Impact: Teresa of Avila and Ikkyu Sojun

     Teresa of Ávila's life led to the reformation of the Carmelite convent which is the legacy that Teresa left when she passed away. There is a reason why Teresa decided to reform the Carmelite convent which began when she first joined them. When she joined the Carmelite convent she was disturbed by the atmosphere that she encountered as she saw that the Carmelite nuns were no longer following the Carmelite's beliefs. She saw that the nuns would pay more attention to guests and how they appeared to the outside world. Within the convent, she would witness unqualified individuals would be promoted instead of those who deserved the promotion. She also saw that some Carmelite convents had an accumulation of wealth while they were supposed to live a modest life. Because of what she witnessed, she decided to start a Carmelite reformation. She also wanted to establish a new form of prayer, which involved having a conversation with God, as this would create a one-on-one relationship. In 1560, St. Peter of  Alcantara became her new spiritual guide, and she began to take steps to reform the convent. in 1562, she founded her first convent of the reformed Carmelite nuns, called St. Joseph, and was established in Ávila where it focused on the original beliefs of the Carmelite convents where they followed detachment of worldly desires, along with Teresa's new way of praying. During this time, Teresa had a friend named Guimara de Uloa, who supplied her with the funds to construct St. Joseph. In 1563, she moved to a new convent. She faced the possibility of termination of the reformation as she was faced the wrath of the papal who were paranoid about female domination. Still, with the support of King Philip II, he prevented them from proceeding against her. She would remain in seclusion for the next five years and spent her time writing. Then, in 1567, at the age of 57, she met a 24-year-old St. John of the Cross and convinced him to found the first male-reformed convent order in Duruelo. St. John of the Cross was also a mystic, and he was a fantastic teacher/preacher who helped promote the Reformed Carmelite Order. In 1576, a series of persecutions began from the Carmelite order that followed the old rules, ordering her to voluntarily retire and forbade her to fund more convents. She obeyed and retired to St. Joseph in Toledo. After several years of written pleadings to King Philip II and Pope Gregory XIII, she was given protection and was allowed to continue with the reformation. Teresa died in 1582 during one of her journeys from Burgos to Alba de Torres, and her last words were, “My Lord, it is time to move on. Well then, may your will be done. O my Lord and my Spouse, the hour that I have longed for has come. It is time to meet one another.” In 1622, she was canonized and was the first woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church.

    By the end of her life, Teresa had established over 22 reformed Carmelite convents and became a model of how the Church can be changed for the better by implementing the truths of the gospel into their teachings. Teresa wrote many things throughout her life, including a few books. For example, in "The Way of Perfection" (1567), she talks about having a relationship with God and writes it for her sisters of the convent and anyone else who needs it. "La Vida" (1567), in which she wrote about her life and mystical experiences as proof to her superiors. "The Interior Castle" (1577), where she discusses the life of Christ in a believer's heart. "The Book of Her Foundations" (1582) talks about the establishment, organization, and supervision of the daily functions of religious communities. She also wrote poems and letters, but only 31 of her poems and 458 of her letters survived. Teresa also discussed the idea of the "Ascent of the Soul," where the soul ascends through four stages of prayer. Stage 1 is the devotion of the heart or mental prayer, stage 2 is the devotion of peace, stage 3 is the devotion of union, and stage 4 is the devotion of Ecstasy. Teresa left a lasting impact on the Carmelite convents to the point that they use what she taught to this day. Personal prayer has become a teaching that the Church uses.

    Ikkyū Sōjun had many impacts on Buddhist beliefs, as previously discussed. He advocated for a personal connection to Zen rather than following the corrupt morals of Zen leaders. This meant that he wanted those who wanted to reach Zen to follow the practice that would actually lead to reaching Zen. He argued against the rules that prevented earthly desires that Buddhist believers followed since they only followed them to maintain a perfect image. He had an impact on art, as his calligraphy was so good that he is known as medieval Japan’s greatest calligrapher. He also had an impact on poetry as he was one of the first poets to use his poems to be very expressive with his emotions. He also had an impact on the Tea Ceremony as he came up with the belief that anyone can achieve enlightenment by doing everyday things such as pouring and making tea. Since he did have an impact on how people viewed enlightenment, he gathered a group of followers who also criticized Zen Buddhism and did not participate in celibacy. Lastly, on October 15, 1975, an anime aired called Ikkyū -san, which followed the early life of Ikkyū when he lived in the Ankoku-ji Temple. This anime would teach children who watched lessons about life through Ikkyū's experiences. On June 28, 1982, it aired its last episode. Ikkyū had an impact on the outlook of reaching Zen, and there are still people who agree with his views. 

