystical raptures and visions are of an unholy origin. After some judicious consideration, Teresa decided that this couldn't be so---they were most certainly from God. After all, she reasoned, would the Devil really give such gifts as these which have only served to intoxicate her more and more with her Beloved Sovereign and which seem to have had such a salutary effect upon her character? And following this line of thought, I would suggest, as someone who has read and thoroughly enjoyed this translation, that a translation can never be anything but an interpretation, but the true mark of its success is in its transformative effect upon the reader. And though I am no stranger to spiritual literature, I often found myself awed by Teresa's spiritual mastery, her holy audacity and deep humility while reading this work. So I feel as if I must conclude that whatever material differences may exist between the original Spanish and this English translation, the sense and spirit have been translated in such a way as to have affected this reader quite profoundly. To my mind, Teresa of Avila: The Book of My Life by Mirabai Starr is a book of beauty and profound spiritual value, a true spiritual classic. I highly recommend this translation to anyone, Christian or otherwise, who seeks to deepen in spiritual practice, especially the practice of contemplative prayer, or to any who are simply looking for good models of holiness in the past still relevant for us today.

Mirabai Starr is a genius once again. Having read her previous translations, "Dark Night of the Soul" by John of the Cross, and Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila--I expected "The Book of My Life" to be compelling. But I didn't expect it to knock my socks off. Teresa's Book of Lives paints a portrait of a mystic in the making, and over time we begin to see where Teresa is headed---the unitive state. With one eye on precise translation and the other on the meaning behind every word--Starr sees clearly not only what Teresa was saying but also the mystery to which her words point. Starr introduces us to a Teresa who is down to earth but capable of soaring, nevertheless. Through her open translation Miabai Starr opens the eye of our understanding as to the unitive state toward which Teresa is headed. When Teresa longs for the unitive state, Mirabai Starr helps us get in touch with that longing. This ability to bring Teresa close, to make her live, to make her breathe, to ask her what it means to be human--to find ourselves in Teresa and find her in us--this is the greatest gift of "The Book of My Life."

Let me say right off that this was my first experience reading any of the writings of Teresa de Jesus (her chosen name) so I can't compare it to others. Teresa's writing style was a mixture of the style of the time (full of disclaimers and self-deprecation) and the romantic language of the books of chivalry she loved as a child (she referred to God as "His Majesty", and used images such as castles and jewels). The result, flowing from her pen in an often (I should say usually) disorganized fashion, is fresh and touching. I particularly enjoyed her description of the soul as a garden: the Lord plants it, but we are to cultivate it in order that our Lord may take His delight in walking in it. She describes prayer as the water that nourishes that garden: first through great labor drawn from a well, but later as a free gift from God showering down from heaven. Her more developed description, covering four stages of prayer, is remarkable. HOWEVER, this does not make it the best starting place for beginners who want to learn how to approach contemplative prayer (they might do better with Brother Lawrence, Thomas Keating, or some of Thomas Merton's work). I respect this translator, who included an excellent description on the decision-making process used in producing the translation, along with many footnotes referring to alternate interpretations and original Spanish text for concepts difficult to translate. A personal quirk of mine which should influence no one (but I have to say it) -- I hated the cover art. While it communicates Teresa's vivacious personality, it is frankly ugly, and all who knew Teresa agreed that she was in fact physically beautiful. I know we shouldn't judge by physical appearance, but if God gives someone the gift of physical beauty why portray them as ugly? Again, my personal quirk meaning nothing.Approach this read less as an educational experience and more as an opportunity to draw inspiration, hope and solace from the heart of Teresa: a woman who, weak and human as we all are, allowed God to transform her because of her hunger for communion with Him.

The Life of St. Teresa of Avila is one of the world's greatest spiritual creations. Written at the command of her superiors, it is the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila, a Spanish Carmelite nun, mystic, and religious reformer, in an age where women, mysticism, and political activism were considered bold and rare. I found it, at first, to be a difficult book - difficult because of its intensity, and difficult because of the level on which it is written - it comes out of the highest levels of communion and friendship with God. I could only read it in increments (it was too overwhelming). Later, I was able to reread it freely, because I had assimilated her language (a spiritual one) and point of view, and was familiar with it. Its greatness lies in her enthusiastic, attractive personality, her original and very holy spiritual insights, her adventurous path in her relationship with God, and the clear and amazing articulation of very high levels of prayer and action stemming from constant communion with God. Mysticism is very hard to articulate - THIS is why this book is great. It DOES articulate it. I think, of all her writings, it is the most amazing, clearest, and most insightful. Her nougats of wisdom on the spiritual life and life in the world have stayed with me, and I often think back to her - or to her preface - for both guidance and sustenance. It is not without cause that she was declared a doctor of the Catholic Church, and is looked upon as a very great saint in the Church. As she says, "Let nothing distress you, Let nothing disturb you, All things pass but God, Who alone is all. Patience will get thee, All that thou hast striven for. Cleave to God, and naught else will fail thee, for God alone is all."