導言

聖德蘭在 1577 年 6 月 2 日聖三主日動筆寫《靈心城堡》，同年 11 月 29 日聖安德肋節前夕完稿。中間有五個月停筆，¹實際撰寫的時間僅約四週——上半部兩週，下半部又兩週。寫得如此迅速，是因聖人早已構思好全書架構。1577 年 1 月 17 日，她寫信給住在亞味拉的弟弟唐.洛倫佐.德.塞佩達說：「我已向主教唐.阿爾瓦羅.門多薩索回我那本書（《生平》），打算把主近日新賜的恩惠補進去。靠著這些新恩惠，甚至可另寫一部相當篇幅的新作，只要主賜下表達自己的能力；否則，損失也不算什麼。」²她從不主動請求動筆，總要等長上下令。這次的命令，是赤足加爾默羅會安達魯西亞與卡斯提爾兩省會長熱羅尼莫.格拉先神父，以及托萊多座堂議員、後來的奧斯馬主教唐.阿隆索.委拉斯開茲下的。³聖人當時身體欠佳，常抱怨頭內鳴響和其他病痛；最棘手的，是會內長上與宗座大使針對改革派修女、修士採取的舉動，使她憂心如焚。十月，亞味拉「降生隱院」的修女選舉新院長，事態更嚴重——儘管省會長明令禁止，仍有五十五位選舉人投了聖人的票，當下被宣告絕罰。整個改革大業彷彿瀕臨崩潰，聖人和她所有的朋友都蒙羞受辱，飽受詆毀虐待。

《靈心城堡》通篇看不到那些苦楚的痕跡。聖德蘭專注思想的能力非凡，她把清晨和深夜留給寫作，其餘時間則處理修會事務。本書動筆時所在的托萊多隱院修女、聖誕聖母瑪利亞修女後來見證說，⁴她常看見聖人寫作——多半在領聖體之後——容光煥發，下筆飛快，全神貫注，旁人發出任何聲響都不察覺、也不在意。天使之母瑪利亞納修女⁵從同一位見證者口中聽過另一件事：有一天她進到聖人房裡傳話，聖人正要鋪開新的稿紙；摘下眼鏡聽她說話時，便陷入神魂超拔，一連持續了好幾個小時。那位修女嚇得不敢動彈，只是目不轉睛盯著聖人看。等聖人甦醒，原本空白的紙竟已寫滿。聖德蘭發現訪客看見了，便悄悄把紙放進盒子。另一位修女、聖方濟的瑪利亞，留下這樣的見證：「我知道我們的聖母寫了四本書——《自傳》、《全德之路》、《建院記》和《居所》——後三本我都親眼見她寫過。有一次她正在寫最後一本，我進去傳話，她全神貫注沒注意到我；那張臉好像被光照亮，美得難以言喻。聽完我的話，她說：『孩子，你坐一下，趁主告訴我的話我還沒忘，讓我先寫下來。』隨後她飛快不停地寫下去。」⁶

聖若瑟的瑪利亞修女說，她聽聖誕聖母瑪利亞修女講過：當初是熱羅尼莫.格拉先神父命聖人寫《居所》。聖人原本懇求免除這項任務——歷代聖賢與博學之士已寫了那麼多書，留給一名女子可寫的，幾乎再無什麼。她最終仍順服而行。這位聖誕聖母瑪利亞修女在聖人寫作時常常出入她的房間，每每見到她容光煥發，手中筆鋒在紙上飛馳，速度幾乎不像出於人力。⁷

1581 年 11 月 8 日，聖德蘭寫信給塞維亞隱院院長聖若瑟的瑪利亞修女，請她代向耶穌會羅德里哥.阿爾瓦雷斯神父傳話：「我們的神父（即當時的省會長熱羅尼莫.格拉先）告訴我，他把我寫的一本書交給你了；也許你不想自己讀。請在阿爾瓦雷斯神父下次來時，將最後一座居所讀給他聽，但要遵守告解的封印——這是他憑高深的智慧吩咐的。此事只給你們兩位知道。請告訴他：他熟識的那一位（聖人）已抵達這座居所，享受其中所述的平安；她已徹底安息，幾位嚴謹的神學家也向她保證，她走在一條穩妥的路上。倘若你無法念給他聽，就別把書寄去，免得徒生不快。我未得他的回覆前，不會再寫信給他。代我向他問安。」

原稿末段、結語前（標有「Ihs.」之處），有阿爾瓦雷斯神父親筆寫下的批註：「塞維亞隱院院長已將第七重居所讀給我聽——此乃靈魂於今生所能抵達之境。願眾聖讚美天主無限的美善：祂如此向受造物自我通傳，使其切實追求祂的光榮與近人的得救。我對此書的感受與判斷是：所聽到的一切，皆合乎天主教真理，符合聖經與眾聖的教導。凡讀過聖傑爾圖德、西恩納的聖凱瑟琳、瑞典的聖碧瑾，及其他聖人與屬靈作家著作者，必能清楚明白耶穌的德蘭母親（原文如此）所秉之神確屬真實，因其結出的果實與眾聖所結相同。此確為我的判斷與意見，故簽名以證。1582 年 2 月 22 日。羅德里哥.阿爾瓦雷斯神父。」⁸

本書多半是在聖人親自指點下抄錄的，她又改動了許多地方；完稿後，原件呈交熱羅尼莫.格拉先神父及道明會的迭戈.德.揚瓜斯神父審閱。兩人，尤其是前者，作了大量更動。富恩特直言這些更動冒昧無理，整句整句劃掉，又加上別的字。即便如此被改過，這本書仍享有一定聲譽，雖不及聖德蘭本人更為偏愛的《自傳》。完稿後不到一週，她寫信給耶穌會的薩拉查神父說：「卡里約先生（即薩拉查本人）若來訪，那位當事人（聖人）認為他會看到另一顆寶石，在她看來，比前一顆（《自傳》）更為出色。這顆寶石不映照任何外物，卻自有耀目之美；琺瑯紋飾比前者更細膩，做工也更精到。誠如那位當事人所言，當年珠寶匠打造前一顆時，閱歷尚淺。新作的金質也優於舊作，只是寶石鑲嵌不及前者得宜。一切自然出於那位珠寶匠（指主）親自的設計。」⁹後來她又寫信給格拉先神父說：「我覺得這本後寫的書勝過《自傳》，至少我下筆時更有經驗。」¹⁰