    Both Teresa of Ávila and Ikkyū Sōjun impacted their respective religious traditions, leading to significant reforms and leaving lasting legacies. Teresa's life was marked by her dedication to reforming the Carmelite convents as she worked against the old Carmelite order since they were no longer following what the Carmelite order originally wanted to do. Teresa sought to return the Carmelite nuns to a life of simplicity, prayer, and detachment from worldly desires. With the establishment of reformed Carmelite convents and the promotion of personal prayer and mysticism, Teresa reshaped the religious landscape of her time. She left behind a community network that continues to follow her teachings to this day. In contrast, Ikkyū Sōjun challenged traditional Buddhist beliefs and practices in medieval Japan, advocating for a more personal and authentic approach to Zen enlightenment. He criticized the corruption and hypocrisy of Zen leaders. Through his art, poetry, and unconventional lifestyle, Ikkyū influenced the way Zen Buddhism was practiced and perceived, inspiring a generation of followers who embraced his radical ideas. While both Teresa and Ikkyū pursued reforms within their respective religious traditions, their approaches and legacies reflect the diversity and complexity of spiritual movements throughout history.

• Fr. Hardon Archives - St. Teresa of Avila and the Carmelite Reform. (n.d.). Www.therealpresence.org. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Religious_Life/Religious_Life_022.htm

• Teresa of Avila, a bold reformer within the Church. (2018, October 18). Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. https://aleteia.org/2018/10/18/teresa-of-avila-a-bold-reformer-within-the-church/

• Saint Teresa Of Avila Her Life And Legacy | Madrid Experience. (2020, March 19). https://madrid-experience.com/en/saint-teresa-avila-life-legacy/‌

• St. Teresa of Avila- A Renewer of the Church, A Saint and A Child of God. (2020, October 14). St. John’s Lutheran Church. https://stjohns-salisbury.org/2020/10/14/st-teresa-of-avila-a-renewer-of-the-church-a-saint-and-a-child-of-god/

• adminjohnshields. (2008, October 7). Teresa of Avila (1515-1582). Banner of Truth USA. https://banneroftruth.org/us/resources/articles/2008/teresa-of-avila-1515-1582/

Experiences of Hildegard vs. Experiences of Isaac the Blind

    Experiences and beliefs are necessary to consider when attempting to understand Hildegard of Bingen and Isaac the Blind. While both were alive around the time, they had vastly different lives, with Hildegard becoming a highly esteemed Catholic and Isaac the Blind bringing Kabbala to life.

    Hildegard of Bingen believed God encouraged people to act well by sending virtues to live in their souls allowing them to choose good choices. She also supported helping women by creating better social constructs. This may come from the difficulty she would have been forced to endure as women near the time of the crusades. Isaac the Blind would have also had to endure difficulty due to his faith being Jewish, and him living around the same time. He believed in a "Tree of Life" and this was part of the start of Kabbala.

    Hildegard of Bingen and Isaac the Blind were both powerful influences during and after their time. They were also both similar from their experiences with the crusades, and different in that same experience.  Hildegard definitely went through the experience of dealing with a crusade, but it was a different experience than Isaac the blind had with the same thing.

    

 

 

 Koren, S. (2004). Kabbalistic physiology: Isaac the blind, nahmanides, and moses de leon on menstruation. Association for Jewish Studies.AJS Review, 28(2), 317-339. Retrieved from https://berea.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/kabbalistic-physiology-isaac-blind-nahmanides/docview/195838589/se-2

 Bar-Asher, A. (2021). Isaac the blind's letter and the history of early kabbalah. The Jewish Quarterly Review, 111(3), 414-443. Retrieved from https://berea.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/isaac-blinds-letter-history-early-kabbalah/docview/2739206372/se-2

“Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind, Osvaldo Golijov.” Hollywood Bowl, www.hollywoodbowl.com/musicdb/pieces/1575/dreams-and-prayers-of-isaac-the-blind. Accessed 27 Mar. 2024.

