THE CONFLUENCE OF DIVINE AND HUMAN RELATIONS IN TERESA OF

AVILA'S 'INTERIOR CASTLE': A PHILOSOPHICAL EXAMINATION THROUGH

MARTIN BUBER'S I-THOU FRAMEWORK

Teresa Ahumada Y Cepeda or commonly known as Saint Teresa of Jesus or of

Avila is renowned in her extensive opus about prayer and spirituality. The book which

she wrote entitled, Moradas del Castillo Interior or popularized as The Interior Castle has

become the crowning piece of her expertise. It has become a guiding principle in

contemplative prayer not only to the Carmelite Order but to the Universal Church as

well.

But Teresa of Avila’s doctrine needs to be viewed in another perspective so that

its richness may be more cultivated especially in this present time. With this, the

researcher will attempt to philosophize on this field of study. The Interior Castle presents

contemplation as a relationship with the Divine and at the same time to other

individuals as well. Having said this, the researcher sees it fit to utilize the I-Thou

Theory of Martin Buber since its deals with God who is the Great Thou who is the source

of all relations and who enables man to be capable of relating to others.

In philosophizing this, the researcher seeks to:

1. To reinterpret Teresa of Avila's "Interior Castle" by employing Martin Buber's

I-Thou theory as a philosophical lens for understanding divine and human encounters.

2. To elucidate the symbiotic relationship between divine encounter and human

relationships within the spiritual architecture of Teresa of Avila's "Interior Castle,"

guided by Martin Buber's I-Thou framework.

 3. To assess the philosophical implications and limitations of integrating Buber's

I-Thou theory in the context of mystical experiences as described in "Interior Castle."

The researches sees that this philosophical quest will be of benefit for the faithful

since he will attempt to make this 16 th century opus which is seen to be too lofty to be

accessible to common understanding through the aid of Martin Buber’s I-Thou Theory. If

approved, this proposed thesis topic can be a contribution in the field of philosophy of

religion since it deals with the encounter with the Divine and an enrichment also to

Martin Buber’s Theory.

In order to carry out this enterprise, the researcher will use the available means

around him in pursuing this quest of wisdom. Through extensive gathering of data

through books both hard copy or soft copy found in the library, thorough knowledge

from primary souces and other media in the internet and sorting them out, he will

attempt to delve into this proposed topic in order to arrive to a fruitful end.