有一天，她與耶穌的瑪利亞修女談論屬靈之事，提到自從她到達第七重居所所述的「神婚」境界，主向她通傳的事如此豐盛，她認為今生在祈禱之路上已無法、也無心再前進。¹¹

凡是拿得到這本書的人，無不爭相閱讀。在薩拉曼卡的總主教修院，學生們在晚餐後公開朗讀此書，甚至一反常規地放棄休息時間，唯恐錯過如此造就人的教導。後來有幾位走上修道生活：一位入方濟會，另外兩位已取得學位的，則加入赤足加爾默羅會。¹²另有一位女士因閱讀《靈心城堡》而入了貧窮佳蘭隱修會。¹³列真福的審理檔案中收錄菲利普三世的建築師唐.弗朗西斯科.德.莫拉的證詞：「那位道明會隱院的院長關心我的得救，把德蘭母親的手稿《居所》給我，盼我從中得益。怕是我未受益，但這書讓我認識了赤足加爾默羅會的創會人耶穌的德蘭——之前我從未聽過她，如今卻對她滿心敬愛。」¹⁴

1586 年 8 月，眾人決議印行聖德蘭的著作，並推舉奧斯定會的路易斯.德.雷昂神父為編輯——他與當時環繞改革派的紛爭無涉，立場最為超然。於是，《靈心城堡》的手稿便交到他手中。他在第一頁寫下這段批註：

「聖母所寫此書的許多段落，都被人劃掉，換上別的字句，或在頁邊加上批註。這些更動大半改得拙劣，原文反倒勝過許多。聖母的句子明顯更好，也與上下文相合，改後反而失色，所以這些『改良』與『潤飾』都可以拋開。我親自仔細讀過、衡量過全書，覺得讀者也應該讀到那位最知道該怎麼說話的作者親筆所寫的字句。為此，我刪去他人所加，恢復原貌，僅保留作者本人所作的少數修訂。我懇求讀者懷著敬意對待這神聖之手所寫的每字每句，努力去領會其中之意。如此他便會明白：根本不必更動。若他真的不懂，請他相信作者知道自己在說什麼；那些話一旦被改，便失了原意——本來切中肯綮的地方反成贅言。書籍被毀、變得無用、終至失傳，多半就是這樣來的。」¹⁵

路易斯.德.雷昂著手編輯聖德蘭的著作時，收到唐.迭戈.德.耶佩斯一封長信。耶佩斯後來成為塔拉索納主教，曾是聖人的友人與告解神師，信中追述了他與聖人的私誼。此處只摘錄與《靈心城堡》相關的部分：

「這位聖潔的母親一向渴望親眼看見一個處在聖寵之中的靈魂之美——這份美無論是親見或擁有，皆極為可貴。正當這願望縈繞心頭，長上又命她寫一部祈禱論著——她在這方面有極豐富的親身經驗。聖三節前夕，她正思索此書要選什麼題目，按時施恩的天主既成就了她的渴望，也賜下合適的題材：祂讓她看見一座極其美麗的水晶球，形如城堡，內有七重居所；第七重居於正中，為光榮之王所居，其光絕妙無比，照透全堂、裝飾每一重居所。離中心越近的房間，越能分受那奇妙的光；然而光不曾穿出水晶之外——外圍全是黑暗污穢，遍佈蟾蜍、毒蛇與其他有毒的爬蟲。

她正在玩味那住於靈魂中、由天主聖寵而來的美——剎那間！光突然消逝，那榮光之王仍在其中的水晶頓時昏暗，黑如煤炭，發出無法忍受的惡臭；先前被擋在外頭的毒蟲，竟一一獲准入城。聖母盼望每個人都能看見這幅景象——她相信凡見過聖寵的美麗與光輝、又見它如何因罪而失去、被令人作嘔的悲慘所取代的人，必再不敢冒犯天主。

「她當天就把這個異象告訴我——這件事和其他事一樣，她對我毫無保留。隔天早上她卻對我說：『我昨天太忘形了！怎會這樣，連我自己也想不通。一定是因為我那些高遠的志願，加上我對你的情誼，讓我說過了頭。但願主使我從中得益。』我答應她在世期間不對人提，如今她已過世，我倒願讓眾人都知道這件事。她從這個異象學到四件大事：

「第一，她由此明白一條公理——這是她生平第一次聽見：¹⁶天主以本質、臨在與大能存在於萬物之中。她極為謙遜順服，凡事聽從教會教義與博學神職人員的教導，所以從不停歇，直到她的啟示獲得長上與神學家的認可、確定合乎聖經為止。她甚至說：縱使天上眾天使對她說一件事，她的長上說另一件事——她並不懷疑那真是天使——她仍要遵從長上所言；因為信德是經由長上而來，這條路沒有欺騙的餘地；天使的啟示則可能只是幻象。

「正因她如此重視聽命之德，有一天在托萊多——大概就是她看見城堡異象那段時間——問我：天主是否真的以大能、臨在、本質存在於萬物之中？我說是，並盡我所能引聖保祿的話替她解釋，特別是那句『今生的苦楚與將來要顯示在我們身上的光榮，是不能相比的』，¹⁷我特別強調『顯示在我們身上』這幾個字。她聽了喜出望外，令我十分驚訝。我起初覺得這似乎只是一種好奇心，但又忍不住感到其中必有奧義，因為她說：『就是這個。』