 

The impact on institutions of Catherine of Siena and Hafez

        Between Catherine of Siena and Hafez, there is not only a difference in religious belief and geographical location, but also in their approaches to how they changed their respective worlds and institutions. With Catherine, it was more direct, through her interactions with influential people and the political institutions of her time such as the papacy and Mantellate (Vauchez). Hafez’s influence, on the other hand, is seen more through the people who his poetry has influenced. For instance, in modern-day Iran, nearly every person knows at least some of his poetry, and his divan can be found in almost every household next to such influential religious works as the Quran.

 

Catherine of Siena:

    Catherine of Siena has had a big, but often overlooked and unnoticed impact on the Catholic faith. However, anyone who has visited the Vatican in Italy should be aware of it. After all, it is she who is responsible for it being located in Italy (O’Driscoll p.10). Catherine’s time was one of great political and religious unrest and upheaval. The backdrop for a lot of that chaos was the debate over where the papacy would be located which took center stage in both Italian politics and Catherine’s life (Malone pp.194-195). Between the years 1309 and 1376, the papacy resided in Avignon France instead of Rome Italy which caused economic difficulties for Italy and political strife between the Italians and the French (who had an increased presence in Italy during this time). Catherine saw the return of the papacy to Rome as a vital step to bring about the peace and unity within the Church that she felt God had called her to achieve. (Vauchez p.31) (Malone p.189) Her first interaction with Pope Gregory XI (the current Pope at the time) came in 1374 when she was visited by the Spanish Bishop Alfonso Pecha de Vadaterra who wanted to convince her to pray a special prayer on behalf of Gregory XI. Alfonso Pecha de Vadaterra’s description of Catherine made such a positive impression on the Pope that, from that time onward, she was in constant communication with the chief representatives of the papacy via letters (Vauchez p.29). This was the start of a chain of events that would eventually lead to her going to France to personally convince Gregory XI to at last move the papacy to Rome which was done at the request of Raymond of Cupula who believed that Gregory XI would be more inclined to listen to a female mystic as opposed to male politicians (Villegas p.3). Instead of her motivations for political activism being based on a lust for power, or the pushing of a political agenda, as were the case with many in the church at the time, hers were religious in nature (Villegas p.1). For instance, even her unfortunate endorsement of a crusade launched by the Pope against the Turks was made out of the genuine belief that it would result in the salvation of souls (Vauchez p.29). Throughout her life, she supported a great multitude of political causes causing some scholars to question whether or not she is better described as a politician rather than a mystic (Villegas p.1) The main mode of her activism was her avid letter-writing, for which she wrote over 400 letters addressing such topics as The Great Schism which tore the church in half towards the end of her life. (Malone p.189) Furthermore, she was the first woman known to have written in the Tuscan dialects which, many think, may have helped the church to move away from the mindset that Latin was the only language in which anything important was ever written. (Noffke p.7)

 

Hafez:

    As a poet, the impact that Hafez has had on institutions, on the world, and on culture can be best understood through how his poetry has impacted and influenced people. This impact and influence on people can perhaps be best summed up by what people have said about and called Hafez and his poetry over the years. For instance, “tongue of the unseen”, “the envy of the source of eternal life endowed with the power to revive the expired heart like the breaths of Christ” and much more are some of the things people have said about his poetry (Dominic). Others say that Hafez “frees one from the shackles of tradition”, that he is the “interpreter of mysteries”, and even that he is the poet of death whose “cup is full of death” (Jafri). The wide variety of responses that arise from his poetry is likely due to the fact that it was written to appeal to everyone which is why it is laced with such universal themes such as “the rule of love” (Leonard p.149) This universality of his writing likely came from the same deeply held belief that led him to believe in the sacredness of taverns. He believed that taverns were places where all people were truly equal (Jafri p.21). His poetry also connects people across time and political lines demonstrated by the fact that it still has immense fame and popularity in modern Iran and across the world. His divan is even fetishized by some as being imbued with sacred otherworldly power (Dominic). This likely results from the fact that while Hafez lived, he served under and received patronage from multiple rulers of Shiraz (Dominic p.3-4). Another lasting impact of Hafez that pervades modern society is the mystery and intrigue that surrounds the historical figure of Hafez. Since there is very little known about him, many myths and unsubstantiated rumors have sprung up about him especially involving his love life (Leonard p. 19). Today he is honored on Hafez Day on October 12^th and his tomb has become a major tourist attraction and destination for pilgrims.

 

Similarities and differences:

 

            Both Catherine of Siena and Hafez left their marks on today’s world but in radically different and unique ways. Catherine of Siena was more direct, altering and bringing about change in institutions such as the Catholic church through direct confrontation and political activism. Hafez was more subtle on the other hand. While he was extremely critical of the religious authorities of his day (especially the corrupt and hypocritical Sufis) (Dominic), he trod more lightly around political matters. Unlike Catherine who actively sought and practiced asceticism and poverty, Hafez was unapologetically part of the educated upper class of Shiraz society (Vauchez) (Leonard p.18) who earned his income through royal patronage (Domonic pp.3-4). However, both have obtained lasting fame and popularity that continues to this day. After her death, Catherine of Siena was canonized and given the title “Doctor of the Church” (O’Driscoll p.9), while Hafez and his poetry are commemorated during celebrations such as Hafez Day on October 12^th.

Sources:

Catherine, and Mary O’Driscoll. Catherine of Siena-- Passion for the Truth, Compassion for Humanity : Selected Spiritual Writings. Edited by Mary O’Driscoll, New City Press, 1993.

Catherine, and Suzanne Noffke. The Letters of St. Catherine of Siena. Translated by Suzanne Nofkee, Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies, State University of New York at Binghamton, 1988.

Dominic Parviz Brookshaw. Hafiz and His Contemporaries : Poetry, Performance and Patronage In Fourteenth Century Iran. I.B. Tauris, 2019. https://bereacollege.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1089126002.

Jafri, Sardar. “Hafiz Shirazi (1312-1387-89).” Social Scientist, vol. 28, no. 1/2, 2000, pp. 12–31. EBSCOhost, https://bereacollege.on.worldcat.org/oclc/7586612227.

Leonard Lewisohn. Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry. I.B. Tauris, 2010.

https://bereacollege.on.worldcat.org/oclc/680041068.

Malone, Mary T. Women & Christianity. Orbis Books, 2001.

Vauchez, André. Catherine of Siena : A Life of Passion and Purpose. Paulist Press, 2018. 

https://bereacollege.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1022075124.

Villegas, Diana L. “Catherine of Siena’s Spirituality of Political Engagement.” Hervormde Teologiese Studies, vol. 77, no. 2, Apr. 2021, pp. 1–9. EBSCOhost,    https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v77i2.6319.

 

Culture And Context of Hildegard and Isaac the Blind

     When one hears the title Saint Hildegard of Bingen, one could easily make the assumption that her culture would be entirely different from the Jewish Rabbi Isaac the Blind. However, as easy as this assumption is to make, it would be inaccurate. Despite the differences between medieval Christianity and Judaism, there are a few similarities that can be found, but in order to explore cultural similarities, a background must be provided to describe them.

    Saint Hildegard grew up in 1098 A.D and was adopted by a German noble. This would have given her greater access to material wealth than other people of the time. She quickly grew in renown and became famous for her visions’ portrayal in art and her musical talent.

            Meanwhile, Isaac the Blind grew up during the Crusades as a Jewish Rabbi. Crusades could be dangerous for any minority, including Jews. Considering he was a member of a new Jewish subculture; this would have made things more dangerous as well.