「第二，她對罪的惡毒大為震驚——天主既以這許多方式臨在，罪卻能阻擋靈魂分享那大能之光。

「第三，她從這異象中得到深深的謙遜與自知之明：自那刻起，做任何善事，她從不歸功於自己。她明白靈魂一切美麗皆出自那燦爛的光，靈魂與肉身的能力，全靠中心那位『大能者』而活、而強——我們一切善都源於祂，自己只佔極小的份兒。從那刻起，她所行的一切善，都歸於天主這位主要的作者。

「第四，這異象給了她長上命她寫的那本祈禱專論的主題：以城堡的七重居所對應七個層次的祈禱，藉此引人步入自我深處、漸近天主。如此一直深入靈魂底層，臻於完滿的自我認識，便抵達天主親自居住的第七重居所；在那裡，我們與祂結合得如今生所能達到的最完滿，分享祂的光與愛。」

「關於這異象與《居所》，我不再多說——閣下如今想必已讀過這部令人讚嘆的書，必能體會她敘述靈魂從城堡門口直入中心一路的歷程，是何等準確、教義何等莊嚴、舉證何等明晰。讀者亦可清楚看見，她如何與我們的主交談，至尊的祂又如何屈尊把她安置在中心，正如她所言，以婚約之鏈、不可分離地與她結合。」¹⁸

1588 年《靈心城堡》於薩拉曼卡出版後，不但流傳更廣，也越發受人推崇。耶穌會大神學家方濟各.蘇亞雷斯在列真福審理的證詞中說，他讀過聖德蘭的若干著作，尤其是《居所》——其中所載教義絕對穩妥，足見其祈禱與默觀之神奇異乎常人。¹⁹

塞維亞神學教授托馬斯.胡爾塔多則如此論道：

托萊多座堂議員唐.阿爾瓦羅.德.維勒加斯也持相同見解，認為《全德之路》與《靈心城堡》滿載「天上的教義」。題旨之厚重、比喻之恰切、文辭之有力、教義之一致、用字之甘美生動、論證之明晰，無不證明她得自天上淨配的引導；那位淨配身上藏著天主智慧的寶藏。聖神不止一次被人看見如鴿子停在她頭上，正在擴展這些作品。維勒加斯相信，凡懷著應有的態度去讀這些書的人，無不從中成為屬靈生活的大師——因為這些書如天降甘露，使靈魂在祈禱中結實纍纍。²⁴

若把《靈心城堡》當成一部神祕神學的完整論著看待，便是誤解。和聖德蘭其他作品一樣，這本書帶有強烈的個人色彩：她描寫的是自己被引導所走的路，同時清楚別人或許循著別的途徑前進。天父家裡的居所豈止七重？通往那裡的路也不只一條。這本書之所以價值不凡，正在於它把一個靈魂如何漸次被轉化、肖似天主自己的各個階段，作了最深入的探究。論到這一點，聖德蘭始終發揮她最好的水準。她不會把任何事看作理所當然，連自己的親身經歷也要徹底審視——確認彼此一致，又合乎教會教義與聖經的話，才肯接受。

神祕神學通常分為三個階段，分別稱作「煉路」「明路」「合路」。第一階段是煉淨：靠著聖事和自願克苦情慾，人滌除罪過與積習已久的瑕疵；藉著勤勉默想終局與基督的生命、苦難——基督永遠是基督徒的偉大典範——心智也被淨化。這一段路靠平常的聖寵手段就能走完，無須任何直接而非凡的神聖介入。第二階段在許多方面與第一階段大不相同：它包含靈魂的被動淨化與心智的被動光照。天主藉強烈的內外苦楚試煉靈魂，將它煉淨到遠超個人自願努力所能達到的程度；又把它提升到默觀的境界，重新光照救贖的奧蹟。心智自此不必再苦苦逼自己的記憶、理智與意志去追想宗教的大真理、想從中得些個人之益——因為這些真理現在或多或少恆常地擺在它眼前，充滿著聖潔的思想，有時在患難中給它安慰，有時又對它的瑕疵敲響警鐘。另一面，感官上的安慰被收回，由此而生的內心乾枯，在靈魂中留下可怕的空白，使它看清：沒有天主，自己什麼都不是。這種彷彿被天主疏遠的感覺，是靈魂所能受的最嚴峻試煉，卻也是清除最細微、最隱伏瑕疵最有力的方法。

走出這試煉之境，靈魂便進入第三階段。即便仍可能身處重壓苦楚與激烈迫害之中，它已自知是天主揀選的兒女，藉著意志的全然契合與祂結合。至於啟示、神視、靈諭，以及更奇異的表徵——愛的創傷、神性訂婚、神婚——對第二、第三階段而言，乃屬偶有，而非必有。有些偉大的默觀者從未經歷此類現象；另一方面，這類現象有時不過是想像力過於旺盛的產物，甚至是魔鬼的幻惑。所以絕不可巴望或迷戀，反而應該盡可能加以迴避或不予理會。若真出於天主，根本不需靈魂配合，自會成就祂的工作。自欺的危險如此之大，當事人理當極力抵拒，靈修導師更要極為警覺。聖德蘭在這方面論述得淋漓盡致，使許多自以為走默觀路的人得免被騙；她的門徒十字若望貶低靈性恩惠的態度更為徹底。受過訓練的神學家可以憑許多標準分辨真假，聖德蘭把其中一條講得格外清晰：若這些現象起於歇斯底里，只有想像力活躍，靈魂高層的功能反而麻木；若是出自天主，理智與意志卻無比活躍，使較低的功能、甚至身體都暫時失去全部力量。

值得留意的是：前兩重居所屬煉路，三、四重屬明路，其餘三重屬合路。與同類著作相比，本書對第一階段的著墨確實顯得稀少。聖德蘭在《自傳》與《全德之路》中早已較為詳盡地處理過這個主題；事實上，《全德之路》本就是一部基督徒克修論著，講論以克苦淨化靈魂、以默想光照心智。在那書裡也已出現《居所》最初的構想，²⁵富恩特就認為，那一段可視為兩書的分水嶺。然而，這並非聖德蘭對默觀生活初階如此惜墨如金的唯一原因，甚至不是主要原因。真正的原因是：她自己並未走過那一段。靠著天主的恩寵，她從幼年起便未犯重罪，也無大瑕。她雖屢屢哀歎自己的過失與不忠，這些自責須打點折扣讀。年幼時她偶爾在裝扮上陷入虛榮，又把時光浪擲在讀傳奇小說上；初入修會時，親友愛聽她談話，於是登門不斷，浪費了她不少時間，也分散了她的心神。後因健康嚴重欠佳，多年中斷了心禱，但只要身體許可，她仍忠心履行一切宗教本份。如此而已。「肉體與聖神之爭」、自然低等官能的悖逆、意志的反覆無常——這些常令靈魂最高遠的志願受挫的事，她全然不曾經歷。在這情況下，毋怪她邁向天主的旅程，是從別人多半才走到終點的地方起步的。

本書其餘部分，從平行段落即可看出，所涵蓋的範圍與她的《自傳》和《關係錄》大致相同。聖人憑著過人的內省與分析天賦，從各個角度檢視自己的個案，務求確認她那些異常的經歷不是幻覺，也無礙靈魂的安全。《靈心城堡》中與她其他作品截然不同的新內容並不多，卻因條理井然，又能精到地處理神祕神學中最幽微的課題，而勝過諸書。聖德蘭表面上談的是普遍道理，實則記述的是她自己的親身經驗。這些經歷有多明確、想像的空間有多有限，可從一個事實看出：她的措辭幾乎總是與她在《自傳》和其他靈修進度報告中所用相同；而她寫作時根本見不到那些舊稿——稿件離手之後她再也沒看過。每一段經歷想必都給她留下深刻的烙印，多年之後仍能歷歷如繪。

《靈心城堡》某種程度上令人想起但丁的《天堂篇》。兩者裡的靈魂都從塵世渣滓中被滌淨，逐步披上嶄新光榮的品質，被引領穿越未知領域，直至天主寶座之前。即使最大膽的想像力，也設計不出這樣一幅圖畫——一個裝點著如此多樣、如此真切恩典的靈魂。我們知道但丁那一邊，詩人從「天使博士」（聖多瑪斯）的寶庫中汲取極多素材，把經院神學家的結論寫成詩句。聖德蘭這一邊，我們也能逐章追溯聖多瑪斯.阿奎那學說的影響。她本人從未研究過《神學大全》，但她的靈修導師與告解神師都通曉此學，按照當時最高明的經院方式為她解疑釋惑。《靈心城堡》幾乎可說是《神學大全》某些部分²⁶的實踐圖解：它描寫靈魂如何依次走過每一階段的成全。讀到第七重居所第二章，便只剩下一件事——「榮福直觀」——那是留待來生的。

路易斯.德.雷昂出版《靈心城堡》之後，原稿轉到熱羅尼莫.格拉先神父手中。他先抄了一份副本——至今尚存——再趁訪問塞維亞隱院之便，將原件贈與聖人的摯友、隱院的恩主唐.佩德羅.塞雷索.帕爾多。後來他的獨生女入會時，這份珍貴手稿成了她嫁妝的一部分。貝吉亞爾公爵夫人多納.胡安娜.德.門多薩當時也在這同一隱院修道，她出錢將手稿用銀片與寶石裝訂成冊。原稿至今仍存於該院，²⁷筆者有幸親見。全書共一百一十三葉對開頁，但原本應該還有幾葉，後來被人撕去——推測是各章的標題頁。與《自傳》和《建院記》不同，《城堡》的本文只以數字分段，沒有列出各章內容；但我們手上現存的章名，與那兩部作品的章名形式如出一轍，幾乎不可能不是作者親筆所寫。本譯本將這些章名置回各章原位。

聖德蘭逝世三百週年之際，由塞維亞總主教、舊規加爾默羅會樞機盧赫主持，將原稿以攝影石版印刷出版：

本譯本是第三個英譯本，²⁸直接以這份親筆原稿為底本翻譯。我認為，只要英文容許，譯文就該緊貼作者措辭，連她語感的一絲一毫也不應犧牲。德蘭不僅是位字字珠璣的聖人，更是西班牙語裡的經典作家，懂得把最深的思想化為言語。我把譯文與原文逐字比對，敢說這份原則確實貫徹始終。書中註腳——除少數例外——以及索引，皆由我負責。在我看來，標出聖人各部作品間相互呼應的段落十分重要；唯有如此，方能看出聖德蘭在所有著作中的內在一致。²⁹若要從其他神祕神學作家的著作中徵引佐證，原本俯拾即是。比如卡爾特會魯道夫的《我主生平》與《效法基督》，對《靈心城堡》的影響清晰可辨；這兩部書與若干西班牙著作頗為聖德蘭所重，以至她命每座隱院院長都備有此書，供修女們取讀。但註腳須有限度，因此我只引用我認為有助闡明本書教義的部分。