            Hildegard and Isaac the Blind are similar but different. While both made a major impact, Hildegard is documented as being extremely fearful about being public with her vision, and Isaac the Blind has less documentation of this

•        Chewning, S. M. (2007). Bingen, Hildegard of 1098–1179. In F. Malti-Douglas (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender (Vol. 1, pp. 142-145). Macmillan Reference USA. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2896200067/GVRL?u=berea&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=c9cefcac

•        "Bingen, Hildegard of 1098–1179 ." Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender: Culture Society History. . Retrieved March 18, 2024 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/bingen-hildegard-1098-1179

•        Beattie, T. (2005). Gender and Religion: Gender and Christianity. In L. Jones (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Religion (2nd ed., Vol. 5, pp. 3356-3364). Macmillan Reference USA. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3424501139/GVRL?u=berea&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=67a46666

•        KNOWLES, M. D. (2003). Church, History of, II (Medieval). In New Catholic Encyclopedia (2nd ed., Vol. 3, pp. 597-606). Gale. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3407702424/GVRL?u=berea&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=a063b3a9

 

 

Experience and Beliefs: Teresa of Avila and Ikkyu Sojun

        Teresa was a lukewarm nun for many years when she returned to the convent after overcoming her illness. She would spend hours meditating, and each time, she would count the hours waiting for it to be over. But, through practice and faith, her prayer deepened, and she became a devout Roman Catholic. Because of her faith, she was rewarded with vision, levitation, and healing abilities and was able to talk to God. She began to experience visions and raptures, which was when she was taken into the realm of the divine, and at the age of forty, they began to testify. Since she was experiencing these supernatural things, it caused her to be under suspension for being a fraud or being possessed. Yet there were still some who believed what she was seeing and hearing was true. Because of this, her superiors would order her to write detailed accounts of her life and her mystical experiences under the supervision of the Inquisition. This was when she wrote her autobiography "La Vida." During her mystical rapture experiences, she would be taken to the realms of the divine, where she would see what it was like. There was one time when she was taken into hell, and she described it as, "The entrance seemed to be by a long narrow pass, like a furnace, very low, dark, and close. The ground seemed to be saturated with water and mere mud, exceedingly foul, sending forth pestilential odours, and covered with loathsome vermin. At the end was a hollow place in the wall, like a closet, and in that I saw myself confined." (Avila, Ch 33). Yet, when she experienced raptures, they would sometimes be accompanied by her body being affected intensely and violently through feelings of deprivation and paralysis. It felt as if she was close to death since her pulse would slow down, and she would experience extreme joint pain. She would lose sensory input, which would cause her body to cease to function as she could not hear or see. Her body would stay in the same position it was in at the start of her raptures, and it would not move until her raptures finished. Because of this, many would happen to witness seeing her go into raptures and would often mistake her raptures for cataleptic seizures. In one of her most famous visions, she experienced a mystical union with God, and it got so strong that she saw an angel at her side who would pierce her in the heart with an arrow of God's love. During her visions and raptures, she would sometimes experience levitations. Yet, Teresa hated it when she experienced levitations, as there were witnesses who claimed to see Teresa cling to something so she wouldn't levitate.

    She also could talk to God/Jesus, and one of her most famous conversations with Jesus was after she was discouraged when she heard that rumors began to spread of her visions through the convent, and this made her the subject of gossip and mockery. She then complains to Jesus about this, to which Jesus tells her, "Teresa, that's how I treat my friends." she responds with, "No wonder you have so few!" (Ullmann, R). Teresa would also have healing abilities, and one of her most famous healings was when her nephew was crushed by a wall that had fallen onto him. He was apparently dead and was then brought to his aunt Teresa who held him in her arms and prayed deeply. after a few minutes of prayer, her nephew came back to life. (St. Teresa of Avila, n.d.). Even though Teresa was able to do amazing things with her mystical abilities, she was not fond of having them. This is because most of her mystical experiences would cause her to experience uncomfortable things or be in uncomfortable situations, as previously discussed. But her mystical experiences would allow her to develop virtues that were necessary for prayer. In her book, The Way of Perfection, she wrote three virtues that were necessary for prayer which are love of neighbor, detachment, and humility. Love for your neighbor will allow you to overcome egoism and self-seeking, while detachment will help with distraction and enslavement. With humility, the delusions about ourselves will vanquish. 