最後，但願這部新譯本能對那些自覺被召走上更高靈修之路的人有所裨益。

本篤.齊默曼，赤足加爾默羅會（O.C.D.）院長

聖路加修道院

英國索美塞特郡，溫坎頓

1905 年 7 月 1 日；1911 年 12 月 25 日

SAINT TERESA began to write the Interior Castle on June 2, 1577, Trinity Sunday, and completed it on the eve of St. Andrew, November 29, of the same year. But there was a long interruption of five months,¹ so that the actual time spent in the composition of this work was reduced to about four weeks—a fortnight for the first, and another fortnight for the second half of the book. The rapidity with which it was written is easily explained by the fact that the Saint had conceived its plan some time previously. On January 17, 1577, she had written to her brother, Don Lorenzo de Cepeda, at Avila: ‘I have asked the bishop—Don Alvaro Mendoza—for my book (the Life) because I shall perhaps complete it by adding those new favours our Lord has lately granted me. With these one may even compose a new work of considerable size, provided God grants me the grace of explaining myself; otherwise the loss will be of small account.’² She never asked for permission to write anything, but waited until she received a command from her superiors, which, in this case, came from Father Jerome Gracian, superior of the Discalced J. Carmelites of the Provinces of Andalusia and Castille, and from Don Alonso Velasquez, canon of Toledo, afterwards bishop of Osma.³ The Saint was not in good health at the time; she repeatedly complains of noises in the head and other infirmities, but, worst of all, she was weighed down by troubles and anxieties resulting from the action of the superiors of the Order and of the Papal Nuncio against the nuns and friars of the Reform. Matters became even more serious when, in October, the nuns of the Incarnation of Avila proceeded to the election of a new prioress. Notwithstanding the prohibition of the provincial, fifty-five electors recorded their votes in favour of the Saint and were immediately declared excommunicated. The whole work of the Reform seemed on the brink of ruin, the Saint, as well as all her friends, was in disgrace, subject to obloquy and ill-treatment.

No trace of these trials is to be found in the Interior Castle. Saint Teresa possessed the power of concentration of thought in a marvellous degree. The early mornings and late evenings were devoted to the composition of the book, while the rest of the day was taken up by the affairs of the Order. Mother Mary of the Nativity, a member of the community of Toledo, where the book was begun, declared afterwards,⁴ that she often saw her writing, generally after Holy Communion, her face resplendent, with such rapidity and so absorbed in her occupation that she seemed undisturbed by, and in fact quite unconscious of, any noise that was made. Mother Mariana of the Angels⁵ reports having heard from the same witness, that entering her cell one day to deliver a message, the holy Mother was just beginning a new sheet of her book. While taking off her spectacles to listen to the message she was seized by a trance in which she remained for several hours. The nun, terrified at this, did not stir, but kept her eyes steadily on the Saint. When she came to, it was seen that the paper, previously blank, was covered with writing. Noticing that her visitor had discovered it, Saint Teresa put the paper quietly in the box. Another nun, Mary of St. Francis, left the following declaration: ‘I know that our holy Mother wrote four books, the Life, the Way of Perfection, the Foundations, and the Mansions, which I have seen her writing. Once, while she was composing the last-named work, I entered to deliver a message, and found her so absorbed that she did not notice me; her face seemed quite illuminated and most beautiful. After having listened to me she said: “Sit down, my child, and let me write what our Lord has told me ere I forget it,” and she went on writing with great rapidity and without stopping.’⁶

Mary of St. Joseph says she heard from Mary of the Nativity that Father Jerome Gracian commanded the Saint to write the Mansions; she, however, begged to be excused, because so many books having been written by holy and learned men, there remained nothing for a woman to write. At length she yielded under obedience. This nun (Mary of the Nativity) was frequently in the Saint’s cell while she was writing and she noticed her resplendent face and the almost preternatural velocity with which her hand travelled over the paper.⁷

Writing to Mother Mary of St. Joseph, Prioress of Seville, November 8, 1581, St. Teresa gives her a message for Father Rodrigo Alvarez, S. J.: ‘Our Father (Jerome Gracian, then provincial) tells me that he has handed you a book written by me, which perhaps you do not feel inclined to read yourself. Kindly read to Father Rodrigo Alvarez, at his next visit, the last Mansion, but under the seal of confession, as he asks this in his superior wisdom. This is only for you two. Tell him that the person he knows has arrived at this Mansion and enjoys the peace there described; that she is entirely at rest, and that some grave theologians have assured her that she is on a safe road. In case you could not read these pages to him do not send him the book, for it might lead to unpleasantness. Until I have his answer on this matter I will not write to him. Give him my compliments.’

At the end of the original manuscript, before the epilogue (marked with Ihs.) there is a notice in Father Alvarez’ hand-writing to this effect: ‘The Mother Prioress of the convent of Seville has read to me this seventh Mansion, whither a soul may arrive in the present life. Let all the saints praise the infinite goodness of God, Who communicates Himself to His creatures so that they truly seek His glory and the salvation of their neighbour. What I feel and judge of this matter is, that everything that has been read to me is conformable to Catholic truth and in accordance with Holy Scripture and the teaching of the Saints. Whosoever has read the doctrine of the Saints, such as the books of St. Gertrude, St. Catharine of Siena, or St. Bridget of Sweden, and other saints and spiritual writers, will clearly understand that the spirit of Mother Tireza (sic) of Jesus is true, since it leads to the same effects as are to be found in the saints; and because this is in truth my judgment and opinion, I have hereunto set my name, this, the 22nd day of February, 1582. P. Rodrigo Alvarez.’⁸

The work was copied, probably under the supervision of the Saint, who introduced many changes; when completed the original was handed to Father Jerome Gracian and to the Dominican, Fray Diego de Yanguas, for approval. Both, particularly the former, made numerous corrections, which Fuente, not without reason, calls impertinent, scratching out whole sentences and adding others. The book thus revised must have enjoyed a certain celebrity, though not to the same extent as the Life, to which St. Teresa herself preferred it. Scarcely a week after its completion she wrote to Father Salazar, S.J.: ‘If Señor Carillo [Salazar himself] came, the person in question [the Saint] thinks he would find another jewel which in her opinion is superior to the former [the Life]. This one reflects nothing foreign to itself, but is resplendent in its own beauty. It is enriched with more delicate enamels than the former, the workmanship, too, is more perfect. For, as the person in question says, the jeweller was less experienced when he fashioned the previous one. Moreover, the gold of the new one is of better quality than that of the former, though the precious stones are not so well set. It has been done, as might be expected, according to the designs of the Jeweller Himself.’⁹ Later on she wrote to Father Jerome Gracian: The book I have written since seems to me superior [to the Life]; at least I had more experience when I wrote it.’¹⁰

One day, speaking with Mother Mary of Jesus on spiritual matters, she said that our Lord had communicated so much to her since she had reached what she described in the seventh Mansion,—the spiritual Marriage,—that she did not consider it possible to advance further in this life, in the way of prayer, nor even to wish to do so.¹¹

The book was eagerly read by those who were able to obtain copies. At the archiepiscopal Seminary at Salamanca it was read publicly after dinner; the students, contrary to custom, sacrificing the recreation rather than miss so edifying an instruction. The result was that several entered the religious life, one becoming a Franciscan, two others, who had already taken their degrees, joining the Discalced Carmelites.¹² We also know of a lady who became a Poor Clare through reading the Interior Castle.¹³ The process of Beatification contains the following evidence of Don Francisco de Mora, architect to Philip III: ‘The same prioress (of aconvent of Dominican nuns) being concerned about my salvation gave me a book in manuscript, called The Mansions, by Mother Teresa, hoping I should derive some benefit from it. I fear this was not the case, but it made me acquainted with Teresa of Jesus, the foundress of the Discalced Carmelite nuns, of whom I had not yet heard, but for whom I now felt devotion.’¹⁴

In August 1586 it was decided to print Saint Teresa’s works, the Augustinian Fray Luis de Leon being selected as editor, as he was unconcerned in the quarrels raging round the Reform. Accordingly, the manuscript of the Interior Castle was handed to him. On the first leaf he wrote the following note:

’Many passages of this book written by the holy Mother have been scored through, other words being substituted or notes being added in the margin. Most of these corrections are badly done, the original text being much better. It will be noticed that the holy Mother’s sentences are superior and agree with the context, which is not the case with the corrections. These improvements and glosses may therefore be dispensed with. Having myself read and considered everything with great care, it appears to me that the reader, too, should have before him the words of the author who knew best what to say; for this reason I have left out the additions, and have restored what has been changed, excepting only a few corrections made by the writer herself. I beg of the reader that he would in charity reverence the words and even the letters traced by so holy a hand, and strive to understand what has been written. He will then see that there was no need for corrections; should he fail to understand her, let him believe that the writer knew what she said, and that her words cannot be tampered with if they are not to lose their meaning; otherwise what was to the point will seem out of place. This is how books become corrupted, useless, and are finally lost.’¹⁵

When Luis de Leon undertook the editing of St. Teresa’s writings he received a long letter from Don Diego de Yepes, afterwards Bishop of Tarazona, a former friend and confessor of the Saint, in which he records his personal recollections. I shall only insert here what he says about the Interior Castle:

’This holy Mother desired to see the beauty of a soul in the state of grace, a thing greatly to be coveted both for the sake of seeing and of possessing it. While this desire lasted, she was commanded to write a treatise on prayer, of which she had much personal experience. On the eve of the Blessed Trinity, while considering what subject to choose for this treatise, God, Who disposes everything in due season, fulfilled her wish and furnished a suitable subject. He showed her a most beautiful globe of crystal, in the shape of a castle, with seven rooms, the seventh, situated in the centre, being occupied by the King of glory, resplendent with the most exquisite brilliancy, which shone through and adorned the remaining rooms. The nearer these lay to the centre, the more did they partake of that wondrous light. It did not, however, penetrate beyond the crystal, for everything round about was a mass of darkness and impurity, full of toads and vipers and other venomous animals.

She was still admiring this beauty which, by the grace of God dwells in the soul, when, to! the light suddenly disappeared, and the crystal, wherein the King of glory was still residing, became opaque and as dark as coal, emitting an intolerable odour; the venomous animals, formerly held in check outside, obtained admittance into the castle. The holy Mother wished that every one should behold this vision, for she thought that no one having seen the beauty and splendour of grace, which is forfeited by sin and replaced by such repulsive misery, would ever dare to offend God.

’She told me this vision on the same day, for in this as well as in other things she was so communicative that on the following morning she said to me: “How I forgot myself yesterday! I cannot think how it could have happened. Those high aspirations of mine, and the affection I have for you must have caused me to go beyond all reasonable limits. God grant I may have derived some profit therefrom.” I promised her to say nothing about it during her lifetime, but since her death I should like to make it known to all men. From this vision she learnt four important matters.

’First, she came to understand this axiom, which in this form she had never heard of in her life,¹⁶ that God is present in all things by His essence, presence, and power. As she was deeply humble and submissive and obedient to the doctrine of the Church and the teaching of the learned ministers of God, she never rested until her revelations had been approved of by her superiors and by theologians, and were shown to be conformable to Holy Scripture. She went so far as to say that if all the angels of heaven said one thing, and her superiors another, though she could not doubt that the former were true angels, yet she would hold what was told her by her superiors, because faith comes through these and there remains no room for deceit, whereas revelations coming from angels might be illusionary.

’With such regard for obedience, she asked me one day at Toledo—probably at the time when she saw the vision of the Castle—whether it was true that God was in all things by His power, presence, and essence, to which I replied in the affirmative, explaining it as best I could on the authority of St. Paul, particularly where he says “the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us,”¹⁷ Laying stress on these words, “shall be revealed in us,” she was so overjoyed that I was quite astonished. Though in a way it seemed to me a kind of curiosity, I could not help thinking there was some mystery about it, for she said: “This is the very thing.”

’Secondly, she was greatly surprised at the malice of sin, since, notwithstanding the presence of God in these various ways, it prevents the soul from partaking of that powerful light.

’Thirdly, she derived such humility and self-knowledge from this vision, that from that moment she never thought of herself in all the good she was doing; for she learnt that all the beauty of the soul emanates from that resplendent light, and that the powers of the soul and of the body are enlivened and strengthened by the Power established in the centre, whence comes all our good, so that we have but a small share in our good works. All the good she did, she from this moment referred to God as its principal author.