    Ikkyū Sōjun experienced enlightenment in 1420 at the age of 26 while he was on a small boat during a late summer's night. In the Buddhist religion, enlightenment means when a person awakens, when they escape the reincarnation cycle, and when they reach nirvana. Reaching nirvana means that the person is freed from the three poisons which are greed, ill will, and delusion. When Ikkyū Sōjun was presented with his certification of enlightenment by his master Kaso, it was reported that instead of receiving the certificate, he threw it into the fire and watched it burn. The reason why he didn't receive his certification of enlightenment is because, he had witnessed how many undeserving Zen masters received their certification due to the fact that they had paid for it rather than reaching enlightenment. Like many Zen Buddhists, Ikkyū believed in reincarnation and practiced meditation. However, he believed that a person can experience enlightenment when they are doing everyday life scenarios, like drinking tea. This is why he helped contribute to the Tea Ceremony because he wanted others to be able to experience enlightenment while doing something that they found relaxing. Even though he had similar beliefs to other Zen Buddhists, he also had conflicting beliefs with the religion. Such as not following the celibacy rule and participating in immoral behaviors like drinking and eating meat. His way of mediating was to go to brothels rather than going to temples. He also criticized the Buddhist religion and one of his biggest critiques was how he criticized how Zen Buddhists would teach about detachment but would follow and implement the rigorist disciplines and rules to follow the Buddhist religion. Ikkyū argued that those who followed the discipline and rules of being a Buddhist monk were actually not detached from earthly desires as they were too focused on keeping the image of being the perfect monk causing them to become attached to earthly desires. 

    Even though Ikkyū was not a typical Zen master, he did show he had a lot of spirituality, especially through his poems. In his poem titled "A Fisherman," he talks about the difficulty of the tension that happens between the solitary pursuit of knowledge and the nexus of life. The first line of his poem hammers this in, "Studying texts and stiff meditation can make you lose your Original Mind." (Ikkyū) It shows that knowledge can make you lose your identity. In another poem, "After They Die", Ikkyū critiques how people are called Buddhas after they die when all they did when they were alive was conforming to societal expectations rather than achieve spiritual enlightenment. This poem shows how Ikkyu was more interested in growing his spirituality than conforming to the expectations that were set on him. In the poem titled "My Hovel," Ikkyū discusses his longing for a deeper spiritual connection while living in a world of harsh realities. Within the first line, he discusses the wasted potential that he is writing, "The world before my eyes is wan and wasted, just like me." Instead of living a life full of spirituality, he lives in a world full of negativity, which makes him become a worse version of himself. Ikkyū made it clear that he wanted to focus on growing his spirituality, and this meant that he would be seen as an unconventional monk. Yet he did not care and argued that his thoughts were able to help him become more spiritual rather than follow the organized religion. 

    Both Teresa of Ávila and Ikkyū Sōjun experienced spiritual transformations and encounters within their respective divines. Teresa's journey from a lukewarm nun to a devout Roman Catholic nun involved deepening her prayer life through practice and faith, leading to mystical experiences such as visions, levitation, and healing abilities. Similarly, Ikkyū attained enlightenment in the Buddhist tradition through a moment of awakening while on a boat, rejecting formal certification due to his disillusionment with the perceived commercialization of enlightenment. Both figures challenged the norms of their respective religious institutions, with Teresa facing suspicion and scrutiny from superiors and the Inquisition over her mystical experiences, while Ikkyū critiqued the rigidity and hypocrisy he experienced within Zen Buddhism. Despite their unconventional paths, both Teresa and Ikkyū emphasized the importance of spiritual growth and humility. Teresa advocated her three virtues, and Ikkyū expressed his longing for a deeper spiritual connection through his poetry. Ultimately, both figures exemplify the transformative power of spiritual devotion and the pursuit of enlightenment beyond the confines of tradition and orthodox.

• Teresa, Lewis, D., & Zimmerman, B. (1997). The autobiography of st. teresa of avila : the life of st. teresa of jesus : including the relations or manifestations of her spiritual state which st. teresa submitted to her confessors. Tan Books and.