’Fourthly, she derived from it the subject of the book she was ordered to write on prayer, comparing the seven rooms of the Castle with as many degrees of prayer, whereby we enter within ourselves and draw nearer to God. So that, penetrating to the depths of our soul and gaining perfect self-knowledge, we reach the seventh room where God Himself dwells, with Whom we become united by as perfect a union as is possible in the present life, being made partakers of His light and love.

’I will say no more of this vision and the Mansions, because your Reverence must by now have seen this admirable book, and must know with what accuracy, with what majestic doctrine, with what lucid examples she describes the progress of the soul from the gate to the very centre. It is clearly seen in this treatise how she communicated with our Lord, and how His Majesty vouchsafed to place her in the centre and to unite her with Himself, as she puts it, by the bonds of marriage and an inseparable union.’¹⁸

After the publication of the Interior Castle, in 1588 at Salamanca, it became not only more widely known, but also more and more appreciated. Francis Suarez, the great theologian of the Society of Jesus, says in his deposition in the process of Beatification that he had read some of St. Teresa’s works, particularly the Mansions, which contain an absolutely safe doctrine and give proof of a wonderful spirit of prayer and contemplation.¹⁹

Thomas Hurtado, professor of theology at Seville, speaks as follows:

Likewise Don Alvaro de Villegas, canon of Toledo, expressed his opinion that the Way of Perfection and the Interior Castle contain ‘heavenly doctrine.’ The weight of the subject-matter, the propriety of the comparisons, the force of the expressions, the consistency of the teaching, the sweetness of her well-chosen, vivid words, the clearness of the arguments, all this proves that she was guided by her heavenly Spouse, in Whom are hidden the treasures of the wisdom of God; and that the Holy Ghost, Who more than once was seen resting on her head like a dove, was dilating these works. Villegas does not believe that any one could read them, as such books ought to be read, without becoming himself a master of the spiritual life. For they are like heavenly dew, rendering the soul fruitful in the matter of prayer.²⁴

It would be a mistake to consider the Interior Castle a complete treatise of mystical theology. Like St. Teresa’s other works, it is intensely personal: she describes the road by which she has been led, being well aware that others may be led in a different way. In the heavenly Father’s house there are many mansions, not only seven, and many paths lead to them. What gives the work such high value is, that it is the result of a most searching inquiry into the various phases whereby a soul is gradually transformed into the likeness of God Himself. Here St. Teresa is always at her best. She takes nothing for granted, even her own personal experiences are admitted only after having been fully investigated and found to be consistent one with the other, and conformable to the teaching of the Church and the words of Holy Scripture.

Mystical theology is generally divided into three parts, respectively called the purgative, the illuminative, and the unitive life. In the first, man is cleansed from sin and habitual imperfection by the use of the sacraments and by voluntary mortification of the passions. The mind is purified by sedulous meditation on the last end and on the Life and Passion of Christ, which must ever be the great model of the Christian. This first portion of the way to heaven can be covered by the help of the ordinary means of grace, without any direct and extraordinary intervention of divine power. The second part differs in many ways from the first. It comprises the passive purification of the soul and the passive enlightenment of the mind. By sending it keen interior and exterior trials and sufferings, God completes the cleansing of the soul in a manner far surpassing any voluntary effort of man. By raising it to the stage of contemplation He gives it fresh light on the mysteries of our Redemption. The mind is then no longer compelled to strain the memory, the reason, and the will, in order to dwell upon the great truths of religion and to derive some personal benefit therefrom, for these truths are now more or less permanently before it and fill it with holy thoughts, sometimes giving it consolation in trouble, at other times striking a warning note against imperfection. Again, the subtraction of sensible consolation, and the interior aridity arising therefrom, leave a terrible blank in the soul, showing it that, without God’s help, it is mere nothingness. This apparent estrangement from God is the keenest trial that can befall a soul, but also the most powerful means of cleansing it from the least, the most subtle imperfections.

Emerging from this state of probation, the soul enters upon the third stage, in which, though perhaps in the midst of severe suffering and sharp persecution, it knows itself to be a chosen child of God, to Whom it is united by perfect conformity of the will. Such phenomena as revelations, visions, locutions, and even more wonderful manifestations, like the wound of love, spiritual betrothal and nuptials, are incidental rather than essential to the second and third stages. Some great contemplatives have never experienced anything of the kind, while, on the other hand, some of these occurrences may sometimes have been merely the work of an exuberant imagination, or even the result of diabolical illusion. They should therefore never be wished for, or cherished, but rather shunned and ignored, in as far as that is possible. If they are real and come from God, they will do their work without the co-operation of the soul. The danger of self-deception is so great that a person labouring under such phenomena should offer every resistance, and the spiritual director should exercise the utmost vigilance. St. Teresa is very eloquent on this point, and undeceived many would-be contemplatives, while her disciple, St. John of the Cross, is even more thorough-going in the deprecation of spiritual favours. Among the numerous marks whereby the trained theologian may discriminate between real and imaginary phenomena, there is one about which Saint Teresa speaks with wonderful clearness. If they proceed from hysteria the imagination alone is active and the higher powers of the soul are torpid; if, however, they come from God, the intellect and the will are so intensely active, that the lower powers and even the body lose all strength for the time being.