• Ullmann, R. (2018, August 23). Learn about St. Teresa of Avila! The given Institute. https://giveninstitute.com/st-teresa-of-avila/#:~:text=As%20a%20mystic%2C%20Teresa%20was

• Eire, C. M. N. (2023, November 8). The Reluctant Levitator: Teresa of Avila’s Humble Raptures. The Public Domain Review. https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-reluctant-levitator/

• The Mysticism of St. Teresa of Avila | Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington. (2023, October 15). Www.stmatthewscathedral.org. https://www.stmatthewscathedral.org/faith/mystical-word/2023/10/15/mysticism-st-teresa-avila

• St. Teresa of Avila. (n.d.). Catholic Miracles.https://catholicmiracles.org/saint-miracles/st-teresa-of-avila/

• Whitehead, A. K. (2019). Ikkyū Sōjun. The Dao Companion to Japanese Buddhist Philosophy, 487-501.

• “What Is Enlightenment? Can Anyone Be Enlightened?” Buddhism for Beginners, 5 Apr. 2022, tricycle.org/beginners/buddhism/what-is-enlightenment/.

• Bowring, R. (2019). Biography of Ikkyū. Brill's Encyclopedia of Buddhism Volume II.

• Ikkyu Sojun - Poems by the Famous Poet - All Poetry. (n.d.). Allpoetry.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024, from https://allpoetry.com/Ikkyu-Sojun ‌

Angela and Abraham's Beliefs and Experiences

Angela of Foligno's Beliefs and Experiences

Angela of Foligno, a Franciscan tertiary, has been deemed as a woman for Christian Mysticism. Angela experienced various situations that could be deemed as “mystical”. These mystical experiences influenced her beliefs and she had them written down by a scribe called “Brother A”.  

The first experience Angela had was after the deaths of her mother, husband, and children. She decided to go to a general confession when she began to fear the life of sin she had lived. After the general confession, where she prayed to St. Francis, he came to her in a dream. St. Francis designated her a specific confessor to go to in this dream (Turai, pg. 27). After this initial experience, she would go on and have other experiences. Most of them involving God himself coming to her. One experience involved pain within Angela as God’s presence was leaving her (Heffernan, pg. 52). All these experiences helped influence Angela in several ways when it came to her beliefs. 

Angela’s beliefs vary across various fields such as, poverty and penance, body-soul connection, and union with God. Angela devoted her life to the ways of St. Francis. She sold all her belongings and possessions, starting a life of poverty. She devoted herself to charity work and human service. She felt that union with God was important, and prayer could be a way to obtain that.  

 

Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia’s Experiences and Beliefs: 

Abraham’s mystical experiences were similar to Angela’s in several ways. Abraham already led a religious life; his mystical experiences did not turn him towards God. In fact, he started having mystical experiences while exploring his own practices with meditation. His beliefs were remarkably interesting due to the uniqueness and how one of a kind they were. 

To begin with, Abraham was the creator of Ecstatic Kabbalah, which is a form of getting unification with God. Abulafia’s form of kabbalah focused on the combination of metaphysics and the combination of letters, numbers, and other symbols (pg. 36). The manipulation of these symbols were used during meditational/ concentration practices to either promote focus on the divine name or other visual mystical experiences.  

Abulafia had an interesting take that would often be criticized. He believed that he was a messenger of God, he felt that he was sent to spread the word of God. He viewed himself in a messianic manner, and these views caused him to travel to various countries to spread the words of God. These trips would lead him to go to the Pope at the time to try and discuss his thoughts and words (pg. 35).  

 

References 

 

IDEL, M. (2011). ABRAHAM ABULAFIA AND ECSTATIC KABBALAH. In Kabbalah in Italy, 1280-1510: A Survey (pp. 30–39). Yale University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1npjh5.6 

Heffernan, C. F. (2019). Angela of Foligno: Her Mystical Experience and Her Influence. Magistra, 25(1), 49–61.  

 Turai, G. (2022). The Life and Context of Angela. In Medieval Female Mysticism and Weber’s Charismatic Authority: The Case of Angela of Foligno (pp. 25–34). Harrassowitz Verlag. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2tbwq83.5