It will be noticed that the first two Mansions belong to the purgative life, the third and fourth to the illuminative, and the remaining three to the unitive life. Compared with similar works, the treatment of the first stage must be called meagre. True, in her Life and in the Way of Perfection St. Teresa has dealt with this subject somewhat more fully. Indeed, the last-named work was designed as a treatise on Christian Ascetics, dealing with the purgation of the soul by mortification and the enlightenment of the mind by meditation. There, too, appears the first idea of the Mansions,²⁵ and Fuente remarks that the passage in question may be taken for the parting of the ways between the two works. However, this is not the only, nor, indeed, the chief reason why St. Teresa is so reticent about the preliminary stage of the contemplative life. The fact is that she herself did not pass through these experiences. By God’s grace she was preserved from childhood from grievous sin and gross imperfection. Though she never grows tired of bewailing her faults and unfaithfulness, these avowals must be taken cum grano salis. While yet a child, she sometimes gave way to vanity in dress and wasted her time in reading romances. As a young religious, she was sought after by friends and relatives who took pleasure in her attractive conversation. This proved further loss of time and caused distractions. Owing to acute suffering, she for some years left off the practice of mental prayer, though she faithfully performed all her religious obligations, as far as her weak state of health allowed. This is all. The war of the flesh against the spirit, the insubordination of the lower parts of nature, the fickleness of the will, which so often thwart the most noble aspirations of a soul, were unknown to her. Under these circumstances, we cannot be surprised to find her entering upon the journey towards God at a point which in many cases marks but the closing stage.

As to the remaining parts of this book, it will be seen from the parallel passages that they cover much the same ground as her Life and the Relations. With her singular gift of introspection and analysis, the Saint studied her own case from every point of view, so as to make sure that her extraordinary experiences were due to no illusion, and offered no obstacle to the safety of her soul. Although the Interior Castle contains little that we do not already know from her other works, it is superior to them by reason of its logical order and the masterly treatment of the most recondite matters of mystical theology. While ostensibly dealing with general facts, St. Teresa in reality records her personal experiences. How definite these were, how little room there remained for the freaks of the imagination, will appear from the fact that she nearly always repeats the very words she had used in her Life and in the other reports of her interior progress, although she did not have these writings before her eyes, nor had she ever seen them since they first left her hands. Every one of her experiences must have produced a profound impression to be remembered so minutely after an interval of years.

There is that in the Interior Castle which reminds one of Dante’s Paradiso. In the one and the other, the soul, purified from earthly dross, is gradually being invested with new and glorious qualities, and is being led through regions unknown until it arrives at the very threshold of the throne of God. Not even the boldest imagination could have designed so wonderful a picture of a soul adorned with graces at once so varied and so true. In one case we know, the poet has drawn abundantly from the treasury of the Angelical Doctor, putting in verse the conclusions of the scholastic theologian. In the other case we can follow, chapter by chapter, the influence of the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Teresa had never studied it herself, but her directors and confessors were deeply versed in it and solved her doubts and perplexities on the lines of the greatest of the school men. The Interior Castle might almost be considered a practical illustration of certain parts of the Summa theologica,²⁶ as it describes the progress of the soul through every stage of perfection. When we have reached the second chapter of the seventh Mansion, there remains but one thing: the Beatific Vision, and this is reserved for the next life.

After the publication of the Interior Castle by Luis de Leon, the manuscript came into the possession of Father Jerome Gracian, who, after having made a copy of it which is still extant, presented the original, on the occasion of a visit to the convent of Seville, to Don Pedro Cereso Pardo, a great friend of the Saint, and a benefactor to the convent. When his only daughter took the habit there, the precious manuscript was part of her dowry. Doña Juana de Mendoza, Duchess of Beguiar, a novice in the same convent, had it bound in silver and precious stones. It is still there,²⁷ and the present writer had the privilege of seeing it. It comprises a hundred and thirteen leaves in folio, but originally there must have been some more leaves which at a later period were torn out. These, it is presumed, contained the headings of the chapters. Unlike the Life and the Foundations, the text of the Castle is divided only by figures, without indication of the contents of each chapter, but the arguments which have come down to us are so entirely similar to those of the two works named, that it is impossible to consider them otherwise than the genuine work of the author. In the present translation they have been inserted in their proper places.

On the occasion of the ter-centenary of Saint Teresa’s death, a photo-lithographic edition of the original was published under the direction of Cardinal Lluch, Carmelite of the old observance, Archbishop of Seville:

The present translation, the third in English,²⁸
   The second translation, by the Rev. John Dalton, appeared in 1852 and has been repeatedly reprinted. It was dedicated to Bishop Ullathorne.
   Of foreign translations it will be sufficient to mention the one by Cyprien de la Nativité, in Œuvres de la Sainte Mère Térèse de Jésus, Paris, 1657, and the new one in Œuvres already mentioned.  has been made directly from this autograph edition. It has been thought advisable that, as far as the genius of the language allows it, the wording of the author should be strictly adhered to, and that not even a shade of her expression should be sacrificed. For Teresa is not only a saint whose every word is telling, but she is a classic in her own language who knows how to give expression to her deepest thoughts. Having compared word for word the translation with the original, I am in a position to affirm that this programme has been faithfully carried out. For the foot-notes—with few exceptions—as well as for the Index, I am responsible. It seemed to me important to point out all the parallel passages from the various works of the Saint. Only by this means can it be seen how consistent Saint Teresa is in all her writings.²⁹
   Criticisms which have appeared in various papers, or have been privately conveyed, have been gratefully received and acted upon in the second and the present edition.  It would have been easy to multiply quotations from the works of other writers on mystical theology. Thus, the influence of the Imitation of Christ and of the Life of our Lord by Ludolphus the Carthusian can be distinctly traced in the Interior Castle. Both these works, as well as some Spanish books, were held in such esteem by St. Teresa, that she ordered the prioress of each convent to keep them at the disposal of the nuns. As there is a limit to footnotes, I have contented myself with such references as seemed to me conducive to the elucidation of the doctrine laid down in this treatise.

In conclusion I venture to express the hope that this new translation will be found helpful by those who feel called to a higher life.

BENEDICT ZIMMERMAN,
Prior, O.C.D.

ST. LUKE’S PRIORY,

WINCANTON, SOMERSET.

July, 1, 1905, and December 25, 1911.